The Illuminati. How many times do we have to go this?
Christ on a cracker…how hard is it really to say “I disagree and here’s why…”? Do you really need to post every single comment in some not-so-passive aggressive phrase latent with sarcasm? This is why there are no such things as healthy debates anymore. I don’t care what you (general you here…not you Thudlow) feel about any topic, but for the love of God can we just debate it like the rational people we are?
I think the fact that it isn’t tolerated anymore, and because of the laws at hand IS what’s making the difference. The fact that it’s been 30+ years since we as a society have had violent outbursts towards new ideas, and the fact that the laws are in place to prevent that, has made the desire for violence nonexistent. 'Tis also my opinion that the fact that someone speaks out against gay marriage doesn’t mean they hate the gays, they just don’t want them married. YMMV of course
Oh wow, I did not know that. Thank you.
Chick-Fil-A President comes out swinging against gay marriage
The thread title inspired this image.
The owner dressed like Abraham Lincoln. Wilding swinging numchucks made out of stale Chick Fil A sandwiches. Using pickle chips and waffle fries like ninja throwing stars. Flinging about extra large Diet Cokes that burn on the godless gay men like holy water on vampires. And of course all this action going down in a 70’s era gay bar.
Avoiding dominos is its own reward, friend.
Well, now I have this stuck in my head, so thanks for that.
No, that’s how the First Amendment works in the US. I am speaking of the general concept of freedom of speech.
If you work to punish somebody because you don’t agree with his viewpoints on a topic, then you don’t believe in freedom of speech. That’s ok. Not everyone does.
Yes, you do.
Well, that is a top contender for Stupidest Thing Written This Month.
Free speech/= consequence free speech. No one’s saying he can’t say that. They’re just saying that if you say that we will respond with our own free speech (i.e. boycotting).
It’s like this board, you can call someone a troll outside of the pit. It’s just that if you do, you get warned/banned. The free speech is there, you just can’t do it without consequence.
:dubious: Right. Thanks for sharing. I suppose if you stop being friends with someone who says bad things about you, you’re against free speech as well?
There are lots of reasons people choose, consciously or not, to patronize a business. Now frankly, I don’t go to Chik-Fil-A mostly because a) it’s really goddamned inconvenient to go there, and b) I don’t eat much fast food. But if I think someone’s a douche because he actively espouses beliefs I find abhorrent and contributes to organizations that try to eliminate/prohibit what I and many others feel to be important rights, suddenly OH MY GOD I’m an enemy of free speech and all that is good and decent?
Yeah, fuck that. Plenty of people get fired because they badmouthed their employers on Facebook. That’s not called being against free speech, that’s called looking out for your best interests. This dude badmouthed people who pay money into his company.
I’d be happy to prove it if you want ^_^! Also, I don’t eat at Chik Fil A very often because it’s expensive and terrible for you. But I do like chicken 
Also, that’s a good point you make. You are also hurting all the people who chik fil a employs, who are most likely low income, democratic voters, who are young and probably support gay marriage.
And the franchise owners probably don’t give a rats ass one way or the other on the issue.
He’s “come out swinging”?
Maybe he’s just against marriage. 
And this is productive how?
I’m suggesting that instead of “giving him shit for what he believes” (the pedantic version of “giving him shit for saying what he believes”) you try to have an honest to god discussion with the man. The actual individual. Call his ass up on the phone, write him a letter. Use your polite words, and your oh-so-effective internet message board debate tactics to attempt to persuade him out of his current viewpoint.
That’s some good ol’ fashioned free speech right there. If that all fails, because he’s a close minded asswipe, then yeah, go ahead and proceed to boycotts, and eventually to picketing, and maybe even to a media smear campaign.
This whole tangent started because I mentioned how it appears that the societal opinion has shifted - where once new ideas were shunned it is now old ideas that are shunned. And that is an interesting point, and worthy of acknowledging.
Standing on a figurative streetcorner (a message board) and yelling “This here guy’s a major bigoted asswipe because of this thing he said!” Really it just makes you look like the image of him you are trying to project. Sure, the mob may jump on your bandwagon. You’ll have the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with being in the “morally right” camp. But you sure won’t accomplish much, and if you do, it’ll be in that old fashioned method which doesn’t change minds rather smashes them until there’s no more of them left.
A changed mind will spawn new ideas, a smashed mind will re-grow those ideas in another form, just nastier than the first.
**Ludovic **made the sarcastic comment that indicated he doubted he’d be able to have a pleasant conversation with the guy. I bet like heck nobody’s tried.
I think I’m gonna have to let this drop - it doesn’t appear that anyone on this board is at all interested in rational discussion. The immediate jump to sarcasm and veiled name-calling is a bit disheartening. Where’d all the free exchange of ideas ever get to? Is there some other board out there where you can have polite conversations with people about things which might irritate them?
Frankly, that’s true every single time you pass a restaurant without going in to buy something. The reason is just different.
You should familiarize yourself with the writings of Evelyn Beatrice Hall.
Hint: when she wrote regarding Voltaire, she did NOT write: I disapprove of what you say, so I will boycott your business.
Chick-fil-A is not a franchise operation.
Hint: choosing not to do business with someone is not equal to not defending their right to say something.
I’m all for the CEO speaking his mind, and I certainly do defend his right to say it. I wish more people would let me know when they’re actively working against my own best interests, rather than quietly backstabbing me. Now - why exactly are you trying to get me to shut up? 
You’re mad I won’t drive several miles for fast food chicken sandwiches, admit it. Wait… The truth comes out - I know what you are!
Hah! That link right there eliminates any possible racial bias based on color of skin - since the guy in the pic is black.
However is still makes me wonder how they get employees to be so damn pleasant regardless if the restaurant is in sunnyville, or ghettotown. It’s like they’re in some kind of attitude bubble where everything is wonderful.