I knew that "Duck Dynasty" was a TV show, but knew nothing more than that. When the star of the series made headlines as a result of his notorious interview with GQ magazine, I was curious. I was informed by my son that the program was a reality show about a rural family from Louisiana. The patriarch of the family, a sixty-seven year old man named Phil Robertson, said some very controversial things regarding blacks and gays.
Here are some of the things he said about gays:
2.
This outrageous statement is beneath comment. I will make some use of it, though; crap, after all, can be put to use as fertilizer.
4. The Zeitgeist and Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was born in 1913. On December 1, 1955, she was sitting in the "colored section" of a bus in Birmingham. The "white section" was filled; the law was that in such cases, a black must give up his/her seat in the colored section to a white person. A white demanded that she do just that. She refused. She was arrested, had to pay a fine, and lost her job as a seamstress. She also became a hero--the modern Civil Rights Movement traces its beginnings to her defiant act. She was a good, courageous person. (Look at her face; it radiates kindness and decency--in contrast, I think, to Mr. Robertson's.) She has been declared by Congress to have been "the first lady of Civil Rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement." (Congress, with pressure from the Zeitgeist, how you have changed!)
If Rosa Parks acted just as courageously twenty years before 1955, however, no one would have heard of her. She would have been thrown off the bus, arrested, fined, perhaps jailed or even roughed up by the police, and that would have been the end of it. It is the Zeitgeist that turned her defiance into an ultimate success. Large numbers of blacks, joined with large numbers of whites and people of all races and creeds, no longer would tolerate backwater treatment of black citizens.
We tend to think that individuals shape history. It is actually the Zeitgeist which changes the chemical solution of society, as it were, thus causing important individuals to precipitate into prominent representatives of Zeitgeist views. Without the Zeitgeist's changes, these individuals would have remained inert.
Even a demagogue like the one who compared Robertson to Parks is required by the modern Zeitgeist to pay homage to the mother of the freedom movement. Imagine what he would have said about her if he had been her contemporary!
5. The Zeitgeist and the War Against Christmas
Extreme conservatives believe there is a war against Christmas. According to many of them, the shibboleth of insidious secularism is "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." This is of course silly from a religious point of view. If Jesus of Nazareth returned today he would have a lot to be angry about; I doubt whether he would make much fuss about whether or not people wished each other a Merry Christmas. (As a Jew, he probably would prefer Happy Hanukkah.) However, although I think these conservatives are dead wrong in their belief that secularism inevitably leads to evil and loss of spirituality, I do think they have a point. Since the Enlightenment, the Zeitgeist has been causing an apparently unstoppable march toward secularism. Examples abound. If a musician as talented as Bach were alive today, do you really believe he would be writing cantatas for the Lutheran church? If Aquinas and Augustine were alive today, do you think they would be writing theological tracts? They most likely would have turned out to be top-notch scientists. Conversely, if Einstein lived a thousand years earlier, could one envision him as not being a pious Jew poring over the Torah? At one time, it was perfectly consistent with intellectual integrity to literally believe what the Bible said. The Zeigeist has made that almost impossible, and its work in the direction of secularism is far from over.
A conservative friend of mine recently posted a message from the Tea Party. It contained an outline of a nativity scene with the following caption: "Why do people say "Happy Holidays" at this time of year? Would you say "Happy Holidays" on the 4th of July? Of course not! So don't say it now. It's Merry Christmas. Deal with it." It is the Zeitgeist, however, that is dealing with it. Its trend toward secularism and multi-culturalism continues apace. This includes ever increasing gender equality and equality for gays and others who have been treated unfairly. (But only those that the current Zeitgeist deems to have been treated unfairly, mind you; the Zeitgeist is only beginning to realize how cruelly animals are being abused. I have no doubt that the Zeitgeist of the future will put an end to much of this and will view our current treatment of animals to have been horribly barbaric.)
Increasing numbers of people no longer believe that "United States" and "Christian" must go together. Christians must realize that Christianity can no longer claim universality, not even in this country where the majority are at least nominal Christians. This is why many view "Merry Christmas" as a universal greeting to be too restrictive and opt for "Happy Holidays." Whether one chooses to deal with this or not, the advance toward secularism will not be reversed. Each individual has a role to play in life; it is the Zeitgeist however that is the author of the play. This author is becoming increasingly secular; might as well deal with it.
