First, let's be clear on what happened. Phil spoke to a reporter about his personal views. It did include comments about gays, but it did not single them out. In fact he was focused on sin and then referenced things that lead to sin. It was in this second part that gays were mentioned along with drugs, prostitution, and others. He also called himself out for his former lifestyle of drugs and drunkedness and calling that sinful behavior as well. When pressed on the gay issue he said that a woman's vagina was more appealing than a man's anus, but that sin itself isn't logical.
Above Diego get's himself all excited and wants to compare this to the Dixie Chicks. While it has a few similarities it is pretty much an apples to horses comparison. The Dixie Chicks faced huge backlashes from their former fans. Hundreds of thousands of fans broke, returned, trashed their existing CDs and sales of new ones went in the tank. Radio stations were swamped with calls from listeners to take the Chicks out of the rotation. Stations even held remotes where people could turn in their CDs for mass burnings and the like. In the end the consumer of country music decided the fate of the Chicks.
In the Duck Dynasty case, many of the fans support the comments of Phil Robertson. Also, A&E is on record as supporting Duck Dynasty for exactly the same thing they just suspended Phil for. There are many examples of the network supporting the views of Phil and the rest of the Robertson cast:
David McKillop, GM and EVP of A&E wrote:
Thanks to its authentic and engaging characters Duck Dynasty has become more than just a reality show, it is a cultural phenomenon. We would like to thank the Robertsons for their incredible partnership. We are all Happy, Happy, Happy.
A&E Promo wrote:Check out Duck Dynasty, a show about the family that runs the duck call ... they operate a thriving business while staying true to their family values and lifestyle.
On top of all of that A&E shows the family in a Christian Church repeatedly, ends each show with a prayer before dinner, promotes Christmas shows and recently the family re-enacting the birth of Jesus.
So A&E has suspended Phil for the very things they have used to promote the show and the cast in the past. At the same time A&E really isn't all that concerned because they are still running reruns of the show with Phil in them and they plan to show the new season in early Jan that has already been filmed and includes Phil. Duck Dynasty is the most popular show on cable TV and has had the largest viewership ever for a cable show. There is simply too much money for A&E to walk away from the show, which will not continue without Phil.
What this really shows us is the double standard that exists between mainstream media / political correctness and those who have differing views.
The political correctness crowd and their supporters have long spoken of tolerance. That isn't what they want. They want free speech and acceptance for themselves, but they want to silence anyone who doesn't share their beliefs. In other words, they think it is ok for those who see things differently than them to have those beliefs as long as those beliefs aren't voiced or supported by any actions. Some of you will disagree with me. So be it, but explain these examples then:
http://news.yahoo.com/colo-judge-orders ... 58500.html
http://www.charismanews.com/us/41712-ch ... itizenship
The political correctness crowd likes to claim the Christians are forcing their worldview on everyone else. The above cases show that to be incorrect. Phil Robertson is forcing his worldview on anyone. Neither was the owner of Chick fil a. Both just expressed their opinion when asked. The political correctness crowd didn't like their personal comments and quickly moved to try to silence them. That backfired in the Chick fil a case as the chain had its most profitable year in 2012, and I would bet the same will happen with Duck Commander. But there is a danger in using the government and courts to force people to serve others over their religious and or personal views.
As one of the above articles points out, if gays can force a Christian business owner to photograph a gay wedding, then the KKK could force an African American business owner to photograph a cross burning or similar legal gathering or event. Same for a Hindu business owner and a cattle slaughter house.
If the gay community is really asking for tolerance and acceptance of everyone, why do they want to silence Phil?