Chicken Sandwiches?

Boy are we in trouble! The nation continues to experience enormous problems but the nation’s media continues to devote much time to the rants of one CEO of a fast food chain.  Let’s review the situation (with appreciation from the Internet):

“We are so hosed:

·         We are in perpetual war with multiple countries

·         14 million of us don’t have jobs

·         We are $16 trillion in debt

·         Our education system sucks

·         We’ve been in recession for four years

·         Our government has assassinated US citizens

·         We have killed thousands of innocents with drones

·         We are on the edge of a fiscal cliff

·         Our Olympic team wore frickin’ berets made in China

And the one thing that motivates people to speak out is the opinion of a guy who sells chicken sandwiches!?”

Yeah, sure! This is what is important, right? I think not.

Here’s a little more perspective on the details behind Dan Cathy’s so called outrage:

            “This man [Dan Cathy] is not a hero.

Fact #1: Millions of dollars of Chick-fil-A’s corporate profits are donated to non-profit groups opposing or supporting the repeal of laws that grant same-sex couples equal human rights.

Fact #2: One of the organizations that gets Chick-fil-A money is the Family Research Council, which has been designated an official hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center

Fact #3: The Family Research Council spent $25,000 in 2010 lobbying congress to not condemn the Uganda “kill the gays” bill which would have subjected homosexuals in Uganda to the death penalty.

So, as you line up in support of this man and his business, please remember that part of every dollar you spend is being funneled into hate groups that encourage the execution of gay people in other countries.”

            Remember what Malcolm X said?  His caution was:

“If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

I think this point has been reached! Too bad. We let others do our thinking for us rather than doing our own work. We have the ability to think for ourselves and to do the research. It is not overly time consuming or physically taxing. We can also share our findings with others in informed discussions. This activity alone will spread the knowledge farther.

Free speech is one thing. Free hate speech is another. Spreading your religious beliefs far and wide as though you have totally uncontrolled freedom to do so ignores the reality of consequences.  If Dan Cathy wishes to spend his company’s public support for his products in this manner, he must also weather the losses of market share as consumers prefer their eats from fairer, more open minded companies. I for one will never darken the door of a Chick-fil-A. I hope you will boycott the chain as well.

When civil discourse and open minded tolerance for differences among us become our norm, then we can buy product and service from the best and cheapest provider. In the meantime the “free market” allows me to attach a penalty to Dan Cathy’s narrow-mindedness.

August 8, 2012