Official Chick-fil-A Thread

[CathKhan]

A friend asked me on twitter what I thought of the "Chick-fil-A debate". Not knowing what it was, I looked it up. And sure enough, there it was. The President and COO had voiced his opposition to gay marriage. And in return every idiot with a caring function in their brain has decided to start hating on him. A couple of business deals have gone down the tubes, such as a "Muppets" advertising thingamajig. It seems that it may even harm their ability to put another franchise in Chicago. Thoughts, opinions, complaints, comments, etc.?

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57481176/chick-fil-a-flap-sees-calls-for-action-from-both-sides-of-same-sex-marriage-debate/

[Ebowed]

Their convictions seem strong enough to lose business by not being open on Sundays, so I doubt the pressure will force a change on their public attitude towards marriage equality.

[Gravis Marketing]

Interesting that his voicing his opinion was what triggered this, given that he's been donating millions in profits to anti-gay causes for years and which would provide a substantive reason for people to avoid eating there.

[useful idiot]

As Brittain said, it isn't as ifChick-fil-a's position is news. All the fuss over it now seems wholly manufactured by media. For what reason, I don't know...

[Senator Napoleon]

I couldn't care less. As if I am going to agree with any business owner on much, ha!

[Speaker Dereich]

Heh....Last semester FSU had to have a vote on whether to bring a Chick-fil-A to campus over this very issue. In a result that shocked no one, 75% of students voted with their stomachs rather than their ideologies. The gays I know on campus weren't that upset with it, some even voted for it, but the anti-capitalist activists who brought the issue forward were furious and ranted against our closemindedness. It was the most hilarious thing to happen on campus since the pro-lifers brought giant posters of dead fetuses next to those of the holocaust.

[Free Palestine]

Heh....Last semester FSU had to have a vote on whether to bring a Chick-fil-A to campus over this very issue. In a result that shocked no one, 75% of students voted with their stomachs rather than their ideologies. The gays I know on campus weren't that upset with it, some even voted for it, but the anti-capitalist activists who brought the issue forward were furious and ranted against our closemindedness. It was the most hilarious thing to happen on campus since the pro-lifers brought giant posters of dead fetuses next to those of the holocaust.

Fact: college students are morons.

[WhyteRain]

Is it enough to show we care by banning Chick-fil-A restaurants from Boston and Chicago and college campuses, or should we imprison the directors and shareholders?

Seriously, I've never visited a Chick-fil-A, but I will now.

While the 1%ers try to destroy Chick-fil-A by government intimidation and force, the 99%ers destroyed this by quiet boycott:

[Harry]

I don't see why this has erupted now -- ChickfilA has been very publicly  anti-gay for years.

[patrick1]

I know Mayor Mumbles Menino sent a letter to a landlord telling him he didn't want the business in Boston.  However, he is quickly backtracking because he is likely abusing power/breaking the law.

[IDS Judicial Overlord John Dibble]

I don't see why this has erupted now -- ChickfilA has been very publicly  anti-gay for years.

The reason this has erupted now is because of all the other companies that came out as being for gay marriage recently.

[asexual trans victimologist]

Is it enough to show we care by banning Chick-fil-A restaurants from Boston and Chicago and college campuses, or should we imprison the directors and shareholders?

Seriously, I've never visited a Chick-fil-A, but I will now.

While the 1%ers try to destroy Chick-fil-A by government intimidation and force, the 99%ers destroyed this by quiet boycott:

...what?

Dude, it's Mumbles Menino and a bunch of activists, not the full force of the United States government or something.

[Governor Scott]

I know Mayor Mumbles Menino sent a letter to a landlord telling him he didn't want the business in Boston.  However, he is quickly backtracking because he is likely abusing power/breaking the law.

I'm not too sure about that.  Certain cities and towns (like mine) have ordinances that give mayors the right to deny businesses from being established if they don't want them.  I don't know anything about Boston's ordinances, though.

As for me, I personally wouldn't eat at a Chick-fil-A if it were the only restaurant in the world.

[krazen1211]

Chick'fila is a growing franchise that creates jobs. How amazing that some radicals would try to bash a good business.

[asexual trans victimologist]

Chick'fila is a growing franchise that creates jobs. How amazing that some radicals would try to bash a good business.

Menino is hardly 'radical'. He basically is the Establishment in Boston.

Regardless of one's opinions on the particular happenstance here, I would hope you would agree in principle that there are values more important than being or supporting 'a growing franchise that creates jobs'?

[patrick1]

I know Mayor Mumbles Menino sent a letter to a landlord telling him he didn't want the business in Boston.  However, he is quickly backtracking because he is likely abusing power/breaking the law.

I'm not too sure about that.  Certain cities and towns (like mine) have ordinances that give mayors the right to deny businesses from being established if they don't want them.  I don't know anything about Boston's ordinances, though.

