A&E can just put up a disclaimer saying “we don’t necessarily agree with the views on this show”. South Park has done this for years: “This program has coarse language and due to its content should not be viewed by anyone.”
—
Rush Limbaugh: taken off ESPN for D. McNabb comments
Michael Savage: lost MSNBC gig after calling caller gay
Martin Bashir: taken off for crude comments about Palin
Alec Baldwin: taken off after calling a paparazzi a fag
Ed Schultz: Suspended by MSNBC for calling Laura Ingraham
a “talk slut”
Don Imus: Taken off WFAN for Rutgers comment; hired by WABC
John DePetro: Taken off WRKO for calling Highway chief “Fag Matt. Wife wears the pants” and calling gov candidate Grace Ross a “fat lesbian”; now suspended by WPRO Prov for calling union reps “whores” (WPRO has been told by Republicans and Democrats alike they won’t come on the station if DePetro
is still on)
Dixie Chicks: had boycott against them after N. Maines said “we’re ashamed Pres Bush is from Texas” in London
Also (call Brown a RINO, yes, but...) Keith Olbermann apologized (can’t recall if he was suspended)for hyperbolic comments about Sen Scott Brown. He also called Michelle Malkin a “big mashed-up bag of meat with lipstick on”
Olby on Brown:
“In short, in Scott Brown we have an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude model, teabagging supporter of violence against woman and against politicians with whom he disagrees. In any other time in our history, this man would have been laughed off the stage as an unqualified and a disaster in the making by the most conservative of conservatives. Instead, the commonwealth of Massachusetts is close to sending this bad joke to the Senate of the United States.””
That's pretty much standard for most programs.
I would think it appropriate for A&E to post a statement specifically disagreeing with Phil and stating why they disagree.
It's fairly obvious there needs to be a line drawn somewhere. I think Bashir crossed it and should have been fired, even though I agree with his basic point about slavery as a metaphor being used inappropriately.
I don't think Robertson did cross this line. Nothing he said implied the need for government or personal violent action against gays or anybody else. He merely stated his own opinion about what constitutes sin when asked.
Who was the Fox sports announcer who was fired after one day because he was against the lie of sodomite marriage?
By the way, the Dixie Chicks episode was different because the FANS objected to their behavior...the MEDIA defended the Chicks.
Here, and in other conservative cases, the media companies are punishing the people—not the customers....it smells of fascism to me.
To be fair (and accurate), Rush’s comments were actually about the sports media regarding McNabb. Rush was lynched over a twisting of the actual words said.
Much like Phil Robertson.
Most of the others in the list did or appear to have (for the instances I am unfamiliar with) actually lashed out verbally against other individuals - particularly Martin Bashir, who advocated sick punishment for a political foe (Sarah Palin). Baldwin used some school yard taunts against a protected group - his dismissal is more about WHO he targeted than about HOW..
***Dixie Chicks: had boycott against them after N. Maines said “we’re ashamed Pres Bush is from Texas” in London***’
There is quite a difference between spouting off during an act of WAR against the US, and an interview for a magazine.
One should see what the US films of WWII told civilians to do to those who talked defeatism, which is what the Dixie Chicks did.
There is nothing wrong with what Phil said. After all, if the magazine did not want his opinion they would not have asked for it.