Maybe you've heard a little bit about THE-MOST-IMPORTANT-STORY-IN-THE-UNIVERSE!!! Duck Dynasty and the A&E Network's little tiff about what a reality-based show actor said in an interview with GQ Magazine. And then maybe you're worried I'm going to barge into an overcrowded space of commentary. Only partly.
I'm going to reserve my comments on what Phil Robertson should or shouldn't have said, what rights he does or does not have to say them, how accurately or inaccurately he represents the Christian worldview, or what A&E should or should not have done in response. That's already a very tired conversation. (I couldn't believe how long ... and vitriolic ... the comment section was on an op-ed piece in a business newspaper.)
My concern is about what's coming. People on both sides of this issue want to win! And that's what concerns me.
What would "winning" look like to you? Do you want to see "the other side" beat down, for them to cave, for them to "lose"? Do you have bitterness toward them? Do you want them shamed? Are you letting the difference of opinion become a reason to not love your neighbor as yourself? Will you accept them only if they agree with you?
What arrangement would be truly victorious? One side gets what they want and the other has to wallow in defeat? Either the show continues in production because A&E has been financially pressured into it against their will, or the Robertson family severs ties against their will with A&E and perhaps looks for another producer. Yay. Victory.
Let's face it - a true reconciliation is unlikely, here. A business deal, maybe, but I doubt A&E execs will be sharing moon pies and Dr. Peppers with the Robertsons anytime soon. So, what is "victory"?
Victory to me looks more like this: I don't hate you, even when we disagree. I don't want your ruin. I won't tell you what you ought to do, because I don't know everything about the situation, but I'm free to tell you my preference. I'd rather talk to you in person than shout about you to the media. We don't have to agree. I have more important things to talk to you about, and I don't want to ruin that by griping over this. I really don't have a need for you to understand me on this.
To their credit, the Robertsons and A&E are not being publicly rancorous about this. It's everyone else. It's us. And no matter the outcome, I won't count it any kind of victory if we end up personally embittered against each other.
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