Friday, December 20, 2013

"Duck" the Dynasty, Cheer the Boo-Boo

A bunch of my right-wing "friends" on Facebook have leaped on the "Support Our Racist" bandwagon for Phil Robertson. They point out that even the racist Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal and known racist Sarah Palin are supporting longtime, outspoken racist Phil Robertson.

One of their main tactics is to point out that left-wing people supported Martin Bashir, when he alluded to moronic remarks by Sarah Palin and suggested someone should poop in her mouth. He quit before MSNBC received any intense pressure to fire him. Classy move.

The comparison is apples to oranges. Bashir is an educated Brit who made one stupid, on-air remark. Rather than engage a cause celebre, he quit. Backwoods entrepreneur Phil Robertson simply voiced an opinion he's had for decades: Homosexuals are bad. It ain't Biblical.

Back to Bashir...Um, he didn't say anything racist. He made a poop joke. Not the best, not the worst, not the most obvious. But when the chips were down, he decided to take a break.

I do not despise A&E, the network that broadcasts Duck Dynasty. Nor do I detest whatever network airs HONEY BOO-BOO. I've never watched one second of either show, nor do I intend to. But millions of people like to watch "train wreck" television; viewing the antics of morons is intensely pleasurable. Otherwise COPS wouldn't have lasted 20+ seasons and remain a top program in syndication.

If anything, the producers of HONEY BOO-BOO should send Phil Robertson a fruit basket. Duck Dynasty has made BOO-BOO irrelevant. WGAS about a morbidly obese woman and her hillbilly clan when you have swamp people and their business? But if A&E doesn't blink in their showdown with the Robertsons, then BOO-BOO regains the dubious crown as "Queen of the Lowest Common Denominator."

If anyone is truly suffering from this incident, it's Martin Bashir. Forever until the end of time, if you enter his name in Google, the system will auto-fill either "racist," "poop," or "Phil Robertson."  The latter's 15 minutes should soon be over, replaced by a legless, armless cigarette roller or a rapping Pinhead. America needs its morons freshly hewn. Bashir will land on his feet somewhere, out of the media swampland, and return to making erudite commentary. Robertson? I'm happy to let him clean his guns and make his duck calls and say whatever he wants, which is another of his rights as an American. Just not on my TV.

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