Intolerance, served up hot and fresh!

I can't stand it anymore. I've got to say something.  When I checked Facebook this morning and saw some of the shit people are posting I lost it.
Who ever would have thought we would reach a time when biting into a savory chicken sandwich could constitute a political action?

It's absurd to think about politics, God, and sexual orientation all criss-crossing among the waffle fries, and quite frightening. And yet, in a way, fascinating because this whole Chick-Fil-A insanity has in a small and unique way put power in the hands of the people; the new way of expressing antipathy toward gay marriage is to go buy fast food.
I never thought I would see the day!!

Gaging by the rash of emotional Facebook statuses, most everyone has an opinion on this. And these emotions are intense, on both sides of the sandwich.
Some people casually state that they won't stop eating their chicken sandwiches because they will eat what they enjoy regardless of this shitstorm, others are vehemently anti-Chick-Fil-A and urging friends that support gay rights to join, and then of course you've got the nuts crusading for a "traditional" view of marriage (that term sounds so innocent because it leaves out the fact that it is excluding others' rights), and the in-betweens that think the whole thing doesn't matter.

Let me tell you that I think it DOES matter. Doing what is right will never cease to matter.

Standing for your ideals, even on a level that seems as small as where you're going to eat lunch, is part of who you are.
And if you're eating there to promote the limitation of rights for millions of Americans, I feel sorry for you.

And you will lose. It is only a matter of time, and the revolution has already begun. Even now other restaurants are disassociating themselves with Chick-Fil-A, and they have lost thousands of lifetime customers, customers that want to be able to marry whoever the hell they want, customers that believe anyone should have the right to marry whoever the hell they want, and customers that don't follow the intricacies of the issue much but are clear they don't want their money used as a donation via Chick-Fil-A profits to anti-gay organizations.

I understand that you may be committed to equality and still eat there. That is your choice.
This post is mainly me channeling my frustration with homophobia through Chick-Fil-A.
It would be one thing if the owner was outspoken on hating gays. It is completely another to use the money of customers to put his intolerance into action.

I would like to know how many current customers are dedicated and rabid homophobes, and how many don't give a shit and just want to eat their chicken sandwich without it being characterized as a personal statement.

I would also like to know how people would react if the debate were framed in a different light of discrimination.

 For example, statistically the number of gays living in America is estimated at 4-9 million.  America's Asian population is in the same range.
So what if Chick-Fil-A decided that Asians were the enemy and started using their profits to keep Asians down?  There would be an outrage.
Because IT ISN'T FAIR.
Don't you think fairness should apply to ALL AMERICANS, regardless of their sexual orientation?
 
It is pathetic the way that people think they are doing something Christian, that they are preserving the holiness of matrimony by picking and choosing who can say "I do." As if they have the right to. As if they are better because they were born differently.  Most of the people disgracing the name of marriage are heterosexuals that cheat on their spouses of otherwise abuse the sanctity of marriage, not couples that deeply love and respect one another, and happen to have the same set of genitals.

I know this may shock some of you but... God doesn't hate gays. God doesn't hate anybody.  God did not write the Bible, contrary to popular belief. A group of about 40 dudes, all with their own beliefs and biases, wrote the Bible over a couple hundred years. That is why different books within it have such different tones/styles/messages.  Don't get confused--I am not trying to discredit the Bible or hate on some pretty talented ancient authors--the Bible is a lovely book with a nice message most of the time, like that of Psalms 145:9: The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.
Or Lamentations 3:33: He does not enjoy afflicting or bringing grief to the children of men.
I feel that one's true beliefs are in one's heart, and that individuals should base their decisions as such, rather than quoting the beliefs of others.



In conclusion, just remember that a similar issue of prejudice was at its peak in this country 50 years ago, and we now have a black president.  Like I said before, it is only a matter of time.

 

So friends (and you know who you are), keep your heads up.  Maintain your dignity, and do not sink to the depths of your enemy.  They can look like jackasses without your assistance.

This debate, now revolving around that symbolic chicken sandwich, certainly shows us that hatred never tasted so good.