Rod Dreher

‘To Bathe Their Hearts In Later Moonlight’

Feed Chick-Fil-A To The Homeless

By Rod Dreher • July 26, 2012, 3:16 PM

A reader writes:

Fast food makes me feel fat, but as a way to resist the bullies on the left, I decided to buy Chick Fil A for a homeless man.

There’s an idea. Go thee and do likewise, if you can. Then blog, tweet, or Facebook about it, to let people know and to encourage others.

Meanwhile, Get Religion continues to do first-rate work calling out the ignorance of and hostility towards religion in some mainstream media reporting on the Chick-fil-A hysteria. I love this catch, from Mollie Hemingway:

We all know that phobias are irrational fears. And if feeling uncomfortable about the construction of a large mosque near the site of a massive terrorist attack committed in the name of Islam is an irrational fear, surely using the power of the government to keep perfectly-fried chicken sandwiches away from the good people of Chicago and Boston is an irrational fear, right? So let’s check out the -phobia headline used by Time magazine in its story about this recent manufactured media outrage. Christianophobia is clunky but it’s the best parallel. Is that the phobia that will be invoked in the headline? Let’s check it out:

Boston Mayor Blocks Chick-fil-A Franchise from City over Homophobic Attitude

Wait, what?

The attitude that Time wants to call out is not the mayor’s but the one that’s on the receiving end of government’s big stick here? And we’re going to call the belief that marriage should be defined as the union of one man and one woman … “homophobic”? Really? Or as one political reporter I follow on Twitter put it:

Did Time magazine ever call Clinton or Obama “homophobic” when they were against gay marriage?

Posted in Culture war, Sex and Sexuality. Tagged Chick-Fil-A, chicken, gay rights, homophobia, homosexuality.

20 Responses to Feed Chick-Fil-A To The Homeless

jaybird says:

July 26, 2012 at 3:26 pm

I’ve been having an argument about this on another message board all afternoon, and I used the same WTC mosque example. I also think this is a great point:

Ironically, Mayor Menino himself belongs to a Church and attends regularly who holds the same views as mister Cathy. Perhaps even much more extreme than Mr. Cathy.

http://www.gaulitics.com/2012/07/the-commerce-clause-chick-fil-and-why.html

Is The Catholic Church no longer welcome in Beantown now? That may come as a shock to the residents of Southie and such.
RinTX says:

July 26, 2012 at 3:42 pm

Let’s make everyone happy (or unhappy) and feed the homeless Chick-Fil-A and Ben & Jerry’s.

Or here’s another idea – let’s forget about politics and just feed the homeless.
Monterey says:

July 26, 2012 at 3:52 pm

I would buy a chick-Fil-A sandwich for the homeless if Chick were in my city or state. They are not. I live in one of those intolerant states that claims to like diversity but would in fact not welcome it when it comes to business owners expressing support for traditional marriage. Bleh. I’m talkin’ about YOU, Washington state.

Hopefully, Chick-Fil-A sets up shop here anyway, some day soon. At least they’ve made their way to the west coast, albeit that would be California.
Beefy Levinson says:

July 26, 2012 at 4:08 pm

This whole brouhaha made me do a google search. I was greatly pleased to learn there is a Chick-fil-A in my city. It’s a pity fast food turns us into disgusting fat bodies, because otherwise I would now eat there every day.
Dave Dutcher says:

July 26, 2012 at 4:15 pm

Notorious Crunchy Con in the spirit of storming the SSM Bastille proposes that people should feed the homeless processed, hi-calorie and hi-cholestrol food that benefits from farm subsidies. Hundreds of outraged Crunchy Cons burn Spambalaya in protest! Film at 11.

Seriously, if I wanted to pick a single point at how absurd this whole debate about SSM can get, I would pick this. Like we have no other problems in life to where we fight proxy battles over the body of a badly spelled chicken fast food chain. I don’t support SSM, but come on, this is like a bad made for tv move. Eat Mor Culture War Starring Casper Van Diem.

That Southern taste for the theatrical is gonna get you one day, Rod.
RinTX says:

July 26, 2012 at 4:22 pm

“I live in one of those intolerant states that claims to like diversity but would in fact not welcome it when it comes to business owners expressing support for traditional marriage. Bleh. I’m talkin’ about YOU, Washington state.”

I haven’t spent much time in Washington State, but it seemed reasonably nice when I was there. It’s shocking to hear that the state government is preventing companies from moving into the state based solely on the political opinions of the companies’ owners. If true, that’s horribly wrong. Do you have evidence for this claim?
MH - Secular Misanthropist says:

July 26, 2012 at 4:24 pm

Note that Menino hasn’t blocked Chick-Fil-A, he’s only talked about doing so. Odds are high he’s making noise and won’t be dumb enough to actually do anything. Eventually this controversy will blow over and everyone will forget about it.
Pete S says:

July 26, 2012 at 4:48 pm

I may or may not support Mr Cathy’s position on gay rights, but that does not matter. He is still entitled to hold that position, and to operate a business. My entitlement is to not eat there if I feel strongly enough. It is appalling that the cities of Boston and Chicago, or certain of their politicians, are trying to make that decision for me. I guess I missed the meeting where I surrendered the right and ability to make up my own mind. I will not eat at a Chick-Fil-A just to make a political statement any more than I would organize a boycott of one. But as long as they are not breaking civil rights laws for their employees and customers this is just awful.

