Thursday, December 19, 2013

"Jindal: 'Messed Up Situation When Miley Cyrus Gets a Laugh, and Phil Robertson Gets Suspended'"

"Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal criticized the suspension of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson by network A&E."
“Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the State of Louisiana. The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with. I don’t agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV. In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive. But I also acknowledge that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to express their views. In fact, I remember when TV networks believed in the First Amendment. It is a messed up situation when Miley Cyrus gets a laugh, and Phil Robertson gets suspended," said Jindal in a prepared statement.
Over a Daily Caller, Matt K Lewis also sees it in terms of a divided "two Americas".
When you consider the more effete, cosmopolitan America that “Pajama Boy” represents, you’ll get a sense for why the Duck Dynasty folks are out of touch with today’s acceptable norms. There is a huge schism between red state America and blue state America, and these two stories seem to symbolize the yawning chasm. 
We (by We, I mean those paying attention to this) seem to be caught up in a version of what the Wikipedia "tit for tat" page describes as a "death spiral." That's my impression, for whatever is worth. I don't want to stick my neck out too far on this. I wanted to carefully consider it before posting\copying and pasting about it.
While Axelrod has empirically shown that the strategy is optimal in some cases, two agents playing tit for tat remain vulnerable. A one-time, single-bit error in either player's interpretation of events can lead to an unending "death spiral". In this symmetric situation, each side perceives itself as preferring to cooperate, if only the other side would. But each is forced by the strategy into repeatedly punishing an opponent who continues to attack despite being punished in every game cycle. Both sides come to think of themselves as innocent and acting in self-defense, and their opponent as either evil or too stupid to learn to cooperate.
As a Christian, I want to promote love, understanding and cooperation.

22 comments:

Mitch H. said...

Let's hear it for game theory.

Calypso Facto said...

"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.” Phil Robertson

From the same interview ...

Icepick said...

Let's hear it for game theory.

WOOHOO!

chickelit said...

The dynamics of this recent red vs. blue skirmish is that opinion was met with action (suspension). It's the third recent case of opinion being matched with action (Baldwin and Bashir being the other two). It is entirely possible to be against "words met with action" and to cross political boundaries to condemn both.

chickelit said...

You should add a censorship tag, Lem, to keep score.

Palladian said...

I thought the show was cute when I first saw it, but I quickly tired of it when the premise became too stretched and product placement in the show became ludicrous. Overexposed, overproduced.

Why A&E would expect more enlightened opinions from a self-professed evangelical redneck, though, is a mystery.

Palladian said...

There is a huge schism between red state America and blue state America, and these two stories seem to symbolize the yawning chasm.

Manufactured outrage and the endlessly tiring culture war / red state vs blue state nonsense doesn't just symbolize "the yawning chasm", it actually produces a yawning chasm: my mouth, yawning over dull, stupid ideas and bad writing.

Trooper York said...

You have to realize what the people who run reality television are all about. I had a reality show and had met them in real life.

Not one of the executives or producers were religious people. Of any persuasion. In fact they delighted in mocking and denigrating religion, religious symbols and religious people. If you had traditional values you were an outcast.

We filmed on Ash Wednesday and the producer made a point to insist that we remove our ashes which are the symbol of our faith. Now we did not have to film on that day since we had the next day off. Or we could have started earlier and then went to the later service at 7pm and not have an issue. But the producer set it up so he could pull a power play.

My family and even some of the technical crew looked to me to see what I would do. I talked it over with my wife and we decided that we had to comply. What was so stupid about it was that particular episode filmed right outside and many, many people who walked by or were interviewed on camera had ashes. So it was all for nothing.

I was weak. I was afraid. I let them force me to do something I really shouldn't have let them do. My priest told me I did the right thing and not to beat myself up about it since so many peoples economic well being would have been affected. But I was wrong. I will regret it till my dying day.

Television people are the worst of the worst.

Trooper York said...

They didn't just hate the Catholics or Christians in general.

One of the make up artist we had was a very nice girl who was a religious Orthodox Jew. The producer and some of the staff delighted in making fun of her and denigrating her. They purposely scheduled some of our interview dates on Friday afternoons or Saturdays so she could not get work.

They even were pretty nasty to a friend of mine who is a Muslim and is my car service driver. Not in a joking ball busting way. But in a deeply offensive nasty way that I will not talk about here because you wouldn't believe me if I told you.

Trooper York said...

I admire Phil Robertson for not being afraid to show his religious faith on his show. His show is extremely popular and is a great ratings winner. But even that did not protect him.

The forces who wish to punish and destroy religion and religious people are after him now and will not stop until he is destroyed in one way or another.

I hope he can stay true to his faith and get to the other side without being savaged by the forces that are arrayed against him.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Phil Robertson also has the blessing of being independent. He is not Honey Boo Boo and her malignant mother, he can tell A&E to get ducked.

I have regrets too for few things I have done in the past Troop. It is very hard to get over those things, even if others are more than willing to forgive you. But I think things happen for a reason and perhaps that past event will result in you acting differently (in a positive way) in the future. Maybe by witnessing about it now the way you are doing.

