01 August 2012

Chick-Fil-A and the Missed Point

I have eaten at a Chick-Fil-A twice in my life. Once, around eight or nine years ago, while visiting friends in Atlanta and once, I think, at an airport because I was famished and hot food is always safer than eating an icky vending machine sandwich. (I am emetophobic, I weigh these things.) All I can say about my experience is I am glad I am a Chicagoan and have access to Portillo's beef (wet, extra sweet peppers) instead. 

That said, there is a lot of controversy about the place, since it's founder came out for "traditional, biblical views" on marriage as well as giving campaign contributions to anti-gay organizations. At first LGBT activists and supportive outlets called for a boycott. Then conservatives lashed back with "Chick Fil A appreciation day." I dunno. If ya'll want to eat a turd to show them liberals, be my guest, but I think the issue at hand runs deeper than whether or not you are for or against same-sex marriage.

This is not simply about "free speech" because it's not just some old coot "spouting off." His (read: your) money is going towards political causes. This isn't just about gay marriage, either, because Chick-Fil-A is a franchise. There is much diversity - including homosexuality - among the owners, employees and patrons. What are these people supposed to do? Quit their jobs? Stop supporting their local business? Sell their livelihood? 

I think we need to stop fighting over this partisan silliness and make it so large corporations, and hell, individuals for that matter cannot make political contributions at all. Period. Imagine being able to eat or shop wherever you want and know that no matter what the business owner thinks or says, your money will not be spent against you. Imagine politicians all having an equal platform and having to survive on merit instead of money. Imagine your congressmen not having to squeeze between a rock and a hard place because they owe some organization that "helped" them get elected. Imagine listening to the real issues and debate without being inundated with commercials that end in: "I'm Cocks McSwallow and I approve this bullshit." 

Can we Americans get on that now, so we can all go back to killing ourselves slowly with fast food and not feeling guilty about it? (Politically speaking, anyways.) 

2 comments:

Kristin in Colorado said...

I'm with you my friend! I would love it if it was simply "mano y mano"...unfortunately, it will probably never be that way! I hate the freakin political propoganda commercials, I hate mudslinging and slandering, etc. Really turns me off...no matter which way I'm leaning.

EM Hum said...

Makes me remember way back when I still liked John McCain all right. That was many, many years before his candidacy & before his party threw him under the bus for pushing finance reform and not towing their line. It says a lot when a political machine can ruin a man harder than a Vietnamese POW camp.