The disturbing attacks on Chick-fil-A
There’s one part of Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy’s recent remarks that the left seems especially intent on disproving: the part where he said,
… we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.
The rest of Cathy’s comments, if you haven’t already heard, concerned his opinion of the propriety of gay marriage from a biblical perspective. As retribution for his voicing this opinion, some liberals in Chicago and Boston want to deny Cathy and his company the right to operate in their cities.
This is disturbing on a number of levels, two in particular.
The first is the idea that local governments might deny a business license to a company because of the beliefs of its owners. In Chicago, Alderman Proco “Joe” Moreno threatened to do just that in his ward. (The city’s mayor, former Obama aide Rahm Emanuel, was more oblique, voicing sympathy with Moreno’s perspective but saying only that a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Chicago “would be a bad investment, since it would be empty.”)
As Elizabeth Scalia notes, this is how fascism works. As the far-from-right-wing Boston Globe editorialized, in response to Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s statement that “Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston” and that the company shouldn’t be allowed to open a store near famed Faneuil Hall along the city’s — first irony alert! — Freedom Trail:
… which part of the First Amendment does Menino not understand? A business owner’s political or religious beliefs should not be a test for the worthiness of his or her application for a business license. … If the mayor of a conservative town tried to keep out gay-friendly Starbucks or Apple, it would be an outrage.
Menino has since backtracked on his threat. Moreno appears to be digging in, although some of his fellow aldermen take a different view.
The second is the way Menino and Moreno are twisting the definition of the word “discrimination” to apply it to Cathy’s objection to — second irony alert! — the redefinition of the word “marriage” to apply to same-sex couples.
“You can’t have a business in the City of Boston that discriminates against a population,” Menino told the Boston Herald to explain his desire to keep Chick-fil-A out of his city.
“If you are discriminating against a segment of the community, I don’t want you in the 1st Ward,” Moreno told the Chicago Tribune.
But I have yet to see the first shred of evidence Chick-fil-A is actually discriminating against gay couples. Menino and Moreno cited no reports that same-sex couples in a Chick-fil-A restaurant have been denied service or asked to leave, nor any instances of gay employees or job applicants being dismissed due to their sexual orientation. This is hardly comparable to a Southern lunch counter turning away black customers half a century ago.
Nor could anyone accurately describe Cathy or Chick-fil-A as influential political agitators who are enabling some sort of “discrimination.” While much was made back in March of the company’s donations to groups that promote the traditional definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, the company is practically silent in terms of donations to politicians and political organizations. According to the Sunlight Foundation, the sum total of all political donations by the company, its employees and its PAC, between 1989 and 2012, was just $177,410 — about $7,400 a year. And even this meager spending does not appear to have been tied to the issue of gay marriage.
If a mere difference of opinion with elected officials is enough to qualify as “discrimination,” then in some way or another virtually every employer would be, as Cathy put it in the interview that sparked this episode, guilty as charged. Civil society itself would be fractured irretrievably. As Scalia asked,
… where does the “punishment” spiral stop? The press declares Chick-fil-A “homophobic” (a dishonest word) and then the local governments start penalizing them for it; Jim Henson’s outfit stomps off. What next? Will people against gay marriage start boycotting Muppet stuff? Pyres of Elmo in support of Chick-fil-A’s right to be itself?
We’re already seeing a preliminary version of this: Activists are encouraging same-sex couples to visit Chick-fil-A stores next Friday for a “National Same-Sex Kiss Day”; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is encouraging fellow social conservatives to “buycott” the company by patronizing its restaurants en masse next Wednesday.
Does anyone see this thing headed toward reconciliation?
The idea at the foundation of our freedom of speech is often said to have been summarized by the French philosopher Voltaire: “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” It’s a long way from Voltaire’s France to Menino’s Boston and Moreno’s Chicago, and the direction is a very disheartening one.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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474 comments Add your comment
Steven
July 27th, 2012
1:41 pm
Kyle, thank you for responding. You do not honestly think they will come up with some reason? I have found, personally, if someone does not want a certain business in their community, they will trump up things to keep the business away. Wal-Mart was denied the license and zoning, even though the wetlands was 1/2 mile away. The ends justify the means. Wal-Mart could have argued with the city on the matter, but they do not own the land, the city does. Trust me, Boston, Chicago and any other city or county will come up with a reason why they will deny the permit or license, as well as the zoning. Can a restaurant be denied a license or permit based on the said owner’s personal beliefs? Sure thing. The city or county attorney can just dress up as another reason.
bu2
July 27th, 2012
4:23 pm
Defining marriage as between a man and a woman has been pretty consistent throughout human history. So it doesn’t sound like a religious belief. Defining it otherwise is a political belief, just as Cathey’s was.
