The conflict took the form of a national food fight yesterday when Mike Huckabee declared Wednesday national “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.” The result: a lot of conservatives had chicken for lunch (while their critics are crow). Not to be outdone, gay rights advocates have called for a "National Same-Sex Kiss Day" to be held Friday at Chick-fil-A restaurants all over the country.
But the real chicken bone of contention is the damage being done to free speech. Chick-fil-A has the right to express its views. And opponents have a right to express theirs. But neither side has a right to silence the other, which is what happened when the mayors said they would shut out Chick-fil-A from their market place. In effect, saying (ironically), “We will not tolerate intolerance.” in the future, don’t be surprised to see more of that kind of fowl play.
How can you be certain that this isn't part of God's plan for Chick-fil-A to stop misusing its talents? Now that it's been revealed that donate several million dollars to groups that headline anti-gay agendas, some customers are upset, and rightly so.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the beauty of a free market? Dan Cathy can make money and then spend it as he wants. And so can all his patrons. The point of my post is that instead of letting the free market place determine the viability (and profitability) of Chick-fil-A, threee mayors (and countless others most likely) would rather short cicuit the process, and shut down the business. I believe that's called discrimination! I do not purport to know what God may be doing in Dan Cathy's heart and whether he is misusing his talents and money. I wouldn't use my millions (if I had them!) to support any political cause, but I don't have to give an account for that. Only Dan Cathy does. Thanks for sharing your view. Greg
ReplyDeleteI suppose I see it differently. I think the discrimination began with Chick-Fil-A and now the chain is being held accountable for the questionable agendas it has been funding. The company boasts that they give a millions of the dollars back to the community. In larger retail chains, 'giving back to the community' typically involves schools, parks, programs, etc. But now its clear that their definition of community is a scenario where some customers have access to civil rights while others do not. While it is true that they can give the money wherever they like, they should have been more forthcoming. In the current political climate, I think the backlash is justified.
ReplyDeleteDear Unknown
ReplyDeleteThank you again. If you read my other posts on gay marriage, you will see that I don't see it as a civil rights issue.
Our discussion, however, seems to have drifted from my original concern, which is: intolerance of intolerance. Conservative Christians (call them fundamentalists, if you like) are being perceived as intolerant because they have strong convictions in a culture where 'tolerance' has become the most important values.