I have nothing against people wishing me a Merry Christmas. Even though I sometimes dislike aspects of the Christmas season such as the crowds and the incessant playing of annoying holiday music, I do love the lights at a drab time of year; I do love the holiday spirit. I must also confess, as a non-Christian, that Christmas is a secular holiday for me--I don't make much fuss about it. But I respect, sometimes even envy, those who do. So let me end this essay, in keeping with the spirit of the times, by paraphrasing Jose Feliciano, the composer and performer of one of the most annoying Christmas songs of all time:
Feliz Navidad! I want to wish you a Happy Solstice, I want to wish you a Happy Solstice, I want to wish you a Happy Solstice, from the bottom of my heart!
Here are some of the things he said about gays:
“It seems like, to me, a vagina--as a man--would be more desirable than a man's anus," Robertson told GQ. "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.”
“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine," he later added. “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. 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."
Here's what he said about blacks:
“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.”
Acceptance of homosexuality viewed as one of the lower rungs of an evil ladder that secular people have chosen to land on on their inevitable descent towards bestiality and worse; blacks viewed as having been content, downright happy, until the Sixties turned them into uppity blues-singing malcontents. Mr. Robertson's statements are, of course, bigoted, but I believe he is not aware of it, which makes them perhaps even worse. My purpose here is not to comment on his views; many good journalists have done that already--the bigotry is obvious. My subject here is the Zeitgeist's role that led to both the wide-spread reaction of journalists and to the firing of the Duck Patriarch.
2.
The wonderful German word, Zeitgeist, spirit of the times, is attributed to Hegel, although he never actually used it. He did often speak, however, of "Der Geist der Ziet" which means the same thing as Zeitgeist, albeit stated less eloquently. It is the central part of his philosophy. For Hegel, it is not so much the individual that makes news; the times, which create the individual, is the real protagonist. He has a point, as we shall now see.
3.
Robertson's statements are--or at least used to be--quite commonplace; they are certainly not rare, even today. I have heard priests of the Catholic Church argue that if gay marriage is legalized, legalizing bestiality might soon follow--an allusion to that evil ladder again. The myth of the happy slave is--or at least was--entrenched in white American folklore.
The difference is that large numbers of people--at present I would estimate that they are the majority--would view Mr. Robertson's statements as bigoted. This is, of course, the achievement of the Zeitgeist. What was once mainstream is now backwaters.
Mr. Robertson's backwater views got him fired. The A & E network, which broadcasts "Duck Dynasty," put him on "indefinite hiatus." If you are an idealist, you would probably think that the network executives did this on moral grounds. I doubt it. I think they just realize that the Zeitgeist is very much opposed to Mr. Robertson's views; they were afraid of the bottom line: loss of revenue. What supports this view is the fact that A & E had warned Robertson not to speak openly about his beliefs. They obviously knew or at least suspected what those views were. As long as he kept his mouth shut, advertising revenue would continue to make this an inexpensively produced yet very profitable show.
Just as evolution works slowly, the Zeitgeist does not reach everyone at the same time. The Zeitgeist's gradual transformation of society is consistent with the persistence of pockets of antiquated views. I will give an example. In order to put votes from those who inhabit such pockets into his pocket, here's what a Republican running for Congress recently wrote in an e-mail:
"In December 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand against an unjust societal persecution of black people, and in December 2013, Robertson took a stand against persecution of Christians," Bayne said in an email to supporters.The difference is that large numbers of people--at present I would estimate that they are the majority--would view Mr. Robertson's statements as bigoted. This is, of course, the achievement of the Zeitgeist. What was once mainstream is now backwaters.
Mr. Robertson's backwater views got him fired. The A & E network, which broadcasts "Duck Dynasty," put him on "indefinite hiatus." If you are an idealist, you would probably think that the network executives did this on moral grounds. I doubt it. I think they just realize that the Zeitgeist is very much opposed to Mr. Robertson's views; they were afraid of the bottom line: loss of revenue. What supports this view is the fact that A & E had warned Robertson not to speak openly about his beliefs. They obviously knew or at least suspected what those views were. As long as he kept his mouth shut, advertising revenue would continue to make this an inexpensively produced yet very profitable show.
Just as evolution works slowly, the Zeitgeist does not reach everyone at the same time. The Zeitgeist's gradual transformation of society is consistent with the persistence of pockets of antiquated views. I will give an example. In order to put votes from those who inhabit such pockets into his pocket, here's what a Republican running for Congress recently wrote in an e-mail:
This outrageous statement is beneath comment. I will make some use of it, though; crap, after all, can be put to use as fertilizer.
