So, Chick-fil-A, We Meet Again - By Matty Jacobson

Matty Jacobson thinks the only way to stop America's
obesity epidemic is to simply stop eating all fast food.
But, he's not going to impose his beliefs on everyone else.
Matty edits and contributes to The Skewed Review.

THE SKEWED REVIEW | NEWS & POLITICS | ACTIVISM

Tweet

I don't get cravings for Chik-fil-A. Actually, I don't crave much fast food. But when the rumor that a Chik-fil-A was going to open in our area started making the rounds, I was surprised to hear how many people were just so excited to finally have one nearby.

Apparently their food is delicious.

But, I'm not necessarily sold on what other people think is delicious. I heard the same thing about Popeye's Chicken, and I wretched when I ate that stuff.

What am I doing? This isn't a food review! This is about activism! This is about discrimination! This article is about gay rights! This article is about defending, wait for it, Chik-fil-A.


"The hell?!" you just asked yourself silently. "But wait Matty, aren't you totally gay?!"

Yes. Yes I am. And I hate it, nay, I loathe it when someone denies me any sort of rights.

"NAY!" 

There has been so much controversy in the news over Chick-fil-A: anti-gay sentiments from its president, Dan Cathy, loss of support from The Muppets, alleged lies by the restaurant chain to cover up said Muppet loss, and denial of new franchise openings in various cities. That's a lot of bird to stuff down your throat--even for me. 

Hopefully I don't need to tell you the story of how Dan Cathy admitted that he pretty much hates the gays. But just to summarize, yes, he admitted that he pretty much hates the gays. 

Now, does this offend me? You bet your sweet buttery buns it does. And I'm not the only one who was offended, obviously. 

The restaurant chain was offering a toy in their kid's meals, which they suddenly stopped offering "due to a possible safety issue." This of course was just one day after the Jim Henson Company announced that it did "...not want to partner with [Chick-fil-A] on any future endeavors." This has turned into an all-out fustercluck. I personally won't draw any conclusions as to the validity of Chick-fil-A's claims, but I will say that I hate getting my fingers stuck in mini puppets.

And just one day before Pioneer Day?! WTF?? 

And now the big issue is that the mayors of Chicago and Boston have publicly announced that they do not want more Chick-fil-As opening in their cities. Both have expressed concern over civil rights and have denounced the antiquated views that not everyone should be allowed to marry the person he or she loves. 

Yay! Good for them! But hold on a second. Let's get back on track here. Remember when I said I hated it when people denied me rights? Well, I'm a supporter of practicing what I preach. Sometimes, I even follow through on that practice! This is one of those times.

We live in a country where it's legal to be and say what you want, when you want, to whom you want. That's why the Westboro Baptist Church gets to run around pretending they're not secretly screwing their farm animals and what-not. It's why I live a block away from an LDS and a Presbyterian church, and yet I'm not being burned at the stake (for those of you in Utah, that was a Mormon joke. Did you get it?). It's why naked men are allowed to march down Folsom Street in San Francisco every year without being arrested.

I certainly deserve the right to marry whomever I want, as long as it's a consenting adult. And Dan Cathy deserves the right to believe whatever he wants, as well. 

Denying a business the opportunity to open because of the business's president's views on marriage equality is bordering on tyranny. If you or I were to attempt to open a business and we were denied because of our skin color, there would be a public uproar. In the cases of Chicago and Boston, there has been a public uproar, but it's wholly in favor of putting Chick-fil-A out of business before it can even start. 

Here's my call to everyone. Don't block businesses from starting. That's just plain wrong, and it goes against everything America stands for. If you hate Chick-fil-A as much as I do, then simply don't patronize the establishment! 

I say let Chick-fil-A pour tons of money into opening new branches and then lose that money when nobody goes to the restaurant. Hell, we could even picket the places! Picketing is fun! Why do you think the Westboro Baptist Church does it so much? I mean, you can't screw sheep all the time! 

"Yeah, baby! Pose for daddy! But
hurry. We gotta protest a soldier
who died so we can protest,"
said Fred Phelps, founder of
Westboro Baptist Church.

The thing is, how do you picket and/or protest something that's not there? 

The bottom line is that denying a business the chance to open based upon our own personal beliefs is literally unconstitutional. It's up to us, the consumers, to make sure we don't spend our money at those establishments after they open. 

Now go. Eat more chicken. Just not at Chick-fil-A.