The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast – 385. Faith, Fame, and Adventure: The Reality Stranger Than Fiction | Willie & Korie Robertson

Intro

In this episode of “The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast,” Jordan Peterson sits down with Willie and Korie Robertson, stars of the hit reality TV show “Duck Dynasty.” They discuss the impact of the show, the importance of family values, and their new film “The Blind.” The conversation covers topics such as faith, fame, and the unique dynamics of their family. Join them as they share their insights and experiences in this engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

Main Takeaways

Faith and Family Values

• Duck Dynasty struck a chord with people through humor, family values, and faith.
• The prayer at the end of each episode had a big impact on viewers.
• Sitting around the table and being grateful for what’s before you was a relatable aspect of the show.
• The show brought nostalgia for a time when families sat down together for meals.
• Duck Dynasty inspired some viewers to change their family structure and eat together more often.
• Viewers changed their family structure and ate together more often.
• UK households are increasingly lacking dining room tables.
• Sharing food at the dinner table is a unique human behavior.
• Mealtime prayer provides an opportunity to practice gratitude.
• The impact of prayer on the audience was surprising to the speaker.
• The dinner table was a big part of the speaker’s family growing up.
• The speaker and their brothers were animalistic when it came to sharing food.
• Licking the food made no one else want to eat it, which was a survival tactic for the speaker’s family.
• Popular shows like The Simpsons and Trailer Park Boys have a satirical humor that’s balanced by a genuine familial love between characters.
• The ability to make fun of oneself and go after each other is a survival tactic for the Robertson family.
• The family set intentions and prayed for the show to bring glory to God and be a blessing to families.
• The show’s biting humor is tolerated because the family has each other’s backs and genuinely love each other.
• Duck Dynasty was a unique reality show shot like a sitcom, with a mix of reality, guided reality, and storytelling.
• The show’s success was due to the family’s decision to not take themselves too seriously and have fun with it, without getting offended by anything anyone said.

Success and Authenticity

• The dynamics of the company were unique, with Willie as the CEO, but not the oldest, and with Phil doing his own thing.
• Each person involved adopted a stable character, giving them tremendous latitude to improvise and be themselves.
• Children’s pretend play involves assigning roles and improvising within a script, simulating reality and experimenting with roles.
• The mock documentary show involved scripted and spontaneous moments, with strong defining characters that allowed for improvisation.
• Uncle Sa was a particularly unusual and quick-witted character, able to improvise lines and references seamlessly.
• The editing process sometimes had to double-check if Uncle Sa’s lines were scripted or improvised.
• The popularity of Duck Dynasty was due to the perception that it was real.
• Duck Dynasty characters reflected the actual personalities of the cast members.
• Staying in character while fictionalizing their lives made it reflective of a deeper truth.
• Falseness in pretend play makes it no longer a good analog of reality.
• The presentation of fathers as bumbling buffoons in media can lead to contempt and divorce.
• Respect and reverence for fathers is important for a successful life and dominant position in society.
• Phil Robertson was accurately portrayed in Duck Dynasty as he was just doing what he wanted to do and the show worked around it.
• Phil’s humorous dating advice to his grandson about sexually transmitted diseases was a funny and relatable moment for many viewers.
• Phil’s willingness to participate in a reality TV show for his family was absurd and preposterous, but he went along with it to share the gospel with more people and make money.
• Phil’s passion for sharing the gospel and the opportunity for a bigger platform were factors that convinced him to do the show.
• Phil’s mid-60s retirement age and financial situation also played a role in his decision to participate in the show.

Fame and Family

• The family’s involvement in the show brought them closer together and allowed the kids to spend time with their grandparents, aunts, and uncles on a daily basis.
• Filming the show brought the family closer together and allowed the kids to spend time with their grandparents, aunts, and uncles on a daily basis.
• Despite complaints from some family members, they all enjoyed the experience and miss it now.
• The success of the show was unexpected and beyond what they had imagined for their family business.
• The family’s success and notoriety brought both opportunities and stresses, but they managed to stay together and even become more closely knit.
• The family’s ability to stay grounded and rooted in their traditions and values helped them navigate the unexpected changes and challenges that came with their success.
• The family stayed true to who they are and remained in their hometown, which helped them stay grounded during their rise to fame.
• Being in Louisiana is what makes them who they are and it wouldn’t make sense to live in LA or New York for what they do.
• Living in a small town with multi-generational families is not the norm anymore and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
• The speakers don’t want to live in a big city because of traffic and the ability to cook and enjoy the outdoors.
• Growing up in a small town, people either stayed or left for broader horizons and success.
• Leaving the small town was encouraged for those who wanted success.
• The speakers found adventure in growing up on the river and participating in their father’s business.
• Adventure and travel have been a big part of the speakers’ lives, even when they didn’t have a lot of money.
• Willie had a spirit of adventure and entrepreneurship even as a child.
• The speakers value travel as a way to expose their kids to other cultures and broaden their perspectives.
• Traveling allows you to see your own culture from a different perspective and be more grateful for it.

