OK, for the record, this is NOT a post about the “radical homosexual agenda” or whether gay marriage should be legal or not. This is a post about freedom to do business according to one’s conscience, and freedom to express views with which others may not agree. [Please note: neither I nor any of my family work for this company.]
Yes, I’m talking about all the ridiculous, inflated fracas about Chick-fil-A, a national fast food chain whose owner makes no secret of the fact that he supports traditional marriage. In a recent interview with The Baptist Press, he was explicit:
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.
And that’s ALL he said, people.
Company president Dan Cathy did NOT make disparaging remarks about the LGBT community, offer political statements about the validity of gay marriage, make any statement about hiring homosexuals or serving them. Chick-fil-A has a fixed policy of being closed on Sundays to ensure their employees a day a rest. Other than that, the most radical thing they do is refuse to sell beef–the source of their long-running PR campaign featuring spokescows who urge us to “Eat Mor Chikn”.
Here’s their statement from their official Facebook page:
The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 Restaurants run by independent Owner/Operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.
Chick-fil-A is a family-owned and family-led company serving the communities in which it operates. From the day Truett Cathy started the company, he began applying biblically-based principles to managing his business. For example, we believe that closing on Sundays, operating debt-free and devoting a percentage of our profits back to our communities are what make us a stronger company and Chick-fil-A family.
Our mission is simple: to serve great food, provide genuine hospitality and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.
Only now, in today’s hyper-polarized, overly-politicized society can affirmation of a biblical belief be equated to hating something or someone. Even 20 years ago, this news would have generated barely a peep. Now? It’s instant ‘high dudgeon’, plus some.
Enter the Jim Henson Company, fearing to be tarred with the same family-friendly brush as the chicken vendor. (Who IS the target audience for Henson Co.’s many products, one must ask?) So Henson has pulled its toys from Chick-fil-A kids’ meals, thus shooting themselves in their own promotional foot in order to make a loud statement about Chick-fil-A’s alleged intolerance…and their own obvious intolerance. Was Chick-fil-A putting disclaimers in the kids’ sacks, warning them that Henson is an ‘inclusive’ company? Nope. Did they refuse to carry the toys because of Henson’s pro-LGBT policy? No again. But the company has made charitable contributions to not-for-profit organizations that Henson dubs “anti-gay”.
Notice how polemic language works? It turns a positive statement into a negative one: “PRO-life” or “ANTI-abortion”? “PRO-family” or “ANTI-gay”? In most cases, the positive statement is much broader (more inclusive, if you will) than the negative one!
Next, enter Thomas Menino, the mayor of Boston, who is threatening to bar Chick-fil-A from getting a license to do business in the city famous for its Freedom Trail…because he personally feels that this company should not be free to say what it believes in.
Again, please note where the judgmental, harsh, intolerant, hyperbolic over-reaction is coming from: not from the conservative family-oriented business. No, no: it’s coming from the people who are screaming Tolerance, Openness, and Fairness. Because obviously, their definition of Freedom of Speech is: “You have a right to say whatever I agree with.”
Two Heads are Better Than One 
Reblogged this on The Peanut Gallery and commented:
“Give Chikin A Chance”
Way to go, GBL! This is another of those outrageous-outrage incidents that makes my scalp itch.
Whatever happened to debate? Debate on the Left has devolved into their shrieking “Shut-Up!”, as loud and as often as they can.
I suppose when their argument doesn’t make any real sense, that’s what they have.
Is ANYONE really surprised by the reaction to Cathy’s comments? It’s the same HYPERBOLE we see EVERY time the agenda driven community sees an opening…..real OR perceived.
Frankly, I think it stirs up their base for about 15 seconds; we’ll see a photo of 15 protestors outside of a Chick-fil-A labeled as “HUNDREDS protest bigot-lead company”; and in a few days, it will be on to the next “cause-celebre”, “gripe du juor”, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum.
GBL knocks this one out of the park with her final comment: ”You have a right to say whatever I agree with.” brought to you WITH LOVE from those “tolerant” folks on the left. What a “gaggle” of buffoons. Or, perhaps we should, in keeping with this post’s theme, call them “A Flock of Chickens”.
