Duck Dynasty

I am the type of person who usually doesn’t watch television, so I had no clue where to begin my search for a television show with southern elements. Thanks to Facebook, I settled on Duck Dynasty. For those who have not watched Duck Dynasty, the A&E show revolves around the daily challenges of the Robertson family, who all live in Monroe, Louisiana. The Robertson's started their own business, Duck Commander, of making duck calls; as a result, they recently became a multimillionaire family. For this blog post, I will focus on the episode “Spring Pong Cleaning.” Why this episode? 1) It was difficult trying to find a full episode online, so I chose the first one that I found. 2) Unfortunately, I do not own Netflix.

The episode begins with the Robertson guys, Willie, Jase, Phil, and Si, along with some coworkers shaking trees and collecting muscadine berries to make homemade jam. As I watched the opening scene, I couldn’t help, but think of how the wilderness accurately describes the men of the Robertson’s. They act untamed, display wild beards, and are not afraid to get a little dirty. Even though the audience knows that they’re multimillionaires, they choose to stick with their true southern roots. It is interesting to observe and compare the southern reality television shows of today, such as Ducky Dynasty and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. These shows follow the lives of southern families, who realistically are filthy rich, yet they do not act any differently than when they were dirt poor. They still live in the same small houses, wear the same non-brand clothes, and live the same lifestyle. Apparently, viewers enjoy these types of shows, and I hope to see, or in my case hear, more shows like these ones that display positive, authentic qualities of closely knit families.

Anyways, going back to Duck Dynasty. This particular episode describes some normal everyday tasks, such as cleaning out the warehouse and going to the eye doctor. However, the characters put their own Robertson twist on these tasks. For example, as the guys are cleaning out the warehouse, they find a ping pong table and begin playing on it. To make the game more violent, they add in a “red belly rule,” where the loser of the serve lifts up his shirt to receive a hard hit from the ping pong ball on his bare belly from the other player. Crazy? Yes. Out of the ordinary for the Robertson’s? No. Some of the Robertson’s actions can be questionable, but no matter what they do, they always enjoy spending time together as a family. The Robertson’s may not appear as the average southern family, but average never describes the Robertson’s.

As I watched the show, it was hard to miss the obvious closeness and family values of the Robertson’s, which are traditional characteristics of southern families. Except for Thanksgiving, in America it is rare to find the whole family sitting down to share a large home-cooked meal with no cell phones or technology as distractions. However, the Robertson’s set a prime example of this forgotten tradition. In the closing scene, the whole clan gathers at the table to eat a large southern dinner together. When I say “southern,” I mean crispy fried crappie, cornbread, homemade muscadine jelly, and large ice-filled glasses of sweet tea. The patriarch, Phil, says the prayer before dinner, which displays another aspect of the South: religion. Southerners are known for their strong, religious beliefs, and the Robertson’s do not try to hide this aspect.

Duck Dynasty displays positive southern qualities and teaches America some valuable lessons. The men’s appearances and vocabulary may appear redneck and uncultivated, but a deeper look into their actions and values makes viewers revise their persona. As momma always said, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” -Paige Pack