After Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy stated the company's policy on same-sex marriage and because he acknowledged that they gave money to support anti-gay organizations, a social media "firestorm" was created. Cathy stated that Chick-fil-A was a company founded on biblical principles and supported the biblical definition of the family unit.
Facebook and Twitter were ignited in a raging inferno of unjust and intolerance, and a boycott was staged.
Although Cathy's statement "The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect - regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender" left many feeling like they were trying to get the public to forget the controversy and just return to eating chicken.
Chick-fil-A vowed to stay the course, but those who support gay rights were not giving up so easily. Celebrities jumped on board the joined in the barrage of protect and boycott. Cathy also states that he knows Chick-fil-A's decision might not be popular with everyone, but in our country we are free to share our values and operate on biblical principles. Chick-fil-A has always been a Christian company, remains closed on Sundays - a rare stance in today's times, and has never waivered from their mission. Gay rights supporters have eaten at Chick-fil-A knowing this and yet once this statement was made, they became outraged.
The Gay Rights Movement is large and they have become more vocal and grown in numbers in recent years. Because of the enormity and transparency of social media, this exploded. Should Chick-fil-A have stayed silent and just continued to quietly sell chicken and close on Sundays (don't rock the boat) or are they right for standing up for what they believe? The gay community believe they have the right to speak out in their defense and they want recognition for their beliefs so why can't they let Chick-fil-A express their beliefs and opinions - why the outrage? Chick-fil-A does not ban gays from eating at their restaurants or from working there, and they go so far as to say they believe everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.
One criticism of Chick-fil-A is that they created a false Facebook page and posted supportive comments to counteract the negative comments. Chick-fil-A has denied these allegations and it hasn't been proven that they did this. Social media is transparent and the truth will surface - lying or falsifying facts will be discovered and could have much worse consequences than the original allegations. Consumers don't want to be lied to and are much more apt to forgive a "mistake" than deliberate manipulations and untruths. If a brand you like takes a public stand on gay marriage - or any controversial subject - does that affect your loyalty to it?
I think that Chic Fila did no wrong in this instance, he was asked his personal belief and responded truthfully. Whether one agrees with the belief or not, if honestly examined, he was not malicious in stating his belief.
ReplyDeleteNow the Barillia pasta guy, he is an idiot.
I would have to agree with Stephen, I believe Dan Cathy was in his 1st amendment right's expressing his view on a personal belief. Although some may be offended by what he said, he was being honest, and stood-up for his beliefs. Dan Cathy is very religious and runs his business based on his religious beliefs, for example Chick-fil-A is closed on Sunday, because according to the bible Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest and for religious observance. I can speak from personal experience, I worked for Chick-fil-A for quite awhile and they do treat everyone equally, they do not discriminate. I even had co-workers at Chick-fil-A that were openly gay.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Katie and Stephen, everyone has the right to their own opinion. It is not like Chick-fil-A discriminates against gays. As Katie said she had co-workers there that were openly gay, and Dan Cathy never stated that gays were not welcome to the restaurant. No I don't agree with his beliefs on gay marriage but he is not being dishonest with his customers. He is sticking to the same beliefs that the company has been based on since it started.
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