Digging Duck Dynasty
A few weeks ago Mike and LeeAnn introduced us to "Duck Dynasty". I was a bit skeptical, but after seeing a few minutes I was dying laughing at Uncle Si and totally getting sucked into the story of this Louisiana, beard-rocking, duck hunting family. Uncle Si is so crazy and hilarious, we end up having to push pause on ipad for seconds at a time because we're laughing so hard we can't hear the rest of the conversation.
We have especially loved how clean the show is; no swearing, no infidelity, etc. Today I saw this article discussing why the show has been so incredibly successful and I just loved what the guy had to say (especially paragraph 2). Here's an exert:
"While I enjoy the zany antics of the cast as much as the next fellow, I believe they are not the primary reason for Duck Dynasty’s popularity. I imagine that the hunting theme is also not that big of a deal to most viewers. In fact, the show is really not about hunting at all. I believe the big drawing card for Duck Dynasty is its emphasis on family. Almost every episode has a “plot” that revolves around family relationships and the natural tension they create in life. Whether it be sibling, marital, or parental, these relationships play out before our eyes where people act surprisingly decent and respectful. I believe America is tired of the ”Jerry Springer-ization” that afternoon television has wrought upon us. We are weary of pregnancy tests that tell who the baby’s daddy is and sisters that sleep with their brother-in-law. Most families don’t need to turn on the t.v. to see dysfunction played out; it’s happening next door or maybe even down the hall in their own home. We are exhausted from relationships gone awry, and Duck Dynasty is like some funny, bearded, camouflaged oasis that reminds us that family can work. The cast remind us that we can resolve our differences without screaming and yelling. We don’t have to have a revolving door of serial relationships in our lives that leave us emotionally spent and hollow on the inside. Phil Robertson and his family remind us that family indeed can work.
What Phil would tell you is that family works best when people follow God’s design for it. That means that, at least for the Robertsons, their faith in Jesus guides them on how they should structure their home life. Though the show always ends with the Robertsons praying, their faith is downplayed by the producers. A&E promotes Duck Dynasty with the tag line, “Money. Family. Ducks.” At the newly-opened Duck Commander store, the word “money” has been scratched off of the posters. “They give us these to pass out,” Al Robertson, the only Robertson without a beard, said of the posters. “We ‘X’ out ‘money’ and write in ‘faith.’” Faith is key in understanding the Robertson mentality and why their families work.
My hope is that Duck Dynasty is only beginning a meteoric rise on the cultural scene. We need more messages like the one they present. Numerous shows portray families in non-traditional ways, distorting God’s design. Each of these sitcoms brings a level of acceptance to culture. I’ve discovered that people who laugh through what is wrong very rarely slow down and think through what is right. The Robertson clan gives a much-needed alternative. The traditional family does work. They are swimming against the current of culture in a sea of liberal media bias, but, miraculously enough, they are making it."
Full Article found HERE.
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