On Tuesday night, the bearded, bandana-wearing, camo-clad cast of A&E’s runaway hit show “Duck Dynasty” walked onto the set of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and sat across from the host. After some calculated back-and-forth about the Robertson family’s newfound fame, Kimmel asked the question audiences were waiting to hear.
Days earlier, Morrissey, who was slated to appear on Tuesday night’s show, threatened to cancel unless the “Duck Dynasty” cast’s interview was changed to another night. Kimmel producers refused, and a different band replaced Morrissey.
“As far as my reputation is concerned,” Morrissey said in a statement, “I can’t take the risk of being on a show alongside people who, in effect, amount to animal serial killers.”
Kimmel asked the Robertson family patriarchs what they thought of the sudden public cancellation.
“When somebody told me about this,” said the famously loopy Uncle Si, “I was like, ‘Oh, you mean the lead singer of The Doors?’ They said, ‘No, you idiot!’”
“We don’t hold it against him at all,” Phil said.
The other men agreed and, in so many words, said they don’t give a flip about food politics.
The Robertson men, whose cartoonish and backwoods lifestyle is A&E’s bread and butter, were perfectly gracious about Morrissey’s diva antics. Morrissey’s behavior isn’t surprising — his back-and-forth with the Staples Center regarding his request for the venue to be meat-free has served as a free publicity platform for his 2013 tour.
I hate to speak on behalf of vegetarians, but does anyone actually consider Morrissey an animal rights icon?
Does anyone find this behavior noble or reactionary?
No? Me neither.
Although Morrissey’s attitude was one of a child throwing a tantrum, the Robertsons’ reaction was surprisingly poised.
Furthermore, Morrissey’s holier-than-thou response seems to be less of an animal-rights battle and more of an attention-seeking low blow.
To call Morrissey’s “statement” animal rights activism would be grossly exaggerating what it actually was: a press move and a petty pride issue.
“Duck Dynasty,” while admittedly hilarious and honest, is also hokey in a “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” way. Although “Duck Dynasty” may not be quite as polarizing as “Honey Boo Boo,” its image is one of self-professed “rednecks” living off the land in backwoods Louisiana.
The patriarch of the group and founder of the duck-call-making company, Phil, makes fun of his sons for converting to “yuppism.” Although the family is quite wealthy — Willie Robertson’s net worth is upward of $10 million, according to www.therichest.org — it maintains an unwashed, uncouth, uncultured look for the sake of entertainment.
Is Morrissey really losing sleep at night because one family in Louisiana produces duck calls and hunts wild turkey?
Is he really eager to provide his concertgoers with a meat-free venue? Probably not. After all, the intentions of anyone with such an active involvement with PETA, a total farce of an organization, are questionable.
In 2012, PETA euthanized about 94 percent of cats and about 82 percent of dogs taken into its headquarters in Virginia, according to a Huffington Post article.
They run ad campaigns with similar sexual objectification strategies as www.GoDaddy.com and Carl’s Jr., placing female celebrities in submissive positions, like the controversial photo of Pamela Anderson posing in a bikini with parts of her body labeled “breasts,” “rump” and “round.”
Morrissey is not taking a stand against animal abuse.
He’s not doing anything to prevent hunting or meat consumption. Rather, he handed publicity to the Robertsons and is only causing the Staples Center to be meat-free for one night. He is nothing but a PETA pawn.
Chloe Finch is a journalism sophomore at UF. Her column usually runs on Thursdays. You can contact her via opinions@alligator.org.
