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.