# Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 1, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096 "2012-08-01T19:42:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/241 "2012-08-03T02:57:29Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > For the obviously remedial among us, no. Just the bigots. Perhaps that’s clearer than my already clear post? Are do I need to type slower? You SAID 99.9 percent of the people you KNOW are “opposed to gays”. That means out of a thousand people you know one would not be one. Or did you mean to say the bigots you know are bigots? Well no shit Sherlock. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/242 "2012-08-03T03:14:05Z")
What’s your damage? Are you the spokesperson for bigots, playing devil’s advocate or just trying to stir up shit? Considering I wasn’t even talking to you, I’m not sure what your angle is. And for the record, I apparently left out the word “who.” Yeah, maybe that falls under a “no shit” from you, but since I don’t give a flying fuck what you think, I’m not sure how your opinion is relevant to me. The point was I know a shitload of people who oppose gays due to religious nonsense. Anything else is extraneous noise. Is there something else I can do for you? Perhaps get you a chicken sandwich? ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/243 "2012-08-03T04:38:37Z")
You know, when these same bigots are spouting their hate, they love to hoist Gay Pride Parades as symbols of how “depraved” our community is. Well, congrats hate mongers. You have staged your very first “Homophobia Pride Parade.” Long lines of inbred looking idiots, standing hours in line to eat deep fried crap! Please make it an annual event. We don’t really need to be shown the most obviously “Flaming” bigots, but the ones who try to tone their hatred down and “Blend in” to society, showing your face at these types of events effectively brings you out of your hateful closet. Shame on you you chicken eating sinners. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/244 "2012-08-03T04:41:14Z")
I was just wondering if you’d seen the calls for gays to have a ‘kiss in’ at CfA on Friday? Is anyone doing this? I can’t imagine it will work very well. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/245 "2012-08-03T04:44:00Z")
[QUOTE=MadTheSwine] I ate at Chick Fil A and will continue to do so. [/QUOTE] Fight the good fight. [Fuck yeah](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS-FoXbjVI)! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/246 "2012-08-03T05:00:20Z")
My ancestors have lived in Alabama since before the Civil War, I grew up in a very rural part of the state, I went to both private and public schools, and I’ve lived in this state for all but 5 years of my life and I have never felt more like an outsider than I did yesterday. It hit me harder than I can impart. It was basically for me and other gays the equivalent of what a non-violent KKK rally is to blacks (though God knows there were many blacks in line for their sandwiches as well, which disgusts me so damned much). I have about two or three Christian friends that I am very thankful for because they are the only reason I don’t viscerally despise everybody who self identifies as a Christian. For the first time ever I just the want the fuck out of here, forever, one way or another. The haters can have it. There is no interest in dialogue, the environment is becoming terrifying, and frankly I would my own quietus make if I knew I would be here another two years even. I’ve got enough equity in the house that I think I could sell it reasonably quick so long as I sell it at a break even. Even so, it’s hard because decent paying jobs just are so few and there are so many applicants for every one of them. I’ve mentioned my term _Dixiephrenia_ before and I’ve spent god knows how many hours defending southern culture on these boards. I will never defend it again- I’ll defend individual southerners or groups of southerners, but as a whole, this land, and I never thought I’d say this, its people as a general rule, both black and white, both rich and poor, both urban and rural, are collectively a cancer on the United States. So many of them are good individuals, but I just don’t have the time or the energy to sor through them anymore. My own depression over this matter is near suicidal- I fancy it’ll lift a bit as the day becomes less talked about- but the worst part is that I don’t think the people who stood in lines for hours have the intellectual or emotional capacities to know or to care what messages they were sending while at the same time achieving absolutely positively not one single solitary thing. They gained nothing, they spent hours just to demonstrate their hatred, and for this, goddam them all. I feel so sorry for those who for whom family ties or indigence or whatever leaving here is even less of an option than I have. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/247 "2012-08-03T05:10:47Z")
> [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > I was just wondering if you’d seen the calls for gays to have a ‘kiss in’ at CfA on Friday? Is anyone doing this? I can’t imagine it will work very well. I’m sure a few will show up, but no way in hell I’ll participate. It’s a silly and impotent gesture at best and I just hope nobody gets hurt. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/248 "2012-08-03T05:24:08Z")
