The One Where I Quietly (or Not So Quietly) Yell and Maybe Lose Friends

Two days in a row I find myself needing to unload. So here I go.

Being Christian does not make you always right. Saying that x, y, or z goes against the Bible or your understanding of the Bible or the Bible that is used by your religion doesn't make it okay for you to condone and support and even celebrate intolerance.

We have all these Facebook pages popping up to support Phil Robertson because A & E fired him for lines like this in his recent GQ Magazine interview, the text of which can be found in its entirety here:

“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”
So for him to lump gays in with terrorists is okay. Because we are ALL anti-terrorists. But don't you know that terrorists terrorize because WE are not following along with THEIR idea about religion?

Is this parallel lost on you? And by you, I mean those think it's cool to throw gays in with terrorists and those who think it's okay for Phil Robertson to say whatever he wants in a PUBLIC FORUM but it's NOT OKAY for his employer to can him over it.

People. That don't make no kind of sense.

And this gem, about how black folks seemed to have it good back in the day:

Phil On Growing Up in Pre-Civil-Rights-Era Louisiana
“I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I’m with the blacks, because we’re white trash. We’re going across the field.... They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.”

Do I even need to say that this is such a ridiculously ignorant thing to say in 2013 in a space for all to read? Do I have to say this to you?

You don't have to march in a parade. You don't have to adopt a gay person like you would a needy child off the TV via UNICEF. No one is asking you to host an "invite a gay and a black person to dinner" night. And no one cares what you are talking about in your houses with your friends. You can not like whomever you want. You can think that being gay is unnatural immoral and should be illegal. And that black folks had it good back in the day.

What it makes no sense for you to do is be up in arms because one man said this stuff in a public forum and his employer, who happens to be a TV network, with millions of people who watch that network decided that he is not someone they want in his employ.

Guess what would have happened had Phil said that at his house to Miss Kay while they were playing cards or wrapping gifts? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I'm up in arms because I LIKE DUCK DYNASTY. My girlfriend literally just gave me Duck Dynasty pint glasses that say "Happy Happy Happy." I bought my Mom ******CHRISTMAS SPOILER ALERT***** the Si-cology book for Christmas. I'm up in arms because Phil did not know the difference between expressing honest opinions and saying stuff that is inflammatory and engenders hate IN FRONT OF A WORLDWIDE AUDIENCE, not with this buddies while on a hunting trip. I'm pissed off that maybe the whole dang show is going to be gone when it has brought a lot of laughs and joy AND good messages about family to people. So THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE PISSED OFF ABOUT. Not that A & E canned him. But that Phil, in that interview, was Phil at his HOUSE and not Phil TALKING TO A MAGAZINE.

Thanks for letting me yell about this.