As for me, I personally wouldn't eat at a Chick-fil-A if it were the only restaurant in the world.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/07/26/menino-maintains-his-opposition-chick-file-but-admits-can-stop-the-chain-from-coming-boston/UTOEtdlKRipuFIbCF44STM/story.html

[krazen1211]

Chick'fila is a growing franchise that creates jobs. How amazing that some radicals would try to bash a good business.

Menino is hardly 'radical'. He basically is the Establishment in Boston.

Regardless of one's opinions on the particular happenstance here, I would hope you would agree in principle that there are values more important than being or supporting 'a growing franchise that creates jobs'?

Yes, I suppose that is true for the individual. I would think that it be prudent for a mayor of Boston to let the 600,000 people of Boston figure that out for themselves as Chick'Fil'A has not been accused of violating any discrimination law. Indeed, it would be quite clever of them to let Chick'Fila enter Boston and them expose themselves to a financial loss due to not having customers!

Unless of course, the people of Boston like Spicy Chicken.

[Governor Scott]

I know Mayor Mumbles Menino sent a letter to a landlord telling him he didn't want the business in Boston.  However, he is quickly backtracking because he is likely abusing power/breaking the law.

I'm not too sure about that.  Certain cities and towns (like mine) have ordinances that give mayors the right to deny businesses from being established if they don't want them.  I don't know anything about Boston's ordinances, though.

As for me, I personally wouldn't eat at a Chick-fil-A if it were the only restaurant in the world.

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/07/26/menino-maintains-his-opposition-chick-file-but-admits-can-stop-the-chain-from-coming-boston/UTOEtdlKRipuFIbCF44STM/story.html

Ah.  Oh, well.

Hopefully there will be at least some residents that place equal rights as a higher priority than food.

[asexual trans victimologist]

Chick'fila is a growing franchise that creates jobs. How amazing that some radicals would try to bash a good business.

Menino is hardly 'radical'. He basically is the Establishment in Boston.

Regardless of one's opinions on the particular happenstance here, I would hope you would agree in principle that there are values more important than being or supporting 'a growing franchise that creates jobs'?

Yes, I suppose that is true for the individual. I would think that it be prudent for a mayor of Boston to let the 600,000 people of Boston figure that out for themselves as Chick'Fil'A has not been accused of violating any discrimination law. Indeed, it would be quite clever of them to let Chick'Fila enter Boston and them expose themselves to a financial loss due to not having customers!

Unless of course, the people of Boston like Spicy Chicken.

The people of Boston like Thomas Menino.

[opebo]

Chick'fila is a growing franchise that creates jobs. How amazing that some radicals would try to bash a good business.

Dude, the Nazis were a growing franchise in Germany in the 1930s.

[krazen1211]

Chick'fila is a growing franchise that creates jobs. How amazing that some radicals would try to bash a good business.

Menino is hardly 'radical'. He basically is the Establishment in Boston.

Regardless of one's opinions on the particular happenstance here, I would hope you would agree in principle that there are values more important than being or supporting 'a growing franchise that creates jobs'?

Yes, I suppose that is true for the individual. I would think that it be prudent for a mayor of Boston to let the 600,000 people of Boston figure that out for themselves as Chick'Fil'A has not been accused of violating any discrimination law. Indeed, it would be quite clever of them to let Chick'Fila enter Boston and them expose themselves to a financial loss due to not having customers!

Unless of course, the people of Boston like Spicy Chicken.

The people of Boston like Thomas Menino.

That's true. And they might like spicy chicken too. Such things are not mutually exclusive.

[True Federalist]

Unless of course, the people of Boston like Spicy Chicken.

If they do, they ought to find another restaurant.  Were you perhaps thinking of Bojangles?  Chick-fil-A may have recently added a spicy version, but it's not their main thing.

[Zarn]

If I boycotted every business where I disagreed with the political views of those in charge, I might have to kill for my own food.

I really don't care what businesses think, short of "Hey, let's overthrow the republic."

[True Federalist]

If I boycotted every business where I disagreed with the political views of those in charge, I might have to kill for my own food.

I really don't care what businesses think, short of "Hey, let's overthrow the republic."

I take it you don't eat at either Burger King or Dairy Queen then.

[muon2]

The big driver of this in the news was from Chicago. In Chicago there's a tradition of Aldermen using official privilege to block zoning and subdivision changes in their respective wards. On Wednesday, after hearing company president Cathy's comments the week before, Ald. Moreno said he was going to use that privilege to block a second Chick-Fil-A in Chicago. Mayor Emanuel jumped in to support the Alderman.

The debate now rages here in that this opens the door to blocking a franchise just because the corporate parent takes has a certain belief. Many think that the city could be seeing a first amendment lawsuit. Today I heard that the Alderman is now claiming he'll block it because of the increased traffic. That sounds like a legal walkback to a safer reason to reject. However, it flies in the face of comments that Chicagoans wouldn't patronize a business with those attitudes. If so, then there wouldn't be a traffic problem.

The proposed location would be a franchise not owned by the corporation. The existing store in Chicago does not discriminate on either serving or hiring. Even some liberal lawyers in the state have sounded an alarm since this type of action can cut both ways.