Gulliver
July 27th, 2012
4:48 pm
“Trust me, Boston, Chicago and any other city or county will come up with a reason why they will deny the permit or license, as well as the zoning. Can a restaurant be denied a license or permit based on the said owner’s personal beliefs? Sure thing. The city or county attorney can just dress up as another reason.”
This might have been true if several mayors had not stupidly and publicly announced they were not going to allow Chick-fil-a to operate within their cities in response to what Cathy said. There is no plausible deniability now and, if such a thing were attempted, these cities would stand to lose a huge amount of money in lawsuits. Even such diverse liberal entities as the ACLU, the LA Times and Mother Jones have come out against such an ill advised policy.
I personally think Emanuel’s (a rather ironic surname given his views) statements reflect very badly upon the judgement of president Obama, since he was one of his closest advisers.
Wilhelm Von Preussen
July 27th, 2012
6:58 pm
I will be back!
Wilhelm Von Preussen
July 27th, 2012
6:58 pm
Chick-fil-A will face my wrath!
Wilhelm Von Preussen
July 27th, 2012
6:59 pm
Read my lips! Kristallnacht!
Wilhelm Von Preussen
July 27th, 2012
6:59 pm
Chik-fil-A will be firebombed!
Wilhelm Von Preussen
July 27th, 2012
7:00 pm
Everyone who eats at Chick-fil-A are dirty people!
Wilhelm Von Preussen
July 27th, 2012
7:00 pm
You will be buried!
Wilhelm Von Preussen
July 27th, 2012
7:01 pm
You are all right wing retards!
Adolph Hitler Kaiser Welhelm
July 27th, 2012
7:02 pm
Chick-fil-A is dirty republican food!
Kaiser Welhelm
July 27th, 2012
7:02 pm
The GOP is toast!
Steven
July 27th, 2012
7:05 pm
Typical conservative talking point, Gulliver. Thanks, you took the bait. Hook, line, and stinker and boy does that reek to high heaven. No matter how much President Obama is not involved in something, you have to land it back on him. Emanuel is the mayor of Chicago, period. What happens in his city has his final say. Just like what happens in Tampa has Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s final say, which a Chick Fil A wanted to build a restaurant at the intersection of Kennedy and Howard. The problem is a historic building stands at the intersection and some chicken shack wanted to tear it town. The mayor did not like it and turned it down. Even with the outstanding issues that both mayors stated, they can revert to things like the areas have historic prestige, there can be traffic concerns, the environmental impacts of having the business can be detrimental to everyone, and/or the area may not be receptive to the type of business that may be there.
PS The intersection of Howard and Kennedy has two gas stations and two empty areas of land. Nothing historical about it, but Chick Fil A is probably so stupid that they do not even realize that.
Steven
July 27th, 2012
7:11 pm
@BU2, Really? Throughout history? Ancient Greek and Roman times show a different thing. Before Christianation of Native Americans, they regarded gays in a very level. Same sex marriages and ceremonies were common place.
Bobby Mukaisu
July 27th, 2012
7:51 pm
A lot of people miss the point about this issue. I am appalled by Mr Carey’s support of Anti gay issues. however I’m NOT trying to silence him… Indeed I hope he continues to vocally support his position so as many people as possible know what a hateful bigot he is. We shouldn’t keep quiet when someone fights against civil rights. If he were expressing support for an anti-semitic group, or a white-power group or supporting a group opposed to Medicare spending, or made hateful comments about disabled people there would be riots. Many people still think it’s ok to hate gay people, but in a time when over half the population thinks they ought to get the civil rights they are asking for they aren’t getting away with it any more. And it ain’t gonna change so get used to it. We aren’t going back into our closets any more than black people are going back to the cotton fields.
