Duck Dynasty Dude Back on TV: Doesn't Matter!
What it comes down to is hate speech. Some see it as this and others do not.
The ones who say it is hate speech want to protest and boycott the show and anyone who supports what that dude said. Saying that being gay is bad or sinful or unnatural is hate speech and ignorant in these people's eyes.
On the other side, you have the people who say that dude has the right to his opinion, that it isn't hateful to think it wrong to be gay, and they say the Constitution protects the right to free speech.
So who is right?
I have two opinions about this. On the one hand, they are both right. In this day and age, to be of the belief that gayness is wrong is ignorant and hurtful. You are basically telling millions of people that they are evil or unnatural or criminal, or deviant, or dirty --you get the point. The people you call these things will beg to differ and they should. So saying that gay is bad is akin to hate speech, just as it is hate speech to say that one color of people is better or worse than another color of people. Saying that kind of thing is just ignorant and hurtful to millions. It should be opposed and protested, and those who support it should be boycotted and criticized for their hating, hurtful, ignorant ways.
On the other hand, we live in a country that has a Constitution which guarantees the freedom of expression. Thus, we allow neonazis to march down the street and preach their beliefs, even if we vehemently disagree with those beliefs. And the government must protect those neonazis from assault during their marches. You see, Duck Dynasty may believe some pretty ignorant things, and he may even say things that are hurtful to millions, but he has the right to say these things, and he has the right to believe these things. The network that airs his show has the right to keep him on there. Companies have the right to pay to advertise on that show.
So where does this leave us? Right where we started. Duck Dynasty dude has the right to say what he says and people have a right to protest him. Advertisers have the right to advertise on there or not, as they see fit and people have the right to boycott both the show and the advertisers if they see fit. In the end, because we have freedom of speech, we can say all manner of things and people can disagree with us.
That is the beauty of our constitutional republic. That is also the bane of it.
Thus, where do I see myself in relation to all of this? I will stand with the people who say that Duck Dynasty dude is ignorant and hurtful. I will stand with those who say we should protest against the ignorance of people like him. I will even stand with those who want to boycott the show, the network, and anyone who advertises on that show or even the network.
But I will never say that Duck Dynasty dude has no right to say what he has said.
It all comes down to freedom. He is free to say what he believes and I am free to say what I believe.
The part that saddens me is that we have people, millions of people, billions even, who believe ignorant things like this:
Being gay is a sin.
One color of people is better than another color of people.
One religion is right and all others are wrong.
One culture is better than any other.
One language is better than another.
Each of these things points to the fact that we have not evolved as a species. We are still just like we have always been: Hating anything different from us.
In the end, we kill each other over these supposed differences and it is just plain stupid and primitive.
I wish we could just follow a very simple set of rules, not because we will be punished if we break them, but because we believe that these rules benefit everybody:
Do not intentionally hurt anyone physically, emotionally, or psychologically.
Do not kill anyone unless there is an immediate and clearly recognized threat to life.
Try very hard to be considerate of those around you at all times.
Don't be greedy.
Don't be rude.
Work together.
Learn as much as you can.
Work hard.
Relax.
Wouldn't these rules be a good start? You wouldn't even need to have a god to order them upon us. We can just all agree that these things are good for the whole of society, humanity, and even nature.
Ahhh, but I know how we are. We will interpret and disagree. We will form hierarchies of leadership based on these things and then get corrupted and violate these rules at every level of society and age.
Our self interest is too myopic, too immediate. The broader benefit is not as apparent and so we ignore it, discount it, forget it.
But one of us bipedal apes thought it --let the record show!
Comments