Duck Dynasty Star Suspended For Bigoted Remarks

Yesterday we reported that Phil Robertson, the paterfamilias of the Duck Dynasty clan said some incredibly ignorant things about homosexuality and race in an interview he did with GQ's Drew Magary. Well now it seems that A&E and their parent company A+E Networks have gone into full damage control mode. They've suspended Robertson indefinitely and released a statement which, according to Variety, reads:

"We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty. His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community."

Fairly boilerplate but par for the course in terms of network ass covering. In case you've forgotten here's what landed Phil into hot water.

1. His views on anatomy and physiology:

"It seems like, to me, a vagina--as a man--would be more desirable than a man's anus. That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I'm saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical."

2. His views on sin. When asked "What, in your mind, is sinful?" Phil replied:

"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men," he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: "Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers--they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."

While these statements are repugnant, they are not unexpected. If you've ever seen an episode of Duck Dynasty you'd know that the head of the Robertson clan is both very conservative and somebody who isn't a "live and let live" kind of guy. While the controversy centers on his views of the LGBT community, his views on race, politics, and religion are just as a backwards, ill informed, and ignorant.

Phil On Growing Up in Pre-Civil-Rights-Era Louisiana

"I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field.... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people'--not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."

Phil On Why He Voted Romney in 2012

"If I'm lost at three o'clock in a major metropolitan area...I ask myself: Where would I rather be trying to walk with my wife and children? One of the guys who's running for president is out of Chicago, Illinois, and the other one is from Salt Lake City, Utah. [Editor's note: Romney is from Boston, not Salt Lake City.] Where would I rather be turned around at three o'clock in the morning? I opted for Salt Lake City. I think it would be safer."

Finally, Phil's views on religion:

"For the sake of the Gospel, [giving up our privacy] was worth it," Phil tells [Magary]. "All you have to do is look at any society where there is no Jesus. I'll give you four: Nazis, no Jesus. Look at their record. Uh, Shintos? They started this thing in Pearl Harbor. Any Jesus among them? None. Communists? None. Islamists? Zero. That's eighty years of ideologies that have popped up where no Jesus was allowed among those four groups. Just look at the records as far as murder goes among those four groups."