I am not a huge fan of Duck Dynasty (most reality shows bore me after a few episodes), but I know when someone is being set up and I see that with Robertson. As far as being gay goes, most people find it distasteful in practice, but are live and let live on individuals who go that way (and Robertson just reflected that sentiment). A&E are a bunch of hypocritical assholes.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

And Troop, those leftist un-religious people you describe are also cowards. They attack Christians and Jews but dare not ever attack Muslims (because they might actually attack them back). Plus I also think they look at it as the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so they enjoy playing Muslims against Christians and Jews.

The Dude said...

I have never seen the show, even though I look like one of their cousins, but given the number of endorsements and product revenue streams the family has I think they will be okay.

Based on what I know from Trooper's stories I watch reality shows with a jaundiced eye - why did Chum Lee break that thing? Good television. How did American Pickers manage to find those characters on a back road? Advance men.

Don't get me started on the storage unit salting - that stuff is so obvious it is painful.

There is no doubt in my mind that people who work on those shows, the runners, the producers, whomever, are the worst of the worst.

Oh yeah, as a tree guy I occasionally watch lumberjack shows - saw Big Bad Wood the other day - the crushing of the utility shed was so set up that it was ridiculous. Nice shed, right under a tree, tree is "accidentally" dropped on the shed, crushing it, yet somehow, the shed contained nothing and the property owner reacted in a way that seemed scripted.

Trooper York said...

Well they actually did something to a Muslim. Just a powerless Muslim workingman guy. And they did it in a sneaky underhanded way that was really fucked up.

They would never do it in the open when it came to Muslims. Or Jews for that matter. That they kept underwraps even though they did it in an underhanded way.

But Catholics and Christians and Mormons were open season.

The Dude said...

There may be some backlash from A&E's move, but it will blow over.

Besides, in the mean time it is providing cover for Obamacare's failure.

Birches said...

Interesting theory Lem. I'm trying to understand how the Duck Dynasty guy could have appeared to cooperate more? As I said over at TOP, I've had people I mostly agree with say some stupid things (Richard Mourdock), so I pretty much say, you made your bed, you can lie in it. Don't say stupid things.

But what Phil Robertson said seems so even handed and fairly compassionate. Take out the vagina talk and it really could be something "the oh so tolerant" Pope could have said.

So my feathers are ruffled because I see it as a deliberate effort to delegitimize my faith. It's not even a political or rights matter; same-sex marriage doesn't enter the building. It's pure hatred of religious doctrine.

Trooper York said...

That's the point Birches. They hate religion and religious people. It doesn't matter what religion. They hide it when it is Muslims or Jews because they can still get some backlash if they are too overt about it.

But mainstream Christianity or Mormons are fair game. You get applauded for attacking them. You will win a Tony or an Oscar for writing scurrilous attacks against those religions. If you try to fight back the media plies on and tries to destroy you.

Maybe enough people will wake up with this latest attack on religion and it can change just a little.

But I doubt it.

Aridog said...

Trooper York said it all at 5:52 PM. The producers of shows like the ones he mentions are doing it as a slight of hand mockery of people they could never be ever. They truly believe it is entertaining much as they thought Elmer Fudd was entertainment....just cartoons you know. I am delighted that Robertson spoke out plainly...they can't stand plain talk, no sir. And in particular they hate religion, any organized religion.

One solution is to never watch their shows, and suggest others not watch. It is all mockery.

KCFleming said...

They intend these shows as mockery, but it usually fails. The Duck Dynasty show would not be popular as mockery.

Obama's pajama boy might watch it ironically, but it seems people really like those guys. So the TV corporate assholes laughed, and made money, but they failed to generate the desired result.

Now that A&E showed their true faces, however, they're screwed. If they capitulate to the Duck fan protests, the left hates them, and if they don't, they'll lose money.

Now that's a reality show I'd call fucking hilarious.

edutcher said...

Jindal's negatives notwithstanding, his point is well-taken and it puts him well away from the Whigs; if national office should beckon, he, along, with Walker, Cruz, Lee, and maybe Haley, would make a pretty deep bench.

Known Unknown said...

Jindal's "optics" are terrible. Maybe we'll come to a day when that doesn't matter as much, but I doubt it.

William said...

My version of Occam's Razor is that the most cynical explanation is the correct one. Apparently there's going to be a Duck Dynasty marathon on A&E over the weekend. This can't possibly hurt ratings. Maybe they can film a meeting between some corporate honcho and Robertson. The differences are resolved, and it becomes a feel good story of how people of good will can hash out these issues......Most people can find common ground when a few hundred million are to be gained. Phil will not compromise his principles. That would subvert the brand. But he will allow as we're all sinners in God's eyes and gays are not necessarily the worst. The honcho, ideally a handsome gay man, will state that there are many colors in the rainbow and good Christians are not the darkest color of the spectrum. They will pretend to have learned a valuable lesson, hug, and then sign a contract renewal. Not a dry eye in the room.