Dear ‘Duck Dynasty’ Haters: You Do Know It’s All Fake, Right? [View all]

[Jesus Malverde]

Last edited Sun Dec 22, 2013, 01:28 PM - Edit history (1)

Dear ‘Duck Dynasty’ Fans: You Do Know It’s All Fake, Right?

Amid the turmoil caused by the suspension of “Duck Dynasty’s” Phil Robertson in relation to an interview he gave with GQ, an outpouring of support has emerged from those defending the bearded A&E star.

Which only begs the question whether these people really know whom exactly it is they’re defending.

However real and natural it might appear, “Duck Dynasty” is a sitcom. Not all the dialogue is written, but as even the Robertsons freely admitted on the “Today” show, “They come up with ideas and we just get to be ourselves in the situation.”

So while Robertson can be taken at his word that he’s a man of faith, the character that people know from TV is just that: A character.

Other websites, some with way too much time on their hands, have meticulously detailed the staging that goes into the show. But suffice it to say that the Robertsons have thrived in part because they and their producers have been adept at making themselves seem authentic. As one reality TV producer suggested when discussing the show, even if the situations are all phony, you couldn’t create those guys.

Still, the full-throated defense on behalf of the Robertsons primarily reflects two things: The very effective tactic of making Christians feel like they are disrespected and persecuted by the mainstream media; and most germane to this discussion, the sorry lack of media literacy in the U.S., where people might insist they’re in on the gag, but if they’re seeing something on TV, they tend to assume it’s true.

http://variety.com/2013/tv/columns/dear-duck-dynasty-fans-you-do-know-its-all-fake-right-1200980709/

This article was written for the fans. The reason I directed it at the haters is because they have become part of this media product.

This bloviating millionaire masters degree holding yuppie will rise from the ashes in a most watched tale of redemption.

You're all being played for the holidays by professionals who understand the American television consumer.

Just like the fake money hungry republicans whose dog whistles serve as substance. This TV sitcom is feeding their audience a sad diet of bile and hate.

If our ire should be directed anywhere, it should be the producers, who cynically created this cultural excrement for financial gain.