Recently, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press that the company values families, and tries to embody a family-values culture. He said:
We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.
Cue the liberal boycott and subsequent conservative buycott. It seems like the fastest way to boost a business’s sales is for liberals to try and boycott it for espousing conservative ideals. Remember Whole Foods? CEO John Mackey published in op-ed in 2009 saying that he did not support Obamacare and that it would raise the cost of doing business. Liberals boycotted, and then all of a sudden the health food stores were jammed with freedom (and deodorant!) loving people trying to figure out the difference between 'organic' and 'hormone-free.'
So liberals decided that Chick-fil-A hates the gays, even though that’s not even close to what Dan Cathy said, and therefore must be made to pay for their intolerant ways! Conservatives, eager to stand up for Dan Cathy and his first amendment right to freedom of speech, organized a buycott for Wednesday, August 1, at Chick-fil-A franchises across the country.
It worked. The restaurants in every corner of the nation were packed. Because tasty chicken and free speech are awesome.
As I perused Facebook yesterday, I saw several posts from apolitical friends saying that they were ‘sad’ or ‘scared’ for the future of this country when so many people would go out of their way to support ‘hate.’ It occurred to me that too few people understand what this is about, because it really has very little to do with gay rights.
Chick-fil-A has never refused to serve, or even hire, someone based on his or her sexual orientation. The company does not have an official position on gay marriage; they just value traditional marriage. Having an opinion that marriage is between one man and one woman is nothing new, and in fact is a position held by Barack Obama until very recently. Let me repeat: Chick-fil-A has never, ever discriminated against the homosexual community.
Dan Cathy dared to express a completely valid opinion, and liberals tried to vilify him for it, with the goal of shutting him up. Conservatives rallied around his right to speak his mind in the best way they could: Boosting his business.
Now here’s your feel-good story of the day ... how did the supposedly intolerant Chick-fil-A employees treat protesters accusing them of hate? They passed out cold water to them. Oh yeah, Chick-fil-A is totally evil. Or something.
Do you think Dan Cathy was out of line or within his rights by expressing his opinion on marriage?
Image via Randy Son of Robert/Flickr
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Comments 64
You nailed it!
I don’t care what the head of the restaurant said He doesn’t run my local store or any store for that matter and by boycotting them all I’m doing is putting honest hard working people out of jobs. That’s like saying your boss is an asshole so you and everyone under him is an asshole. Sorry but unlike most people I have a tendency to think about things and I don’t just care about one person or people like all the rest of you. I’ll still eat there every couple of months because I enjoy the food and in this economy and this time of social division I’m not going to let one man’s views influence me just because he has money and I will not put a family into the situation I am in (jobless broke and struggling hard every friggin day) because one wealthy man doesn’t have the same opinion as I do. And you know damn well this wouldn’t be an issue if he was a poor guy on the side of the street spewing hate. And as for not wanting a restaurant to open in your community, fuck that its bullshit and unconstitutional (not to mention selfish and ignorant in this time where people are dying to find any kind of job) to deny someone an opportunity due to their religious beliefs even if they are a hindrance to progress, and it’s the same shit that’s done to you, so stop it.
Grow up and knock it off everyone. Stop supporting a conscious decisions to ruin the lives of innocent families and proving the rich man right by making out in the restaurant and STOP doing this stupid shit where all you supporters line up around the block to get a friggin sandwich. Both sides act like little friggin babies someone should put you all in the fucking corner. You both act like idiots and show everyone that you only care about yourselves and not the thousands of people who don't give a shit about your sexual orientation and are only trying to put food in their children's mouths. You're all a bunch of dicks in my eyes with this petty back and forth while innocent people fear for their means. Grow the fuck up.
Yes, there are complete gay haters who say worse - but those aren't many.
And not everyone boycotting chick-fil-a is out there holding picket signs calling them bigots and haters either. Not everyone in the lgbt community and supporters call names. The loudest, most obnoxious ones get the press. If you've rarely seen hateful, disgusting, vile comments towards homosexuals then you've been treading through some pretty neutral waters. I have seen and heard just as much nastiness from them as I do from the lbgt's and supporters. I will say though, how often do you hear of a heterosexual being bullied to the point of suicide? How often do you hear of heterosexuals getting the shit beat out of them or even being murdered just because they are straight? How often do straight kids get sent to camps to change their orientation, or in rare cases, torture camps in a different country. Bottom line, yes there are assholes, but It's their freedom of speech too. Funny how that works.
If someone is being an honest to goodness bigot, it's not wrong to call them out on it. In general, not necessarily in Cathy's case. I don't know how he acts on a personal level so I have no idea whether he's a bigot or not.
So, explain to me how this is a truth? Are you in everyone's head, and/or able to predict the future? Because that's the only way it's not a lie.
Yep.
Actually, that was an either/or question...sorry if I'm being too complex for you. And a request for an explanation. I know. Backing up what you said is HARD!!!
because one wealthy man doesn’t have the same opinion as I do. And you know damn well this wouldn’t be an issue if he was a poor guy on the side of the street spewing hate.
You're right, it wouldn't be an issue if he was a poor guy on the street because then he wouldn't be donating to organizations that actively try to block gay marriage being legalized. THAT is why it's a problem. He has the right to donate money wherever he wishes but people have the right to refuse to give him any more of THEIR money because of it. I understand that not every employee there feels the same way as him. I would venture a guess that some of the employees ARE gay, and I would probably be right. I would never go and pick an argument with an employee based on the CEO's beliefs. However, the fact that those employees need a job doesn't mean people have to spend their money there when they know it will be going to organizations they fundamentally disagree with. Why is that so difficult to understand?
Aww rightside, there's your condescending bitchy attitude!
If we're going to get into semantics here, that wasn't necessarily just an either/or question as you used "and". Had you only used "or" then yes, it would be an either/or question.
As for the explanation you're asking for, what exactly do I need to back up here? I think there may have been a miscommunication regarding my mentioning the JCP thing. All I said was that people boycotted JCP over that and I would bet had Cathy's views been reversed, that they would be up in arms boycotting CFA as well, as is there right. They just don't support people boycotting CFA now because it doesn't mesh with their own beliefs. You can boycott! But only if you agree with me, otherwise your boycott is stupid and wrong. Lest you think this is a personal attack on you, rightside, it's not. This is a general assumption because there are many hypocrites in this country.
Did I explain myself to your standards? Or is that too complex for you? Have I given you the explanation you are so greatly owed here in the comments section of The Stir? My biggest wish is that I don't disappoint you.
If this were switched around, say, he said he supported gay marriage. Say there would be flocks of people against gay-marriage calling for boycotts for them being heathens or sodomites or "the reason our country is going to hell", or whatever (and there would be because look at JC Penney and Ellen). None of you would say a word against it.
Did I explain myself to your standards?
Of course not, and you know it - otherwise there wouldn't be quite so much dancing around in your 'explanation'. You quipped "nope, not a lie" regarding my assessment of your bolded statement. And now, since you claim to be dealing in facts/truth - I'm still waiting to hear how that last statement, is factual. You know - based on facts, not opinion, supposition, or bullshit.
Did I explain myself to your standards? Or is that too complex for you?
Jaga - I'm assuming that you are taking this back-and-forth as a personal attack, since you used that phrase in your reply. I'm not of the mind that anything that goes on here is personal, since generally speaking, people don't know each other and all we have are the content of our comments. If I put a comment out there, I certainly expect it to go under a microscope, and welcome debate on the merits of both fact and logic - and I give as good as I like to get.
Jaga- are you unaware of the petitions across the country trying to take out existant locations? Because that is what I am talking about. Research.