Activists on both the left and the right need to realize that most people who do not share opinions with them are not monsters and not idiots, they just see the world differently. All that happens with this type of overreach is to fire up a small group of already fired up supporters on one particular issue. But most people have more than one issue which influences their decision making, and those people’s support will be lost.
TimG says:

July 26, 2012 at 5:48 pm

Alas, no Chick-Fil-A in Mexico, (ditto Monterey; we’re from WA stateside). But here in the second most obese nation we have McDs, BK, KFC, Carl’s Jr…most of the rest of ‘em (no, no In ‘n Out). So apparently my chicken-eating life is sorely deprived. Or I too would reverse-boycott!
Susan says:

July 26, 2012 at 7:27 pm

You may not share my sense of humor, but I found a post by the Daily Caller hilarious. The headline blares:

The War is Over!

Consider the national conversation about Chick-fil-A’s stance on gay marriage officially over: Antoine Dodson has spoken.

Watch the video: http://dailycaller.com/2012/07/26/consider-the-national-conversation-about-chick-fil-a-over-video/#ixzz21m4zi7XW

It’s a charming rebuke from a gay man.
Chris Atwood says:

July 26, 2012 at 8:21 pm

Could somebody please tell me: isn’t it an obvious violation of the First Amendment, when a government official promises to use government power (giving or withhold of licensing) explicitly for the purpose of punishing someone for speech with which the mayor disagrees. Since, as far as I know, Chick-Fil-A complies with all local laws about hiring, benefits, and so on, to prohibit Chick-Fil-A from opening a store simply because the mayor of the city dislikes the company head’s statements is punishing core speech. This is not a boycott or voluntary consumer preference. How can Menino get away with this? How has he not been forced by a lawsuit into a swift and humiliating withdrawal. Can southern mayors and governors now ban from their jurisdictions businesses that give money to support or have company heads that speak out for SSM? How is this not a First Amendment issue? What am I missing here?
Derek Benjamin says:

July 26, 2012 at 8:25 pm

Note that Nixon never actually politicized the IRS (that was bobby Kennedy), nor revoked broadcast licenses (that was Johnson) but those supposed actions are always included on his lists of horribles.

The left refuses to police it’s own and that refusal has for the most part accounted for its recent success in the culture wars.
Siarlys Jenkins says:

July 26, 2012 at 8:35 pm

If Chick-Fil-A ever takes any of these birds to court, the proposed use of zoning regulations is not “viewpoint neutral” and therefore the chain will get its permits.

If Chick-Fil-A ever refuses to serve a customer because “you’re gay, and we don’t serve gays here,” that is when the chain will lose in court.

Perhaps we need to revive the old saw about the waitress telling a man “We don’t serve Negroes here,” to which he replied “That’s good, I don’t want to eat one, bring me a plate of fried chicken.”
Roland de Chanson says:

July 26, 2012 at 9:08 pm

Menino has no executive power to block a legitimate business from setting up shop in his bailiwick. He is a blowhard whose diction the poor nuns must have striven mightily to correct. Alas to no avail. He probably writes lefty to boot. He does the “readings” at the novus ordo and people think he’s reciting the coran. When he testifies under oath he does it in writing only. Judge’s orders.

So he may not have said what he is reported to have said because he cannot pronounce “Chick-Fil-A”.

Anyone remember Al Kelly? He used to do double-talk. He has been reincarnated in Tommy Menino. BTW, Menino is not a bad guy. Just a bit too full of his own bombast at this late stage in life.
John E_o says:

July 26, 2012 at 10:36 pm

How can Menino get away with this?

Get away with doing – what – exactly?

Making blustering threats that he has no intention of carrying out?

That’s what politicians do.
Mont D. Law says:

July 26, 2012 at 11:50 pm

[How can Menino get away with this? How has he not been forced by a lawsuit into a swift and humiliating withdrawal.]

He can’t be sued for talking. If he tries to do more then talk the suits will follow.

[Can southern mayors and governors now ban from their jurisdictions businesses that give money to support or have company heads that speak out for SSM?]

Lots of politicians make these kinds of silly statements, usually about mosques. When they try to prevent them being built they get sued and lose in court. That is how the Muslim’s got to celebrate Ramadan in their mosque in Tennessee. A federal judge ruled.

The fact is politicians get one vote each. They don’t control the zoning committees, the courts or the press. As long as a business can follow the rules, they get licensed and permited. If fact, politicians, protesters, and Pam Geller seem to be helping get mosques built. Residents concern about traffic and parking, which are valid and should be addressed get drowned out by the ugliness.
CK says:

July 27, 2012 at 8:41 am

I used to live in Virginia, a Chic-fil-A state. [Chic-fil-A is actually a model company, pays well, respectful employees, and does not work on the Sabbath]. Now I live in Connecticut; not a Chic-fil-A state.

Perhaps it’s no longer Red and Blue states, but Chic-fil-A and not-Chic-fil-A states. This is a better distinction.
MH - Secular Misanthropist says:

July 27, 2012 at 9:27 am

CK, Massachusetts is among the bluest of states and it has two Chick-Fil-A’s. I suspect they’ll get around to opening on in Connecticut eventually.
James C. says:

July 27, 2012 at 8:44 pm

There used to be a Chick-Fil-A on the Harvard campus. As it is, there are two just north of Boston, and both are very popular.
bt says:

July 28, 2012 at 4:33 pm

I live in Washington state as well. No Chick-Fil-A here, but then they arrive I will patronize them. I like the idea of a business that gives their employees Sunday off. It use to be pretty common in the U.S., and somehow are country not only got by, but also thrived. How we got into this 24×7 slavery idiocy is beyond me.