And I ra-a-an, I ran so far a-waa-a-ay…….
Thanks, Pittsburgh! As I said to the other head this morning, it’s really the Boston mayor’s reaction that burns my bacon. And it makes me cringe to think how every other Christian business-owner in that city must feel right now. “You have no place here,” he said. Or rather–let’s turn “don’t ask/don’t tell” around (you remember how popular that policy was) and apply it to the pro-family contingent across the entire spectrum of commerce.
Oh GREAT! So NOW you have to bring BACON into the conversation???
Very anti-Muslim of you, I must add! We MUST add THAT to your ever-growing list of Conservative, Christian faults!
Your “DADT” comment is another zinger! Sadly, the situation reflects how the Left controls the public dialogue on issues. It’s fine when their actions and rhetoric fly in the face of our Conservative, Christian values. But, just let one “opinion” fly in the face of theirs and all Gaea breaks out!
We’re constantly reminded by the “professional pundits” that we need to control our rhetoric so as not to OFFEND those precious Independents and the great “undecided” (whoever the heck THEY are). But the Left can constantly spout hate-filled rhetoric with seemingly no impact on those valued groups. Strange, isn’t it?
One last thought:
MMMMMMMMMMM………B-A-C-O-N, bacon, bacon, bacon.
This is why I finally stopped using the term “Liberal”, …since it now represents people who are the exact OPPOSITE of its original definition.
JTR, you MADE me do this: That’s why they are no longer called “Liberals”. Rather they should be referred to as the Condom Party. Why? Well….
Because a condom more accurately reflects the Party’s political stance. A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of tools, and gives you a sense of security while you’re actually being screwed
Hater.
What a good comparison!
Was I hating? Because I just got back from eating at Chick-fil-a.
That reminds me…
Get a cookie sheet and cover it with aluminum foil. Place strips of thick cut bacon on the sheet and put it in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes (approx. depending on the oven) at 450 degrees. Remove sheet and season bacon in cracked pepper. Its wonderful.
Speaking of that: we’re going to CFA right now, Hatfield….
And, your bacon recipe sounds DELICIOUS!!!!
😉
Are we beginning to understand the meaning of the words “Dictatorship of Relativism”?
“The evangelization of culture is all the more important in our times, when a a ‘dictatorship of relativism’ threatens to obscure the unchanging truth about man’s nature, his destiny and his ultimate good”.
Pope Benedict is a seriously smart dude, and he nailed this.
You’re dead-on, James: a perfect example.
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Well said! The chick-fil-a owner said nothing derogetory at all and has every right to stand for what he believes in!
Judgement day will be here soon.
The congregation at our church is getting together this Wednesday, 8/1, and heading to our local Chick-Fil-A in support of the company. Hope you all join us in your respective towns!
It’s disgusting that we’re at a point in this society when a man simply states that he holds the Biblical view of marriage, and it’s cause for condemnation by the left.
I saw this and skimmed it before but just now noticed the GREAT point about the positive monikers being more inclusive than the negative ones. I think that points to where all this breaks down—we imagine that there are two sides and dig in, when in fact there are compassionate people on both sides. We would all do well to study how to bring everyone’s good goals together to the extent possible. (And then calmly move on to more productive territory when we find those limits.)
Thanks, Ryan. And a very good point there, too. I think too often we view those with whom we disagree as “the Enemy”…I imagine it must be the same in wartime, when you need to forget that these are just people, like yourself. The “pro-choice” advocate may be a very nice person who is genuinely concerned about women, even if I think her views are misguided. Thanks for reading, and for commenting.
Yes, exactly. The book “Real Choices” ( http://www.amazon.com/Real-Choices-Listening-Alternatives-Abortion/dp/1888212071 ) broke this open for me, both for the abortion issue and more generally. It’s written by a woman who left NOW when they moved to focus on abortion, and is now an Orthodox Christian priest’s wife. The book deals with the painful, difficult, and complicated problems faced by the real people inside this “single issue” and moves the entire discussion forward by doing so. The back cover has rave reviews from activists on both sides of the abortion debate. I’ve never been able to see a “yuh huh/nuh uh” debate on such issues the same way since encountering it.
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