This is going to sound totally weaksauce, but I’m really sorry, Sampiro. I really am. For what it’s worth, I lost two friends over this nonsense yesterday, and that’s on top of the dozen or so people that already unfriended me or stopped talking to me over the past few years due to some pro-gay-rights post or another that I made online. So many of the posts I saw on this were just ignorant and hate-filled and awful. You know this stuff is out there, but being hit with so much of it all at once is a lot to have to bear. It seems like the First Amendment red herring allowed a lot of people to come out of the homophobic closet and let their bigotry show loud and proud, because they felt… I don’t know, safety in numbers maybe. Or like they could say it was a free-speech issue and that made it okay to support bigotry. It’s the last gasp of a dying breed, though. And I’m pretty sure I’m not just telling myself that so I feel better. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/249 "2012-08-03T05:30:29Z")
> [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > Dude. Read. I see that you’ve quoted yourself from a different post than the one I was referring to. My apologies for not taking your entire posting history into account. You’ve also mentioned \*\*Sir T-Cups \*\*, what is your take on my post responding to him? ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/250 "2012-08-03T05:32:04Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > My ancestors have lived in Alabama since before the Civil War, I grew up in a very rural part of the state, I went to both private and public schools, and I’ve lived in this state for all but 5 years of my life and I have never felt more like an outsider than I did yesterday. It hit me harder than I can impart. It was basically for me and other gays the equivalent of what a non-violent KKK rally is to blacks (though God knows there were many blacks in line for their sandwiches as well, which disgusts me so damned much). > > I have about two or three Christian friends that I am very thankful for because they are the only reason I don’t viscerally despise everybody who self identifies as a Christian. For the first time ever I just the want the fuck out of here, forever, one way or another. The haters can have it. There is no interest in dialogue, the environment is becoming terrifying, and frankly I would my own quietus make if I knew I would be here another two years even. I’ve got enough equity in the house that I think I could sell it reasonably quick so long as I sell it at a break even. Even so, it’s hard because decent paying jobs just are so few and there are so many applicants for every one of them. > > I’ve mentioned my term _Dixiephrenia_ before and I’ve spent god knows how many hours defending southern culture on these boards. I will never defend it again- I’ll defend individual southerners or groups of southerners, but as a whole, this land, and I never thought I’d say this, its people as a general rule, both black and white, both rich and poor, both urban and rural, are collectively a cancer on the United States. So many of them are good individuals, but I just don’t have the time or the energy to sor through them anymore. My own depression over this matter is near suicidal- I fancy it’ll lift a bit as the day becomes less talked about- but the worst part is that I don’t think the people who stood in lines for hours have the intellectual or emotional capacities to know or to care what messages they were sending while at the same time achieving absolutely positively not one single solitary thing. They gained nothing, they spent hours just to demonstrate their hatred, and for this, goddam them all. I feel so sorry for those who for whom family ties or indigence or whatever leaving here is even less of an option than I have. It will get better! I’ve been encouraged by this latest ripple of straight allies taking up the cause on social media. The born-again (or perhaps newly hatched) tolerant turning to help the next batch slog through the muck of the debate where people’s paradigms are shifted. For all of the hoopla and media bullshit, I see reason to be hopeful. There are many Christians out there fighting the good fight, leaving their churches because of this issue and blogging/tweeting/facebooking about it in reflective and vulnerable and brave ways, like [this](http://matthewpaulturner.net/f1/5-reasons-why-the-church-failed-yesterday/). ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/251 "2012-08-03T05:37:12Z")
The link is generating bandwidth cap errors, but here are his first two reasons why the author thinks the church failed yesterday: > [@matthewpaulturner.net - 5-reasons-why-the-church-failed-yesterday](#): > > One > > Yesterday’s campaign, while I don’t think it should be considered or called “hate,” neither can it be called love. Christians all over America ignored the second greatest commandment: to love our neighbors. Call yesterday what you want, freedom of speech, a rally behind “family values,” a sincere fascination with CFA’s brand of fried poultry… but it cannot be called love. It was not love. > > Two > > People felt hate and we ignored that. At the end of the day, regardless of whether or not your Christian understanding of scripture harbors hate or not, a large group of people felt hated. Again, we can debate this point all day long, but that does not change the fact that people felt hatred because of what happened yesterday. Whether or not hate actually existed is not the point, people felt hated. And rather than acknowledging those feelings or trying to understand or engage them in any way, Christians everywhere marched off to their local CFA like it was a cross to bear, a necessity, a battle cry of some sort, the waffle fry’s last stand. