whats that? u watch duck dynasty? well, not only do u have bad taste, but ur also likely a pinche gabach@ at heart. ________________________________ Much of the show’s popularity stems from its carefully controlled depiction of very generic, supposedly “down home” southern American values like family, Christian religious observance, traditional gender roles, patriotism, humility, good manners, reverence for the outdoors and general redneck-ness. Thrown together in a pot, these values create a simmering, clichéd stew of... ***Southern identity that harks all the way back to the antebellum South. At that time, divisions over slavery led Southerners to double down on cultural distinctions between themselves and the North in an effort to mark out Southern values as superior.*** ...Southern cultural values survived well into the 20th century because these values seemingly offered an authentic alternative to the fast-paced, modern, industrializing nation that emerged after the Civil War ...these values seemingly offered an authentic alternative to the fast-paced, modern, industrializing nation that emerged after the Civil War. As historian James C. Cobb observes in “Redefining Southern Culture: Mind and Identity in the Modern South,” culture is a process, and in the post-Civil War South, Southern culture was “an ongoing cycle of interaction” during which some Southerners constantly shaped, reshaped, and reformed Southern cultural identity to adapt older traditions to the demands of modern life. ***This redesigned Southern identity sought to simultaneously combat and accommodate the social change that threatened to leave Dixie and its culture in the dust.*** Now, in the 21st century, the vague idea of “Southern culture,” defined by traditional religion, gender roles, guns, family values and patriotism, has been mass-produced and sold via shows like “Duck Dynasty. ***The show is consumed by a large segment of the American public that is fed up with what they perceive as the modern world’s assault on traditional values and religion.*** These viewers are willing to commit their time to a little slice of supposedly authentic Southern American-ness to combat the secular hordes of social reformers roaring at tradition’s gates. The beards in “Duck Dynasty” symbolize this general, supposedly authentic, but actually mass-produced, Southern cultural conservatism. As Gold McBride noted, 19th century beards symbolized masculinity and an affirmation of gender distinctions in an age when gender roles were shifting. ***Contemporary America is witnessing many of the trends that shaped the 19th century, including growing income inequality and movements by various minority groups to claim their human rights. Duck Dynasty’s” bearded male stars offer a symbolic reaffirmation of traditional values onto which many Americans threatened by social change can latch. The Robertson men’s bushy beards, like beards in the 19th century, distinguish them from the Robertson women and symbolize Southern masculinity.*** salon/2013/10/20/the_secret_conservative_message_of_the_duck_dynasty_beards/ Just look at the hirsute Robertsons’ favorite things: they do manly activities like hunting, fishing, shooting guns and praising God. Hell, their entire business is built around the idea that men hunt to bring home food and take care of the family. _______________________________ salon/2013/10/20/the_secret_conservative_message_of_the_duck_dynasty_beards/
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 23:58:07 +0000
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