Chicken and non-Discrimination

OK, full disclosure. My personal tastes lead me to Popeye's on the rare days I want fried chicken. I have been on a major diet, loosing almost 75 pounds (5.36 stone for the British) in the last year. One does not do that eating a lot of fast-food fried chicken! I actually do not know where the nearest Chic-Fil-A restaurant is located.

So, I suppose I could just sit this one out. After all, I have about no potential impact, at least in terms of my purchases. So why write about it? Because this is where the battle for decent conduct is now located. One can choose sides, but not battles. Battles come to us where they will.

In Brown v. Board of Education, Mr. Chief Justice Warren wrote that the act of segregation implied inferiority, and and that implication on its face does harm. He was considering education of minor children, but it is clear to me and I suspect anyone who looks at the contemporary conflict, that the principal holds generally.

No one can legally or politically constrain the free speech and right to religious belief enjoyed by the owners of Chick. No one should try, and we can only hope that Mayors Emmanuel, and Bloomberg get that message. Regulatory, decisions based on anti-religious or religious values as Mayor Emmanuel suggested might occur in Chicago are the stuff of discrimination. But that is the law, not your or my conduct.

"Separate but equal is not good enough" Applies to more than grade school education. When someone decides someone else is, "other" and therefore to be pushed outside full equity in the human community; he does harm. Groups that Chick funds seek to harm lgbt families.
The management of Chick either intentionally or in ignorance, chooses not to understand that "separate but equal is not good enough." They continue to respond to the critical comments and boycotts that they have corporate non-discrimination policies. And so, I am sure they do. After all, given post-Warren Court law, they almost must have them. And I am sure they more or less obey them, at least at the store level. So why is that not enough?

Bullies, and Focus on the Family and the others are exactly that, do real harm. They decide someone is other, for whatever reason, and they segregate the circle of full humanity. That is simply evil.

As much as I hate boycotts; I think it will be a long, long time before I eat at a Chick store. If you make the other choice; you are financing the bullies. I at least cannot do that.

After Note: I did not know this when I wrote, but at least some Chick stores are franchises. The franchisee in New Hampshire, there appears to be only one, is far, far from the hateful policies of the corporation's owners. In fact, I am told, they sponsor some Gay Pride events.  OK, I might have some nuggets next time I am in that State.