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/252 "2012-08-03T05:51:36Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > It seems like the First Amendment red herring allowed a lot of people to come out of the homophobic closet and let their bigotry show loud and proud, because they felt… I don’t know, safety in numbers maybe. Or like they could say it was a free-speech issue and that made it okay to support bigotry. I think you may have come close to defining what those people were doing. You may think that you lost friends due to this, but I see it as you just refining your definition of friends. Everyone above 30 has shed a few if not very many “friends” because they choose to define themselves in a way that is untenable to your core sensibilities. I tend to see Cathy’s statement as a catalyst. It was polarizing to be sure, but it also brought the issue to the foreground. Huckabee and Palin took their chances to get their picture taken, and for people to remember their names, but they also demonstrated how intensely some people believe that not everyone should be treated as an equal. The only thing that is constant and immovable here is time. Time does not favor the voting populous that holds on to out-dated and ill-informed beliefs because more and more of those people die every day. People with more accepting and open-minded views come of voting age every day. Much like other poorly thought out legislation in America’s history, this too will eventually be a thing of the past. Maybe we should thank the Cathy’s and Huckabee’s for moving it along so quickly? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/253 "2012-08-03T06:02:37Z")
Message board hugs are pretty stupid, but damn if I don’t want to hug you right now **Sampiro**. > [@faithfool](#): > > Just out of curiosity for those who oppose SSM, how does it feel being on the wrong side of history? Because no matter how much you rail against or try to prevent this, it’s going to happen. So, what does that make you think? > [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Doesn’t matter to me. I was reminded of this exchange at a movie I saw last night. I went to the Gene Siskel Film Center to see the 1936 version [Show Boat](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028249/), directed by James Whale (Bride of Frankenstein) and starring Irene Dunn, Helen Morgan, Hattie McDaniel and Paul Robeson, among others. Those who’ve seen it, or the 1951 version or the 1929 version or any stage production know where this is leading, but I hadn’t seen any version at all, and had NO idea what the story was. The only reason I went to see it was because it was directed by James Whale, and because I had the vague notion that it was a rare version. It was released on VHS and laserdisc but it’s never been released on DVD, and the 35mm print is rarely shown theatrically. I thought it was going to be a fluffy trifle. Then I saw [this scene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZYlHQHbLk0) and almost fell out of my chair, bug-eyed, shocked. I wasn’t the only one who was shocked. When the sheriff says “You have a case of a negro woman married to a white man, _a criminal offense in this state_” a group of college kids in the row behind me gasped and made loud “What?” noises. Future generations will be as shocked at today’s bigotry as we are at yesterday’s racism. Yes, racism still exists, and some racists are proud as could be about being a racist, but on the whole, racists are more often than not looked down on as fools and idiots and evil beings not fit for polite company. There will always be bigots, and there will always be those who are proud of being bigots, but the day is soon coming where bigots will be looked down on as fools and idiots and evil beings not fit for polite company. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/254 "2012-08-03T07:35:55Z")
I don’t think in my 44 years that I’ve ever really, truly hated anybody and I know I’ve lost all perspective over this, but after reading **Sampiro** ’s post, I, honest-to-Og, hate these fuckers. I hope their sanctimonious, in-every-freaking-body-else’s business, “family values”, doesn’t-affect-them-in-their-closed-minded-reality-one-whit, goddamn chokes them. I no longer give a shit about trying to educate them or make nice or tolerate their odious point of view like I have in the past. Their stupid ass “love the sinner, hate the sin” bullshit is nothing but a free pass for their bigotry and as a way for them to sleep at night. True hell will be only these bastards in their own heaven, turning on each other over various “sins.” Good luck in reality, fuckers, where SSM is a reality. Your archaic masturbation won’t last much longer. And to **Sampiro** , I can’t say I’m sorry enough. Just know that you are so much better than them. They’re not a pimple on a dog’s ass and this is the only way they have any power at all… over a fucking chicken sandwich. You’ll persevere and they’ll be relegated to the footnotes of history as the pariahs that they are. Stay strong and realize the next generation understands these evil morons are fucked in the head. Tomorrow will be a better day and then you can tell them to kiss your ass. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/255 "2012-08-03T11:50:34Z")
