Erick Erickson’s persecution narrative: How right-wing Christian pundits avoid accountability

[DonViejo]

The defense of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson sadly epitomizes a technique aimed at protecting a kind of cruelty

ELIZABETH STOKER

More surprising than “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson’s recent comments to GQ magazine regarding gay men is the fact that anyone felt compelled to defend him after his pursuant suspension from the television show. But Robertson’s suspension is politically convenient for a handful of right-wing Christian pundits who have been developing a narrative of persecution for years, and they were quick to leap to his defense.

Take Erick Erickson, for example, who tweeted voluminously following news of Robertson’s hiatus. Erickson’s tack was typical: he conflated offense over Robertson’s remark with imagined offense over the use of innocuous words (such as “patriarch”) and argued that A&E’s decision to remove him from the show was tantamount to persecution of Robertson as a Christian. This all fits neatly into Erickson’s apocalyptic vision of American discourse, in which any expression of the Christian conception of the “good” is being systematically “silenced” by an anti-Christian media movement.

Of course, Erickson neglected to note that the backlash against Robertson had little to do with the doctrinal content of his statements, such as it was. (It’s also the case that suggesting that disapproval of homosexuality belongs to Christianity writ large says more about Erickson’s construal of Christianity than the actual diversity of opinion within the religion: for the record, not all Christian denominations or congregations object to gay people or relationships, though this article will deal with those that do.) It was rather the decision Robertson made to frame his objection to homosexuality in terms of disgust and revilement that generated the stir. GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz, for instance, characterized Robertson’s remarks as “vile and extreme stereotypes.” Chad Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign noted that Robertson’s remarks failed to treat gay people with the “respect and dignity” that should be extended to all persons.

These objections, and many more like them, are not objections to the vague sexual complementarianism Robertson seems to be proposing in his remarks, nor to the Christian doctrine that underlies that view of human sexuality. Rather, they object to the tone of disrespect and disgust that Robertson advances by his framing of gay people. Robertson claims, for instance, that gay relationships are a mere stepping-stone to sexually abusing animals, and to having unrestrainedly promiscuous sex. He later equated gay people with terrorists, glibly noting that he regards the salvific potential of each category of person to be identical. Rounding out his meditation on sexuality, Robertson declared “vaginas” preferable to “a man’s anus,” concluding that “sin” is “illogical” on those grounds. The notable exclusion of any discussion of lesbian sexuality is typical, and demonstrates that there’s more disgust than doctrine at work here: to fellows like these, lesbians aren’t gross. (See the rumination on vaginas.)

:::snip:::

http://www.salon.com/2013/12/23/erick_ericksons_persecution_narrative_how_right_wing_christian_pundits_avoid_accountability/

[cbayer]

1. What a circus this has become.

It's all kabuki theater.

[AtheistCrusader]

2. Agreed. He's on extended (probably paid) vacation, and will be back next year to higher

ratings, and yippee. Nothing changed except more money in his pockets.

[cbayer]

3. Agree. I think these guys are just laughing their asses off over this whole thing.

It's all show.