Success and Business

• The speakers’ father was an early adopter of video technology, which eventually led to the creation of the Buckman series DVDs.
• The success of the Buckman series DVDs started with a video that sold only 150-200 copies, but the speakers’ father saw potential and continued to create more videos with additional footage.
• The big break for the speakers’ father’s business was when Walmart started carrying their duck calls and VHS tapes in sporting goods stores, which allowed people all over the country to watch and become fans of their unique Southern style and unusual antics.
• The family’s success in entertaining people on their show was built up through years of preparation, including memorizing lines and learning how to tell good stories at the dinner table.
• The family’s phone number, which was their house, was included at the end of their videos, leading to phone calls from all over the country and a significant increase in business.
• Walmart carrying their products was a big break for the family’s business, allowing them to reach a wider audience and become the number one seller in multiple departments.
• The story of Moses and the burning bush is relevant to the family’s success, as it shows that even seemingly insignificant people can be called to greatness.
• The family’s success was not an overnight success, but rather built up over years of hard work and preparation.
• Moses’ story of the burning bush reveals the importance of paying attention to opportunities that catch our attention.
• People often miss out on opportunities due to fear of failure or looking foolish.
• The Robertson family’s success was built on pursuing unique and experimental ideas, and having the courage to take risks.
• The family’s practice of gratitude may have contributed to their willingness to pursue opportunities.
• Successful artists and entrepreneurs should not dismiss commercial opportunities as “selling out”.
• Rejecting commercial opportunities can lead to missed opportunities for growth and expansion.
• Risk-taking and entrepreneurship can be positive traits for business success.
• Faith and family can provide grounding and perspective in business ventures.
• Failure can be a learning experience and not necessarily a negative outcome.
• Success is defined by faithfulness, healthy relationships, and a full life.
• Faith in God can provide a foundation for experimentation and trying new things.
• Nothing is wasted, even mistakes can be used for good.
• Life is not all about us, it’s about using our experiences for the greater good.
• Success is not just about personal achievements, but also about having strong relationships with family and friends and contributing to the community.
• Religious faith can provide a good standard of comparison for failure and help cultivate gratitude.
• The fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control) can guide behavior and actions when embodied by the Spirit of Christ.
• Living out these fruits of the spirit can lead to an outpouring of positive qualities in life.
• Faith can help individuals avoid taking themselves too seriously and stay grounded in the face of success.
• Faith can enable individuals to believe that what they are doing is important and worthwhile.
• Faith can protect against narcissism that can easily emerge with fame and notoriety.
• Subordination to a higher authority can help individuals avoid becoming too egotistical.
• Love must be sincere, hate what is evil, cling to what is good (Romans 12:9).
• Scripture serves as a constant reminder to be up under something greater than ourselves.
• The Robertsons started a production company called Tread Lively Productions.
• Their first film, The Blind, is coming out on September 28th and is about Willie’s dad Phil’s story.
• Phil had a hard past with alcoholism and adultery, but surrendered his life to God after a pastor preached to him in a bar.
• God uses weak people who surrender their life to him.
• Miraculous events in life can lead to unexpected outcomes.
• Faith in Jesus Christ can bring about significant change in one’s life.
• Forgiveness can be a miraculous event in itself.
• Flawed characters often make the most interesting pathway forward.
• People can become successful because of their flaws rather than despite them.
• Alexander Solzhenitsin’s story shows that success can come from the most hopeless circumstances.
• Solzhenitsin was imprisoned for criticizing Stalin’s leadership, but wrote a book that brought down the communist enterprise.
• The message of the film is that no one is too far gone and there is always hope for redemption.
• Finding distributors for faith-based films can be challenging due to gatekeepers.
• The film is a true story and was made with great care and attention to detail, with the support of many people.
• The majority of the film is not Christian, as the characters were not Christian themselves.
• The film is based on a true story about a man who finds faith after a difficult life.
• The story takes place in the 50s, 60s, and 70s and is set in familiar locations.
• The film has received positive feedback from early screenings and press, with people surprised that it’s not cheesy or preachy.
• The release date is September 28th, and theater locations can be found on the website.
• The speakers met through a mutual friend and bonded over shared interests and experiences.
• Jordan Peterson didn’t recognize Willie Robertson as a fellow speaker at a conference.
• Willie made Jordan speechless with his joke about neuroscience and Canadian politics.
• Jordan will be discussing Willie and Corey Robertson’s marriage on the Daily Wire Plus platform.
• Jordan is interested in biographical details and how people’s marriages work.
• He is particularly interested in how marriages survive the twists and turns of life.
• The couple being interviewed are very balanced in their turn-taking and responses.
• They seem to genuinely like each other and are on the same page.
• Competition for status within a marriage is a bad sign, but playful competition is okay.
• Join us on the Daily Wire Plus to hear about marriage within the Dark Dynasty.
• The guest has a new movie that is both successful and helpful to people.
• The guest’s movie has sparked an interest in the process behind it.
• The speakers had a great conversation and enjoyed talking to each other.
• The podcast ends on a positive note with appreciation and gratitude expressed by both speakers.

