Ya know...I don't even really like chicken much anyway. I would much rather have a big, juicy sirloin or a burger or even a little minute steak. And I could eat crab legs or shrimp or oysters all day long. But chicken? Meh. I have struggled for years to find a way to cook chicken that gets me all excited right down to my intestinal core. Hasn't happened.
I guess it is just as well since I have evidently been forced into making a decision about whether or not I am going to boycott Chick-Fil-A because of the owners opinion on the "traditional family" and where he donated portions of the monies dished out from chicken lovers the world over.
I don't have a terribly long blog in me on this particular subject. I have read many blogs that did a far better job of summing up both sides of the "argument". And while I do believe that Dan Cathy can say and believe whatever he wants about whatever he wants to, I also believe that he donates to organizations that oppose equal rights for homosexuals. I find it offensive that he donates to these groups, just as I would find it offensive if he donated to groups that support dog-fighting or segregation in schools. I believe that homosexuals and dogs and black people (among others) should be treated with dignity and respect. And I believe that if you publicly state an opinion that people find objectionable, they have a right to say they think you are an idiot (and boycott your business). Is that nice? Probably not. Should one use pleasant words and simply say they disagree with your opinion and smile and move on. Probably. But that isn't the way the world generally works. People tend to become hateful and irrational and emotional when they feel attacked or offended. Is that ideal? No. But it is reality - and we all know it. So if you choose NOT to shut your mouth, you run the risk of this reality occurring. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
So will I be eating at Chick-Fil-A anytime soon? No. Because just as Dan Cathy has a right to donate his money and efforts to what he believes in, I have the right to keep my pennies from going where I wouldn't normally put them.
3 comments:
I heart you.
I think I find chicken a little more palatable than you do. But I don't eat at Chic-fil-a because I don't find their chicken all that appetizing. What I find astounding is that these people have somehow managed to make Chic-fil-a a flashpoint for our social issues. The free advertising from this is better than anything that the marketing department could have constructed. Besides, I much prefer Popeye's chicken.
Don't think I've ever eaten at a Chick-Fil-A anyway, but this is a no brainer to me. Like you said, we've all got the right to say and believe what our hearts and minds tell us. (Which obviously is not the same as having the right to act however we may want.) I couldn't disagree any more strongly with his beliefs on this matter, and I think it's okay to be angry. But to be hateful and ugly and rude--what's the point? Seriously, where does that get anyone, you know. Yep, I can say I disagree and I can choose to spend my money elsewhere. Of course, since I never spent it at Chick-Fil-A anyway, I'm sure he couldn't care less what I think. And that too is his right.
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