UPDATE:
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Niche Marketing
With bigots and attention whores like Rick Santorum now serving as the face of your brand, I have to wonder if Dan Cathy isn’t wishing he’d kept his fat yap shut? You know, most fast food chains try to appeal to as broad a range of customers as possible. Chick-fil-A is narrowing its consumer base. They are now the face of right-wing, reactionary, Bible-thumping intolerance. Who thinks that’s a good brand identity?
This is a fast food chain which now appeals to the low-information, Fox News-watching, bigoted, spelling-challenged wing of the electorate.
Maybe this explains why they spell “chicken” incorrectly in their ads.
Southern Beale 
Invisible hand and all that jazz…
Ya know when I think about the righties and the invisible hand it makes me a little uneasy. But…having overcome my anxiety that’s kinda what I was thinking as I read the post. We’ll see how much support the market gives this ideology. Wanna piss a rightie off when the subject of polls comes up-send’em over to Intrade.
I have never eaten at a ChicKKK-fil-A and never will. IF their food was any good I still wouldn’t eat their; as their food sucks (I have this from numerous reports) it’s not a hard choice. I also will not shop at “Hobby Lobby” or any other retailer that wears the bleeding heart of JESUS on their sleeve.
I try hard to find secular organizations to give used items and clothing to as Salvation Army is teh SUCK.
How is anyone surprised by the Cathy family not supporting gay marriage? Their christian values are plastered all over the walls of every restaurant. I’ve been kind of uncomfortable in CFA’s for years because of this. Anyway, is what Dan said the issue or that he said it out loud? Did they donate money to an anti-gay organization? I think I read that but I’m not sure anymore. Please don’t flame me, because I am requesting information, not trying to incite a war.
No, it’s not just what Dan Cathy said. It was revealed that through their foundation they have donated millions of dollars to anti-gay groups like Exodus International and the Family Research Council. This prompted the Baptist Press to interview Cathy on the company’s stand regarding marriage equality. Cathy then went on his “traditional marriage” spiel, which he tried to walk back, and which blew up in their face. So it’s not just that the company is “Christian” (I just found out that In-N-Out burgers are religious as well) or that the company president holds conservative views, but that actual money is going to hate groups like the Family Research Council.
And they ask all sorts of “unnecessary personal questions” on their applications, among other things.
Yes, they have aright to be in business, and believe what they want. BUT I ALSO have the right to not go there, and dislike their policies and what they support…and make it known!!!!!!!
Interesting take on whose views are appropriate to operating a business. I take it that if someone in power disagrees with your views (or of the views of anyone in your family or friends) it would be fine with you for them to be denied a business license, or a zoning permit, or even to be fired from their job.
Personally, I don’t agree with Mr. Cathey’s views on same sex marriage. However, just because I disagree with him doesn’t mean I don’t think the company shouldn’t be able to operate. I read a number of your comments at Balloon Juice and I don’t agree with everything you say, but I certainly don’t think you should be punished for your views. That’s all they are – personal opinions.
Chick-Fil-A is required to obey all employment and discrimination laws, just like any other company. To date, I have not seen any evidence that the company discriminates in who they serve or in their hiring practices. If I am wrong, please provide the evidence.
If you don’t like the views of the ownership of Chick-Fil-A, or any other company for that matter, please feel free to protest with your wallet, but don’t encourage the state to punish personal and political opinion. That road heads in two directions and you wouldn’t like if it was your views being punished by the government.
I’ve done that exactly how? Who has done that how? How is “the state” punishing anyone?
News flash: sexual orientation is still not a protected legal class under the Civil Rights Act. And thanks to the Defense of Marriage Act, the Dept. of Justice can’t do zip about discrimination against GLBT people. Speaking about state law, gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts and civil unions are legal in Illinois. For Chick-fil-A to come out against the law of these states and actively lobby against them with donations to anti-gay groups goes way, way beyond “personal opinion.”
And let’s look at what is really happening here. Isn’t the Mayor of Boston, where gay marriage is legal, allowed to voice his opinion too? And let’s see, did he shut down the Chick-fil-A’s in Boston? Fine them? Arrest anyone? No. All he did was write a letter in which he said, “your company’s values do not reflect the values of our community.”
Now let’s go to Chicago, where an alderman says he wants to see the company’s anti-discrimination policy, proving that the company abides by the very anti-discrimination laws you mention in your comment, before allowing the restaurant to open in his district. Why would he do that? Because under state law, GLBT people are protected from discrimination. It can certainly be construed as an alderman doing his due diligence ensuring a company is abiding by state law, the same as what happens when a restaurant gets a visit from the health inspector before opening.
So I think the facts here are a little more nuanced than your “Whaah the anti-gay people are so oppresssssed” take on things.
There’s no Chick fil A in my neck of the woods, but there’s In N Out….. will never go there… Thanks for sharing this info.
I don’t think In-N-Out is in the same league as Chick-Fil-A. They just have scripture references printed in obscure spots like the bottom of soft-drink cups, in tiny type. I’ve never heard of their contributing to hate groups the way CFA has.
So feel free to enjoy their delicious burgers.
Yeah I haven’t either. Wish I could enjoy their delicious burgers — we don’t have any In-N-Outs in Tennessee!! But I have many fond memories of going for burger runs when I was in college. Funnily enough, in light of their Biblical leanings, we used to call them “Sin-in-Shout” because their burgers were so sinfully delicious.
Memphis Belle:
An articulate B-17F, just what the oppressed KKKristian majority needs; zoomin’ through the air, bombin’ the shit out of Satanation. Wait, I thought that they had OmnipoJESUS teh Anti-GAYGOD to do that sort of thing!
Gollygarsh, them other “Chicks”, the “Dixie Chicks”–did you get all up in Toby, Teddy’s and Charley’s* grill when they badmouthed them over the whole, “I’m ashamed that George Bush is from Texas.” thing?
I’ve never been to an In’n’Out Burger (although I do have one of their shirts) and I will admit to thinking the name was a bit salacious.
* Admittedly getting up in Toby’s grill might be difficult, given the “front porch”: he sports. Charley Daniels, fuggedaboutit, that’s not a porch, it’s a frikkin verandah.
Sweet Baby Jesus, SB, doesn’t WordPress have a like button? 😀 I’ve had a perfectly shitty week, and laughed through all of this stellar commentary. Thank you and all your friends!