On Tuesday, A&E announced that Duane "Dog" Chapman's reality TV series will be returning to the airwaves after a three month layoff (no airdate has been scheduled). The cable channel yanked his show (Dog the Bounty Hunter) in November after a private phone call between him and his son Tucker hit the Internet. During the profanity-laced call, Chapman used the N-word repeatedly to describe his son's black girlfriend and to acknowledge that the term is used regularly in Chapman's household. It was later reported that Tucker sold the tape of the conversation to the National Enquirer for $15,000. If you would like to read my post about this incident (which includes the recorded phone call), click here.Here is a statement from the network regarding their decision to relaunch the series:
"Over the last few months, Duane "Dog" Chapman has taken and continues to take the appropriate steps in reaching out to several African American organizations in an effort to make amends for his private comments to his son which were released publicly," said a statement from the network.
"Since the premise of "Dog The Bounty Hunter" is about second chances - we have decided to give him one."
I didn't watch the show before the controversy and don't have any plans to change my viewing habits. What about you, are you willing to give "Dog" a second chance?
7 comments:
I am doing happy dances over this. I LOVE Dog. He taught me that humans are humans, no matter what their transgressions or problems, and they deserve to be treated as such.
Seems like something that's a no-brainer but with my background, trust me. He taught me how to see people in an entirely different light.
I think the "let bygones be bygones" rule should apply to anyone with this ridiculous a hair style.
But on a serious note:
Do I think he should have been nailed for making racist comments? Yes. Has he paid enough? I think the individual he made the derogatory reference about should be allowed to make that determination.
I am not happy about his return. He is a racist who has no business on television. I supported A&E's decision to dismiss him and not that he is back I will no longer watch the station. As I have stated in the past, this type of behavior is offensive and I refuse to tolerate the Dog, Imus, or anyone else who spouts bigoted garbage.
I am really surprised that they're letting him back on the air. I thought that he was finished for sure.
The comments he made were so blatantly racist - I remember that recorded phone conversation very clearly.
I'm just really blown away that they are letting him continue with the show.
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The question for the network and the show's producers is whether or not the man is profitable. My feeling is that in his targeted demographic, what he says is easily dismissed as not racist, or exagerrated as racist, and will tune into him no matter what, especially if he can do things to rehabilitate his image.
It's not so much a question of should, but of will.
It's not something that I watch regularly, but I've watched Dog when there's been nothing else on to watch.
Dog, his wife and his family are more interesting to observe than his bounty hunting, in my opinion. They certainly are a cast of characters.
I wasn't surprised at all to hear the language he used in that tape with his son. He tries to act like he's a good guy, praying before going bounty hunting and all, but he's just not convincing or believable to me.
I'm not surprised A&E is bringing him back, either. I know it was a popular show and money is money...people who didn't watch before will now probably check it out, too.
Susan: My wish is that Dog gets handed a fate similar (if not worse) than the one that befell Andy Griffith's character in "A Face In the Crowd". If that does happen, I will be doing a happy dance that will put Larry and Balki to shame.
Michael T.: Not only did Dog insult his son's girlfriend, but the Black race as a whole. Of course none of us expected to get a call from A&E for our input as to whether or not they should put his show back on the air.
Pjazzy: Dog's behavior goes beyond that of people like Isaiah Washington and Kelly Tilghman. They both made stupid comments, which most of us have done at some point in time. Dog went on and on about his feelings about blacks... which is totally inexcusable. About the only good thing I can see is that we know exactly where that racist bastard stands.
Holly: Me and you both. In their statement, A&E said that they decided to give him a second chance. A second chance to do what?!
X. Dell: It's a safe bet that there are some who watch the Dog's show who couldn't care less about his beliefs and may in fact share them. I don't see how anyone could trust this guy. In the taped conversation he made it clear that he wouldn't risk losing everything he had worked to achieve. This guy would say and do anything to save his own neck.
Jessica: From my perspective, "Dog" is a classic case of judging a book by its cover. It's sad (but not surprising) that A&E has decided to put the almighty dollar ahead of common decency. It'll be interesting to see what the ratings are like once he returns.
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