Chik-fil-a controversy

[ItnStln511]

Jeff Bezos is promoting the right of a legal contract between two individuals, Dan Cathy is promoting the denial of that right between two individuals. Promoting a right and promoting a denial of a right is a big difference.

Interracial marriage was illegal in many US states until a 1967 Supreme Court decision. The same religious prejudices as Mr. Cathy holds were the bases on why interracial was illegal.

Talk about double standards!

 

[A.Nonymous]

No there is a big difference between Local elected officials and what is implied by "the Government" And while business owners do have rights so do the people in these communities who elected the Leaders to look out for their best interest and whats right for their community.

No there isn't. At least not in my mind. The government is made up of elected officials whether they be elected at the national level or the local level makes no difference. Any time a government official says they will work to have a business denied the necessary permits they need to operate based solely on the opinions of the CEO that is a clear violation of the First Amendment in my mind.

 

[EarlyMon]

Thread cleaned up and re-opened. Posts by and responding to one individual who won't be visiting this forum section further have been removed - nothing personal, but no need to keep a record of that.

This is a thread about the political controversy involving a chicken restaurant and statements a major shareholder made concerning the gay community.

It's not a thread for arguing religious values or gay bashing or debating if our forums allow freedom of speech.

Your freedom of speech ends here when name calling, gay bashing, hatefulness and making things personal begins - it's just like yelling Fire! in a crowded theater, and we won't be having it, ok.

Please enjoy your discussion and debates, please be polite, and if it gets to be too much, agree to disagree and chose another thread more to your liking.

Cheers, thanks!

 

[EarlyMon]

Silly me pushed the wrong button - sorry gang!

NOW the thread is re-opened.

 

[Rachel A]

I fully support Dan Cathy's view on gay marriage. As an American he has that right.

What I don't like is that Chik-Fil-A has been used as a political tool. Jeff Bezos donated his own personal money to the Washington fund. Dan Cathy however donated Chik-Fil-A's money to a group of foundations (and foundations of foundations) that preach hatred against the gay community. Some of the money was donated to at least one hate group (as defined by the Southern Law Poverty Center). This is not an assumption on my part - you can see these donations on publicly available tax returns.

Dan Cathy is the only one responsible for this though since he's the owner of the company. I do not feel that anyone should involve any other employees of CFA in this as it's not their fight.

For me, it's not what he said but what he did with the company's money that matters.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Disagree with what he said and did with his money all you want. That's fine. Nothing wrong with that. Ban him from doing business because you disagree with his politics and that's wrong.

 

[Rachel A]

Disagree with what he said and did with his money all you want. That's fine. Nothing wrong with that. Ban him from doing business because you disagree with his politics and that's wrong.

I agree. The mayors had every right to voice an opinion but no right to try to ban the stores.

 

[Jordan]

I reflect those views fairly closely Rachel_Ambler. Add that the whole thing of trying to politicize it seemed self-serving. There are many companies that operate on a "mission" of sorts which can include religious views (some are listed by the news sites that were reporting about the chicken place).

Too bad so many religious views, some loud ones anyway, include trying to narrow American rights down to certain demographics.

Using the edit button to thank EarlyMon the moderator for opening this again.

 

[OutofDate1980]

By Cathy by advocating his views so publicly, giving press interviews, etc... he puts his employees in the middle.

If his employees exercise their freedom of speech opposing Cathy's views, they fear the loss of their job.

 

[Rachel A]

By Cathy by advocating his views so publicly, giving press interviews, etc... he puts his employees in the middle.

If his employees exercise their freedom of speech opposing Cathy's views, they fear the loss of their job.

Although we may have no proof that has ever happened I can see how the very fact of the recent media glare could make employees nervous.

 

[OutofDate1980]

Although we may have no proof that has ever happened I can see how the very fact of the recent media glare could make employees nervous.

Chick-fil-A Anti-Gay Controversy: Gay Employees Speak Out

"Andrew, a gay 24-year-old who has been working at the northern Alabama Chick-fil-A since January, sat in his car smoking a cigarette and watching the crowd during a break earlier Wednesday.

"I call it hater appreciation day," said Andrew, who asked that his last name be withheld out of fear he'd be fired. "It's very, very depressing.""

"One gay employee who works at Chick-fil-A headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., and asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job, says he is getting it from both sides. On the one hand, there is the customer who came in and said he supported Dan Cathy and then "continues to say something truly homophobic, e.g. 'I'm so glad you don't support the *****s, I can eat in peace,'" the employee, who is 23 and has worked for Chick-fil-A since he was 16, wrote in an email. On the other hand, he continued, "I was yelled at for being a god-loving, conservative, homophobic Christian while walking some food out to a guest in a mall dining room.""