Edward
July 27th, 2012
8:02 pm
Isn’t it funny (ironic) when someone threatens violence against gay people for kissing gets no reprimand, but when I express a defense against such violence, I’m accused of making threats. Georgia is a “shoot first” state, a law which YOU guys advocated so vociferously. I guess you didn’t consider that being used against you, huh? I’m not a violent person by nature, I abhor violence. But, I will defend myself and those I care about with extreme force if necessary. That is not a threat, that is simply a statement of fact.
And again, nobody comments on the Baptists boycotting dozens and dozens of businesses, with more seemingly added to their sh**-list every week. And you have the nerve to call US hypocrites? You seem to think your intimidation will cause us to just give up and go back into the closet. I can assure you, that will never happen. We will eventually prevail, it is only a matter of time and that time is drawing near. Get used to it or continue to whine in private. You people whine too much, already.
S. Powell
July 28th, 2012
6:45 pm
It is shocking and surprising that an officer of Chic-fil-A would make such a statement. It in most cases against company policy. Not only that it is stupid and it can not be administered. He sounds like a person that had been molested in his young days. He is sick and should be dealt with accordingly.
Kelly
July 29th, 2012
4:56 am
The whole is a pretty nice wholesale nfl jerseys. http://www.jerseystribes.com/
WBuckATC
July 29th, 2012
9:05 am
One of the biggest problems we face today is a lack of jobs. Think about what a Chic Fil A Resaturant can do for employment opportunities in Chicago and Boston. We are talking everything from clearing the land, to construction of the building, and then the man power to staff the restaurant once it is open.
America was founded upon Christian beliefs and we were given freedom to worship and freedom of speech.
When people make a lifestyle CHOICE, there can be criticism. CFA is not predjudice, but are expressing their Christain beliefs.
I have seen the quote on this from Billy Graham who is one of the most repected Mismisters anywhere and who opposes same sex marraige.
I am interested in hearing from the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton on thier beliefs on same sex marriage. As ministers and beleiver in the Bible, they should oppose this, but as backers of President Obama, I wonder what their postion is!!!!!!!!
I live in a small city in south GA and our CFA is always slammed. If they do not want one in Chicago or Boston, we will take another one around a few miles away. I am sure it would do well and if a gay person who is qualifed for employement applied, I am sure he would be conisdered for a postion. I also doubt gay couples would be turned away for service.
Edward
July 29th, 2012
11:19 am
WBuc: so, if a business openly and proudly sponsored organizations that worked to disenfranchise and demean you, organizations that actually vilified and physically harmed you, you would be OK with that? You would still shop there, work there and never utter a protest of any kind? Don’t lie.
southpaw
July 30th, 2012
12:26 pm
Edward July 27th 8:02 pm
So, since boycotting is a good thing after all, I guess the Baptists had it right. Did you ever call THEM hypocrites?
shela
July 30th, 2012
6:49 pm
Enter your comments here
tim carson
August 1st, 2012
10:49 am
Mr Cathy and his family has the right to privately express his views, but any CEO or President of a company expresses them on the media, then you create a firestorm. For those who say being gay is a choosen lifestyle, might want to think again. I am been gay all my life (60 years), and do you think I would want to choose the lifestyle of being gay and being spit on, beat up in school and then people who say they are so called christians calling me names, and hate. Do you really think I chose this? think again, and for those that say some gay people are cured to become straight.think again…so many have secret lives…just check the internet, you will catch them there.
Also please research where the meaning of marriage comes from and its history. It is a contract, you get your certificate at a government office, then if a church wants to marry you they can either go ahead with it or deny it. I know its not legal in Georgia, but my partner of 15 years and I got married 3 years ago in a state that does allow it. Why you say, because we have been in a committed relationship for over a decade, live next door to neighbors who are not gay and married and we have not destroyed their marriage. We hope one day Georgia rethinks, as I would love to be able to have the same rights as my straight married friends to be able to have legal rights to make decisions on my partner and he on me for medical, life and death situations, etc which we dont right now. Think about it, you and your partner not able to make decisions in time of life or death because the state says you cant.
I feel again that what ever side of the debate you are on, one thing is true, yes you have the right to say what you feel, but if you are in charge of a large company, you might want to say that in private settings as to affect your company. Going to the media, no matter how large or small will make your views associated with your company.