**Sampiro** made me want to never eat at CfA again, just in case someone thought I hated them for being gay. How horrible of a feeling! It’s like this whole media blowup over CfA is making us draw lines in the sand…is a chicken sandwich really worth that much? I think moral boycotts are typically silly, but you’d have to live under a rock to not know what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/256 "2012-08-03T12:18:21Z")
I’m so sorry Sampiro. Those people are mean and ugly and stupid to boot. On my local news, they interviewed several people about their reasons for being at CFA and not a one of them made any sense. One big stupid oaf said he was only there because of all the governors all over the country that were now denying permits to any christian business that wanted to open. I am unaware of any such events, but he seemed very convinced. I want to believe that we are making progress, but this is certainly disheartening. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/257 "2012-08-03T12:47:21Z")
**Sampiro** I’m so sorry you’re feeling the way you are. There are many of us that will never set foot in a Chick-Fil-A. Just know that you have people that support you right here. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but we’re here to fight for you and the equal rights of homosexual men and women. Be proud of who you are, and feel sorry for those who are ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/258 "2012-08-03T12:54:41Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > My ancestors have lived in Alabama since before the Civil War, I grew up in a very rural part of the state, I went to both private and public schools, and I’ve lived in this state for all but 5 years of my life and I have never felt more like an outsider than I did yesterday. It hit me harder than I can impart. It was basically for me and other gays the equivalent of what a non-violent KKK rally is to blacks (though God knows there were many blacks in line for their sandwiches as well, which disgusts me so damned much). > > I have about two or three Christian friends that I am very thankful for because they are the only reason I don’t viscerally despise everybody who self identifies as a Christian. For the first time ever I just the want the fuck out of here, forever, one way or another. The haters can have it. There is no interest in dialogue, the environment is becoming terrifying, and frankly I would my own quietus make if I knew I would be here another two years even. I’ve got enough equity in the house that I think I could sell it reasonably quick so long as I sell it at a break even. Even so, it’s hard because decent paying jobs just are so few and there are so many applicants for every one of them. > > I’ve mentioned my term _Dixiephrenia_ before and I’ve spent god knows how many hours defending southern culture on these boards. I will never defend it again- I’ll defend individual southerners or groups of southerners, but as a whole, this land, and I never thought I’d say this, its people as a general rule, both black and white, both rich and poor, both urban and rural, are collectively a cancer on the United States. So many of them are good individuals, but I just don’t have the time or the energy to sor through them anymore. My own depression over this matter is near suicidal- I fancy it’ll lift a bit as the day becomes less talked about- but the worst part is that I don’t think the people who stood in lines for hours have the intellectual or emotional capacities to know or to care what messages they were sending while at the same time achieving absolutely positively not one single solitary thing. They gained nothing, they spent hours just to demonstrate their hatred, and for this, goddam them all. I feel so sorry for those who for whom family ties or indigence or whatever leaving here is even less of an option than I have. **Sampiro** , best of luck as you chart a new course to a different place. Observation: people have pointed out how, when all is said and done, all the haters have is chicken. True. But this…this…_ **food gesture** _, is so simple, so primal, that it speaks very loudly. It crystallized something in your mind, **Sampiro** , that had been present for your entire life. Humans respond to simple, primal gestures. For all of the buffoonary of lining up for mor chikin, it seems to paint a clear picture of intolerance. One that, if anything, might accelerate the “tide of history.” It seems to have done that for you. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/259 "2012-08-03T13:29:09Z")
I disagree with **Sampiro** on one point: this was largely a Southern thing only because most of the CFAs are down here. If CFA had already established itself in Boston when Mr. Cathy made his remarks, Boston’s CFAs would have been jammed with the same Irish Catholic demographic that had rioted against school busing in the 1970’s, long after that issue had largely been settled in the South ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096/260 "2012-08-03T13:51:53Z")
Has anyone described it as “Colesternacht” yet? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chick-fil-a-appreciation-day/630096.md?page=14)