The Chick Fil A Flap

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by sparky

Let me start by saying that I am well aware that the level of intelligent and reasoned discourse on The Ledge has plummeted in the last 3 years to about 5th grade reading comprehension. The majority of educated and thoughtful people flew the coop or were bant years ago. Regardless, I will bring up this topic.

Wow. Really? Okay... I suppose it's fine for you to have an opinion about people on the Ledge. But for you to try to initiate a dialogue over a current topic by first insulting everyone's intelligence and coming across as someone better/smarter/wiser than everyone else is pretty pathetic. Fail.

Originally Posted by WildHearted

I don't think their entire purpose as a restaurant is to take down gay marriage... they do a lot of good things with their money, too. They provide a lot of scholarships and hold events for a bunch of other charities as well. So while they may be misguided (to many) in one particular area I don't think that they are an evil company or anything. They just support what they believe in, and isn't that what we all do?

Would it make any difference then if Chik Fil-A donated millions of dollars to the Ku Klux Klan? I mean, it's a free country and that is their right, right? That wouldn't make it an evil company, right? They would just be supporting what they believe in.

Yes, that is a slightly extreme comparison, but the principle is the same- the company actively supports organizations that seek to harm LGBT by denying them equal civil/financial rights and by practicing "reparative therapy," which has been completely discredited by the psychiatric community, and has been shown to inflict extreme psychological harm (often resulting in suicide). The Southern Poverty Law Institute has dubbed these organizations, e.g., Focus on the Family, Exodus International, etc. as hate groups. I think the KKK technically qualifies as a hate group as well. If the term "gay marriage" was substituted with the term "people of color" in Dan Cathy's interview, would that affect your stance on whether or not to continue to patronize Chik-Fil-A? And if the answer is yes, why do you think supporting discrimination/animus against GLBT is any different than supporting discrimination/animus against racial minorities?

Much has been said about this controversy and I think it's pretty straightforward.

1. Chik-Fil-A and/or Dan Cathy are entitled to their opinions and are entitled to exercise free speech.
2. The American consumer has a right to exercise his/her free speech by either condoning or boycotting businesses that are/are not in alignment with their values.
3. As long as Chik-Fil-A is observing all local ordinances regarding the opening of franchises, they should be allowed to conduct business wherever they choose.
4. Chik-Fil-A has the right to rise or fall as a result of their chosen position on a controversial social issue.

Personally, regardless of their corporate philosophy, I would never eat at a Chik-Fil-A because I don't meat. And even if I did eat meat, I would balk at the notion of eating so many deep-fried, cholesterol-laden, sodium-laden calories that lack any semblance of nutrition. To sum it up- it's disgusting and unhealthy. Everyone else is free to do what they want with their bodies, and they are free to patronize businesses that are consistent with their core values. However, I also strongly believe that when you spend one penny at organizations that actively support hate groups, you are implicitly saying that it is okay. We are blessed to have choices in this country and Chik-Fil-A is just one of a gazillion other places where hungry Americans can get a quick bite to eat. Why support the establishments that support/condone hatred at the expense of truly charitable "Christian" causes such as helping the poor, downtrodden and underprivileged? If you truly disagree with their stance on the issue of civil rights for GLBT, is it that much of a hardship to choose to voice your disagreement by spending your money elsewhere? Choosing to knowingly support hate groups with your money is simply bad karma.