Rob Smith
August 1st, 2012
12:45 pm
Sorry Kyle Wingfield, but you’re a bit off-fact on a few of your points. No one’s said “you can’t do business here.” Of course that would be infracting on the First Amendment rights of an individual or a business… rather, the elected officials who put out those statements got reeeeeally close to the line, yet were doing their job for their constituency. I would expect no less from my elected officials.
What’s more, these men are free to express their personal opinion just as Mr. Cathy has. If we think that they are NOT in a position to be able to express their opinions, then that is when things get scary.
I think the issue here is that a large segment of our society has finally decided that people like me — gay people — are people, too, and need to be treated as equals, while a completely different set of society has made a conscious decision that they’re going to dig their heels in and lambaste anything that reeks of “liberal”, “homosexual”, “democrat”, “obama”, “cnn”, “the gay agenda”, “adam and steve”, and so forth, by pecking out some oft-incoherent, grammatically-challenged jabs on Facebook fan pages, rants on blogs and replies to half-assed op-ed pieces like this.
People can sit there and say “there’s no room for that crap” or “it shouldn’t be that way” or “i don’t now why thu gays r so upsett” allllll they want. As long as people don’t understand the issue of equality, don’t want to understand the issue of equality, don’t care to understand the issue of equality and actually fight the issue of equality, then there will be more and more of these little blurbs and whines and fail-prone calls-to-action that lead to nowhere.
As for the movement to recognize that gay people are equal to others in every way and deserve everything others legally “get” in this world, that’s a movement that won’t stop. It’s not going away. So all those opposed just need to get over it and move on. Mr. Cathy, unfortunately, is fighting a losing battle of opinion that he’s certainly entitled to.
You have to understand the nature of political and social movements, as well as each stage in the progress of those movements, to see why this is so entertaining at this point. As movements reach a certain level of momentum, there’s a glass ceiling that is eventually broken where it’s close to pointless to stand on the opposite side of the issue. Some call this the tipping point, and some call it the point of no return or the point of diminishing returns in terms of where the opposing, losing party stands. Others simply call it standing on the wrong side of history.
We’re at that point now with this issue. And what’s interesting about the group that carries on beyond the point of diminishing returns or crosses over the line into the wrong side of history is that their opposing viewpoints appear sillier the farther they carry on, and sound more alien to common thought and progress. This is also, in part, because the individuals that continue to stand in the way of progress are typically the less enlightened, less socially aware, less tolerant, more conservative in social thought, more inexplicably frightened by the possible wrath of supernatural beings for siding with the majority (this is what we call the “religiously brainwashed”), and overall, dare I say, less intelligent. Sorry, but it’s true. Therefore, every time someone opens up their country-fried mouth and says something stupid in stark contrast to what’s happening, one has to realize that the commentary naturally appears more and more adolescent and nonsensical to the reasoning, enlightened and progressive individuals who have moved well beyond the tipping point.
So, let the rantings to my reply begin. Once you’ve done that and hit “Submit Comment,” go back and copy, paste and save your comment, then GET UP FROM YOUR KEYBOARD. Next, go have a plaque or a quilt or a flag or a t-shirt made of your comment. Put the plaque on your wall at work. Take the quilt you made and tuck your children in at night with it. Wave the flag from the front porch of your home. Wear the T-Shirt to your school, wear it to work, out jogging, to the grocery store — hell, wear it to Chik-fil-a today for all I care (by the way, “It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” is copyrighted, so unless you want a lawsuit on your hands
If you truly believe that your cause and Mr. Cathy’s opinion is just and has a chance in hell of becoming the continuing “norm”, then wear your opinion out and wear it proud. Tell it to every person you see. Stand up for what you believe in. Go to rallies. Go to church. Stand on the side of the street with signs. GO SOMEWHERE WHERE THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THAN YOURS, because, as we all know, it’s pointless to preach to the choir. And if you don’t feel like doing any of this and you make a conscious decision NOT to go public in broad daylight with your opinion, then you must realize you have gone one step in the opposite direction of the Mr. Cathys of the world. When you find yourself in this position, pat yourself on the back for NOT being one of the last fish who refused to get out of that shallow pool of water before the sun came out this morning.