Phil Robertson and Marriage: It is not just about “picking ducks”

Tonight on my show I discussed Phil Robertson and his idea that you should marry girls who are 15 or 16 years old. In a public speech he said:

Look, you wait ’til they get to be 20 years old, the only picking that’s going to take place is your pocket. You got to marry these girls when they are about 15 or 16. They’ll pick your ducks.

Now, many people that I see who are commenting on this are discussing the “ick factor” that comes with the idea of an old redneck talking about how you should marry a 15 or 16 year old. And I am not trying to take anything away from that. It definitely is icky from a creepy old man standpoint as well as a statutory rape standpoint. However, if you are only talking about that ick factor then you are only scratching the surface of why his comments are so wrong.

The reason he suggests men should be finding young girls is that he feels that at that age they have not had enough time to form their own opinions about how they want to live their own lives. In his words, a 20 year old woman won’t “pick ducks” but a 15 or 16 year old girl will. Why? Because she perhaps hasn’t formed a strong opinion either way and as the man in the patriarchal society that Phil Robertson wants to retain, he feels that it is his job to explain to the young girl that it is her job to “pick ducks”. But it is not just about “picking ducks”. It is about all aspects of life. He feels that if you allow women to form an opinion on their own they might actually express it. They might actually stand up for it. They might actually fight for something that they feel is right and question the authority that Phil Robertson’s desired way of life seeks to place over women. In his mind men have to get these girls while they are young before they can be strong enough to stand up to the bullshit of Phil Robertson and his apologists. This reminds me of the type of man that would tell his wife “when I want your opinion I will give it to you”. His type of marriage that he supports is one of control. I guess it says a lot about his character that he cannot handle a strong, independent minded, woman. He want’s someone weak and subservient. His type of personality couldn’t handle any more.

And to preemptively respond to the “what about his rights” crowd, I am not saying he doesn’t have the right to say such things. I am just saying that society should not tolerate that type of attitude towards women and it should be condemned from here to eternity. If a woman wants to “pick ducks” then that is her choice. It is not the job of a man to condition a woman to act as he pleases. Here is a novel concept. Find a woman with similar interests and build on those interests. I guess that is too much for someone like Phil Robertson to grasp.

 

Liberal Dan Radio January 1st, 2014: Happy New Year 2014

On the first episode of Liberal Dan Radio for 2014:

Twitter is an interesting place and I ended 2013 with some interesting interactions. I will speak about a couple of them and review one of my previous blog posts that talks about being an imperfect advocate.

Phil Robertson has another video that popped up where he tells men how to find themselves a good wife. If you have not heard it yet, stay tuned because it is a hoot.

The days off that come with the holidays allowed me to watch some shows that I have not watched in a while. One of those is extreme couponing. Some of their actions on the show made me question the logic of how they are saving. Does saving money buying something you wont actually use really saving money? Do some of these people suffer from the “it’s on sale” fallacy? Are some of these people really just hoarders?

And finally, I have asked some people to submit their #boldpredictionsfor2014. You can still submit yours or call in to the show to make them. I will go over some I came up with and talk a little about what this year has in store.

All those topics plus Words of Redneck Wisdom, Headlines, Tweet of the Week, and more tonight on Liberal Dan Radio: Talk From The Left, That’s Right.

Liberal Dan Radio 12/25/2013: One Ducked Up Year

On the December 25th episode of Liberal Dan Radio:

This is the final eposide of the year so I will review the year and go over some of the good, the bad and the flat out ugly that took place over the course of the year. From the LAPD actions in hunting for Dorner, the SCOTUS arguments over same sex marriage and Prop 8, toll wars in New Orleans, the George Zimmerman verdict, Rodeo Clowns, the nuclear option, Conservative insanity over keeping your doctor or keeping your plan, liberal spinlessness over defending those words and more.

Of course, I could not do this show without discussing the Phil Robertson controversy over his comments about homosexuality and race as well. So that will be one topic that will be covered.

All that, plus headlines, tweet of the week, words of redneck wisdom and more tonight on Liberal Dan Radio: Talk From The Left, That’s Right.