Eating Chika, More Or Less

I am concerned about this whole Chik-Fil-A thing, but the actual reason may surprise you.  Don’t get me wrong, I thinks it’s noble of Boston and Chicago have voiced opposition about allowing the business to set up shop there, but voicing opposition and blocking it are two different things and I have concerns.  I understand they are speaking for the people on this issue, but in this case, I think the people are adequately armed with their wallets to speak on their own behalf.  The cities mentioned do not have to give the company the same enhancing tax breaks they might offer a more progressive company, but I find it disconcerting they are blocking expansion into their cities.  Where were their concerns when pornography set up shop?  When a porn store opened up in my little city of Alliance, OH right next to a popular grocery store, I was livid.  It’s one thing to open up a porn store in an area where families and children do not need to frequent, but next to Aldi’s?  I hated it but the city council said they were not breaking any laws so they had a right to open a business where they pleased.  There was strong opposition by the people and for a long time people parked in the Aldi’s parking lot and took pictures of the cars and license plates of the patrons.  It didn’t help anything; the store was in business when I left, though I don’t know how.  I never saw more than a couple of cars there and they never appeared all that busy. 

As much as I despise how that man is using the profits from his business, the fact is, they are his profits to use as he sees fit.  That is how freedom works.  Freedom does not always agree with my personal opinion, but I support freedom for the sake of freedom even when I don’t agree with how someone chooses to use it.  My power lies in how I choose to spend the money I earn, and if I know a business is as blatantly stupid as to openly promote a clear violation of the rights of another, I can choose not to patronize it.  It makes me wonder, though.  How are the dollars I spend at other businesses being used?  The difference lies in that they don’t advertise which politicians they are buying, nor do they publicize which causes they choose to back.  What I don’t know I can’t choose to withhold my money from.  I’m sure there are other companies whose business practices would cause me great moral and ethical outrage if I knew, but the fact is, I don’t know.  My suspicion is I would actually be hard pressed to find a company I could agree with on all fronts. 

I hate Wal-Mart.  I really do, but it doesn’t keep me from shopping there when I need to.  I can’t reconcile how they blackmail their suppliers, they utilize sweat shops and take zero social responsibility for how their goods are made, they force their own employees to work at a wage which cannot provide a sustainable existence, they do not provide all their employees’ affordable healthcare benefits and this costs all of us in the long run.  If their employees have to access the social entitlement systems to receive health care, food stamps, rent and utility subsidies, we all pay indirectly.  Wal-Mart is notorious for discriminating against promoting women, another issue dear to my heart.  The bottom line is I have a tough time getting by and I need to save where I can, so I look the other way and ignore my social conscious.  Wal-Mart and Chik-Fil-A are apples and oranges, I get that.  I cannot live without many of the items Wal-Mart carries at a substantially lower price than other stores.  I can live without ever eating another chicken sandwich again.  I wouldn’t turn down a peach shake if someone happened to force one on me, though. 

Most companies are not socially responsible because it is the right thing to do.  They are socially conscious because it is a great marketing strategy.  I’m not blind to this.  Even companies with good reputations do not provide affordable health care and cheat their responsibilities to their employees in every legal way they can.  If a company is not legally mandated to secure pensions, provide affordable health care, ensure their employees receive fair and sustainable compensation, they won’t do it.  Profits above people, that’s the world we live in.  I simply can’t boycott every company I find issue with.  I would soon starve to death, and I wouldn’t have anything in my house to make my life easier.  Every company has in the past or will in the future support legislation I find disagreeable.  When I am aware of how they channel their profits, I can make a decision as to whether I can continue to support their efforts.  Most of the time, I haven’t a clue because they are savvy enough not to make it public.  Chik-Fil-A made it public. 

It was a stupid move, in my opinion.  He overestimated the right wing Christian support of his stance.  He overestimated how his franchise owners would feel and he severely damaged his company reputation.  Though I am not a Christian, I admired his policy to close on Sundays as a matter of respect.  He believed no commerce should occur on Sunday and he was willing to sacrifice those profits to uphold those beliefs.  By being closed on Sunday, he was not espousing any hatred toward anyone, but simply and humbly stating his adherence to his beliefs.  I can’t imagine anyone who would hold him in disregard for this.  In publically proclaiming his opposition to marriage equality, I could have disagreed with his opinion and argued my point against it, given the chance.  If it had remained in opinion only, I would have continued to patronize his restaurants, even if I suspected that privately he was funneling money into opposition against marriage equality.  By blatantly and overtly expressing a position of hatred toward an entire population, by promoting discrimination and subjugation of an entire sector of our culture, I cannot in good conscious continue to patronize his restaurants with my disposable income.  I choose my wars and I choose the weapons I use to fight them with. 

There are many ways our public servants can represent us, but this is not one of them.  This is our fight, not theirs.  This man was stupid, but he did nothing wrong, nothing illegal in choosing where to disperse his profits.  It was his right to do with them as he pleased.  Our public officials need to fight for us in areas where we cannot individually effect change or to have the power to make a difference, to have our voices heard.  That’s where we need them, not here.  If Chik-Fil-A wants to build their business in Chicago, Boston, or anywhere else, I say let them.  Don’t give them tax breaks to promote their religious agenda.  Let the people use what power they have to make their voices heard, on their terms.  Let the people decide for themselves how they are going to spend their disposable income.  We are smart enough to do that much.  We are the people.  We may not have much power in this day and age, but we have that much.  Let our politicians focus on bigger issues.