Summary

Faith and Family Values

The success of “Duck Dynasty” can be attributed to its humor, family values, and faith. Viewers connected with the relatable aspect of sitting around the dinner table and being grateful for what’s before them. The show inspired some viewers to change their family structure and eat together more often, which is a unique human behavior. Prayer at mealtime provided an opportunity to practice gratitude and had a surprising impact on the audience. The Robertson family’s ability to balance humor with genuine love and support for each other made the show enjoyable and relatable.

Success and Authenticity

“Duck Dynasty” stood out as a unique reality show because it reflected the actual personalities of the cast members. The family’s decision to not take themselves too seriously and have fun with the show contributed to its success. The dynamics of the company allowed for improvisation and spontaneity, creating a mix of reality, guided reality, and storytelling. Staying in character while fictionalizing their lives made the show reflective of a deeper truth. The portrayal of fathers as bumbling buffoons in media can lead to negative consequences, but the Robertson family’s respect and reverence for fathers showcased a different perspective. Phil Robertson’s willingness to participate in the show was driven by his passion for sharing the gospel and reaching a larger audience.

Fame and Family

The success of “Duck Dynasty” brought the Robertson family closer together and allowed the kids to spend time with their extended family on a daily basis. Despite the challenges and stresses that came with their fame, the family managed to stay grounded by staying true to their traditions and values. Their decision to remain in their hometown and not move to a big city helped them maintain their identity. Adventure and travel have been important aspects of their lives, even before their success. They value travel as a way to broaden their perspectives and expose their children to different cultures. Living in a small town with multi-generational families is a unique experience that they appreciate.

Success and Business

The Robertson family’s success in the entertainment industry was built on years of hard work and preparation. Their early adoption of video technology and the support of Walmart played a significant role in their success. They pursued unique and experimental ideas, taking risks and not dismissing commercial opportunities. Their faith and family values provided grounding and perspective in their business ventures. Failure was seen as a learning experience, and success was defined by faithfulness, healthy relationships, and a full life. Their new film, “The Blind,” tells the story of Phil Robertson’s transformation and redemption, and it explores the themes of faith and forgiveness. Finding distributors for faith-based films can be challenging, but the film has received positive feedback and is set to release on September 28th.

Marriage and Personal Growth

The conversation between Willie Robertson and Jordan Peterson touches on the topic of marriage and personal growth. They discuss the importance of balance, respect, and communication within a marriage. Playful competition can be healthy, but competition for status is detrimental. Jordan Peterson expresses his interest in learning more about how marriages survive the twists and turns of life. The couple being interviewed showcases a balanced and respectful dynamic, highlighting the importance of mutual understanding and support. The podcast ends on a positive note, with both speakers expressing their appreciation and gratitude for the conversation.

Conclusion

In this episode of “The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast,” Willie and Korie Robertson share insights into the success of “Duck Dynasty” and the importance of faith, family values, and authenticity. They discuss the impact of the show on viewers and how it inspired changes in family dynamics. The Robertson family’s ability to stay grounded and true to their traditions and values helped them navigate the challenges of fame. Their success in the entertainment industry was built on hard work, preparation, and the willingness to take risks. They also discuss their new film, “The Blind,” which tells the story of Phil Robertson’s transformation and redemption. Overall, this engaging and thought-provoking conversation offers valuable insights into the intersection of faith, family, and success.