Just Don’t Go

James Shearer
Spare Change News

Not that anybody asked me … but all this noise about the Chick-Fil-A controversy is, in a word, just noise.

The owner of this fast food chain, one Mr. Dan Cathy, made some remarks several weeks ago that his company is all about “family values” and that he himself is all for the traditional definition of marriage, which is between a man and a woman. He then went on doing the same thing that all homophobic idiots do, by bashing gays and invoking God and the Bible to justify their ignorance.

So why am I saying that it’s just a lot of noise, you ask? Well, look at it from where I’m sitting.

First of all, until this whole thing started, I really hadn’t heard of Chick-Fil-A (what a stupid name) and neither have most people in the circles I travel in. But my girlfriend, who is from the South, says it’s kind of like a southern version of McDonald’s.

Well, I’m not totally uniformed. I do know that a few years ago this company allegedly stuck religious CDs into their version of happy meals. Still, they were never really on my radar screen.

Mr. Cathy is entitled to his opinion even if it’s a moronic one, the First Amendment says so. And he and his company are allowed to donate money to whatever cause he wants, even if the American Family Association is nothing more than the KKK in business suits. There isn’t a whole hellava lot we can do about it, no matter how many kiss-ins or boycotts you assemble.

The best way to handle Dan Cathy and his ilk is just not respond to it, the media frenzy, and mayoral attempts to ban Chick-Fil-A from their cities only adds to the controversy and to Cathy’s over-inflated ego.

And lastly, folks, the whole protesting gay marriage and gay bashing in general has grown tiresome, like civil rights for blacks 50 years ago. Gay marriage and the rights of gay people are here to stay. Yes we will get idiots like Cathy and others who will no doubt get their message on the airwaves through some right-wing sympathizer, but we can choose to pay little or no attention to them.

As for me I don’t plan on ever eating at Chic-Fil-A. Nothing to do with the controversy, I’m a KFC man myself, and let it never be said that the founder of that popular chain, Col. Harland Sanders, never had an opinion or two. Also don’t mind eating at Church’s here and there, but most importantly folks, if you’re really offended by an owner of a fast food chain who says something you don’t agree with or has a clown for a mascot or the food doesn’t do anything for your taste buds, then just don’t go there. Besides, fast food isn’t good for you anyway.

JAMES SHEARER is a co-founder and board president of Spare Change News. The views expressed in his column are his own and not necessarily reflective of editorial board positions.