 

[Rachel A]

I sit corrected.

 

[OutofDate1980]

I sit corrected.

I prefer standing.

 

[OutofDate1980]

Disagree with what he said and did with his money all you want. That's fine. Nothing wrong with that. Ban him from doing business because you disagree with his politics and that's wrong.

Governments deny business permits/zoning all the time based on the consequences of free speech, such as male entertainment clubs, even though nude *dancing* is constitutional protected free speech.

 

[phw8558]

Sorry I didn't catch the story fully, just saw they got removed from Facebook. Are they pro-same sex marriage or against?

 

[Rachel A]

Sorry I didn't catch the story fully, just saw they got removed from Facebook. Are they pro-same sex marriage or against?

Against.

 

[EarlyMon]

Discussion with banned member deleted.

Follow thread guidelines or face consequences.

There is no third option.

 

[Jordan]

I'm confused. How does the LGBT community discriminate against straight folk?

I don't think they do that. At least most of them. They've been through that all their life, well all their "out" life from the time they stopped pretending to be straight just to keep from getting bullied or worse.

But some straight people, me included, had to go through a thing of understanding that the gay expressions of pride etc are not to alienate us and make us feel guilty etc. I have gay family members, lucky they have educated me about these things.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Governments deny business permits/zoning all the time based on the consequences of free speech, such as male entertainment clubs, even though nude *dancing* is constitutional protected free speech.

Completely different but whatever. Zoning laws on adult businesses are different than those on restaurants.

Look at it this way. If Candidate Incumbent blocks someone from opening a business because the owner of that business publicly supports Candidate Challenger is it ok?

 

[rushmore]

Both Chik-fil-a AND nude dancing are cool One tastes good and the other is an art form

The guy did not say he did not like gays and only communicated his belief on marriage. Do we want him to lie about it, like a lot of politicians are doing and do on a normal basis? I would rather someone tell me the truth, rather than lie for political convenience.

 

[Jordan]

Both Chik-fil-a AND nude dancing are cool One tastes good and the other is an art form

Which is which?

 

[A.Nonymous]

So this is a plan. Go to the Christian owner of a business that is closed on Sundays. Ask him his opinion on gay marriage. Be shocked and horrified at his response.

 

[Rachel A]

Both Chik-fil-a AND nude dancing are cool One tastes good and the other is an art form

The guy did not say he did not like gays and only communicated his belief on marriage. Do we want him to lie about it, like a lot of politicians are doing and do on a normal basis? I would rather someone tell me the truth, rather than lie for political convenience.

Like I said, it's not necessarily what he said - it's where he's moving corporate money to that's the problem.

He can say all he wants - however when some Chik-Fil-A money goes to hate groups then we have a problem.

How would you feel if he donated some company cash to the KKK? Company money mind - not his own personal stash.

So this is a plan. Go to the Christian owner of a business that is closed on Sundays. Ask him his opinion on gay marriage. Be shocked and horrified at his response.

As shocking as it may sound, being Christian and supporting gay marriage is not necessarily exclusive.


At the end of the day why are people so against the LGBT community from boycotting CFA? He said and did something we don't like, we don't eat there as a result. Is that really so bad, so evil, so wrong? Folk can boycott McD's because they don't like the golden arches if they want to. Who are we hurting by boycotting? Has our boycott prevented supporters from eating there? The exact opposite I'd say.

Or is this simply a 'hands off our chicken' mentality? Would folk have such a visceral reaction if he only sold healthy salads?

 

[Jordan]

As shocking as it may sound, being Christian and supporting gay marriage is not necessarily exclusive.

At the end of the day why are people so against the LGBT community from boycotting CFA? He said and did something we don't like, we don't eat there as a result. Is that really so bad, so evil, so wrong?

I sure agree with that. All of the gays I know attend the churches in town, and no none of those churches are "gay churches" (whatever that is, but had to say that because the last time I mentioned that they go to church the response was "but they're 'gay churches,' right?" ).

The different Protestant Christian denominations can't agree on the Trinity or need for communion or an empty cross/cross with dead Jesus on it, I don't expect them to agree on sexual orientation either, so I can see why homosexual men and women might struggle with it but I can also see why they feel just as Christian as any straight person in the congregation.

 

[Rachel A]

Amen Jordan!