A lot has been made over the Phil Robertson comments in GQ this week. Given that my last post had Duck Dynasty in its title, I felt the need to throw my thoughts out there as well. As I said in that post, I have never seen the show. I've heard of it and I'm familiar with the basics and I'm fully aware of what a pop cultural sensation it has become, especially here in the rural South. Many of my friends and acquaintances are fans of the show. Some of those folks will agree with Phil and some will not. I hope this incident will serve as more than yet another Chik-Fil-A style lightning rod for controversy, but will instead help us to begin a real dialogue about bigotry in our culture. I have a number of things to say about this topic, but let me first get a couple of things out of the way:
1) This is not a free speech issue.
Mr. Robertson has every right to say what he said (and anything else for that matter) to whomever he wants. No one is stopping him from doing so. He just has to live with the consequences. Many people have already made this point, and there are myriad blog posts dedicated to it, so I will leave it there.
2) This is about more than religion.
If we take Mr. Robertson's comments in the order they were printed (and presumably in the order the questions will asked and answered), it becomes clear that Phil's primary reason for objecting to homosexuality isn't his religious beliefs. He doesn't start with scripture. He starts with the age-old "that's just icky" excuse, as if any state of being that doesn't align with his own is inherently wrong. Then he throws in some scripture to justify it.
3) The "gay stuff" isn't even the worst thing he said.
The comments Mr. Robertson made about how much happier black folks were under segregation are simply appalling, as are his comparisons between Nazis & Muslims. These things have taken a back seat to his first comments, but are a great cause for concern. This man is clearly bigoted against multiple groups; it seems that anyone who isn't like him is subject to his judgment.
Having said those three things, I feel I must reiterate that I completely support his right to say these things, although they certainly raise some concerns. And this brings me to the main point I'd like to make: Not all Southerners are like this. In fact, let's go a bit further & emphasize that not all white straight rural Southern Christian men feel this way. Wow. I certainly have a lot in common with Mr. Robertson when you look at it that way. However, I do not hold the same beliefs he does, and I know a great number of people who share those same characteristics but do not hold those beliefs.
When this story first hit the internet, I was troubled by the comments in the interview and by the people rushing to support someone who said such abhorrent things. But I was most disturbed by the comments I read over and over from both "sides" of this debate: "He's a rural Southern Christian, why is anyone surprised?" Friends of mine who were angry with Phil posted this so vehemently I could almost see their eyes rolling through the tiny lettering on my smartphone's Facebook app. Friends of mine who are self-proclaimed evangelicals shouted it too, but their phrasing was almost triumphant, as if they had found their champion. People on both sides made sarcastic memes declaring the obviousness of Phil's positions on gays, blacks, and Muslims. This made me terribly sad.
I have posted on this blog before (and I'm sure I will again) that I feel that Southerners get unfairly shoehorned into the category of bigot. People look at the political map & see that all 13 states of the former confederacy are still as red as the blood shed in the war fought to bring them back into the fold and assume that all of us believe the same way. It's simply not true. There is great diversity here in the South, and many of us are very proud of the fact. For example, I can count five different religious persuasions just among my closest circle of friends. We are Southerners now, though a few are transplants from other areas of the US. We are all friends despite our different beliefs. This is who we are.
Phil does not speak for me on the subject of religion, nor does he speak for me on the subjects of race or sexuality. I and so many other Southern folks honor diversity of every sort. I know many gay couples and many interracial couples who are very happy here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Yes, I agree that much of what Phil said was unpleasant. I agree that he can say whatever he wants. But I do not want people to look at me and hear his voice.
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