4. The Zeitgeist and Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was born in 1913. On December 1, 1955, she was sitting in the "colored section" of a bus in Birmingham. The "white section" was filled; the law was that in such cases, a black must give up his/her seat in the colored section to a white person. A white demanded that she do just that. She refused. She was arrested, had to pay a fine, and lost her job as a seamstress. She also became a hero--the modern Civil Rights Movement traces its beginnings to her defiant act. She was a good, courageous person. (Look at her face; it radiates kindness and decency--in contrast, I think, to Mr. Robertson's.) She has been declared by Congress to have been "the first lady of Civil Rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement." (Congress, with pressure from the Zeitgeist, how you have changed!)
If Rosa Parks acted just as courageously twenty years before 1955, however, no one would have heard of her. She would have been thrown off the bus, arrested, fined, perhaps jailed or even roughed up by the police, and that would have been the end of it. It is the Zeitgeist that turned her defiance into an ultimate success. Large numbers of blacks, joined with large numbers of whites and people of all races and creeds, no longer would tolerate backwater treatment of black citizens.
We tend to think that individuals shape history. It is actually the Zeitgeist which changes the chemical solution of society, as it were, thus causing important individuals to precipitate into prominent representatives of Zeitgeist views. Without the Zeitgeist's changes, these individuals would have remained inert.
Even a demagogue like the one who compared Robertson to Parks is required by the modern Zeitgeist to pay homage to the mother of the freedom movement. Imagine what he would have said about her if he had been her contemporary!
5. The Zeitgeist and the War Against Christmas
Extreme conservatives believe there is a war against Christmas. According to many of them, the shibboleth of insidious secularism is "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." This is of course silly from a religious point of view. If Jesus of Nazareth returned today he would have a lot to be angry about; I doubt whether he would make much fuss about whether or not people wished each other a Merry Christmas. (As a Jew, he probably would prefer Happy Hanukkah.) However, although I think these conservatives are dead wrong in their belief that secularism inevitably leads to evil and loss of spirituality, I do think they have a point. Since the Enlightenment, the Zeitgeist has been causing an apparently unstoppable march toward secularism. Examples abound. If a musician as talented as Bach were alive today, do you really believe he would be writing cantatas for the Lutheran church? If Aquinas and Augustine were alive today, do you think they would be writing theological tracts? They most likely would have turned out to be top-notch scientists. Conversely, if Einstein lived a thousand years earlier, could one envision him as not being a pious Jew poring over the Torah? At one time, it was perfectly consistent with intellectual integrity to literally believe what the Bible said. The Zeigeist has made that almost impossible, and its work in the direction of secularism is far from over.
A conservative friend of mine recently posted a message from the Tea Party. It contained an outline of a nativity scene with the following caption: "Why do people say "Happy Holidays" at this time of year? Would you say "Happy Holidays" on the 4th of July? Of course not! So don't say it now. It's Merry Christmas. Deal with it." It is the Zeitgeist, however, that is dealing with it. Its trend toward secularism and multi-culturalism continues apace. This includes ever increasing gender equality and equality for gays and others who have been treated unfairly. (But only those that the current Zeitgeist deems to have been treated unfairly, mind you; the Zeitgeist is only beginning to realize how cruelly animals are being abused. I have no doubt that the Zeitgeist of the future will put an end to much of this and will view our current treatment of animals to have been horribly barbaric.)
Increasing numbers of people no longer believe that "United States" and "Christian" must go together. Christians must realize that Christianity can no longer claim universality, not even in this country where the majority are at least nominal Christians. This is why many view "Merry Christmas" as a universal greeting to be too restrictive and opt for "Happy Holidays." Whether one chooses to deal with this or not, the advance toward secularism will not be reversed. Each individual has a role to play in life; it is the Zeitgeist however that is the author of the play. This author is becoming increasingly secular; might as well deal with it.
I have nothing against people wishing me a Merry Christmas. Even though I sometimes dislike aspects of the Christmas season such as the crowds and the incessant playing of annoying holiday music, I do love the lights at a drab time of year; I do love the holiday spirit. I must also confess, as a non-Christian, that Christmas is a secular holiday for me--I don't make much fuss about it. But I respect, sometimes even envy, those who do. So let me end this essay, in keeping with the spirit of the times, by paraphrasing Jose Feliciano, the composer and performer of one of the most annoying Christmas songs of all time:
Feliz Navidad! I want to wish you a Happy Solstice, I want to wish you a Happy Solstice, I want to wish you a Happy Solstice, from the bottom of my heart!
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