About a month and a half ago, there was a lot of controversy going on around the idea of certain companies (namely Nabisco and JC Penney) supporting gay pride and gay rights. One of the reasons that I am aware of this situation is because I am employed by one of the aforementioned companies, JC Penney.
Many of you know that Ellen Degeneres is the spokeswoman for the JC Penney company. She is in several of their commercials, as shown here.
When I learned of this (in February of this year) I didn't really think anything of it. JC Penney was undergoing several changes in its infrastructure and I figured having a popular celebrity/public figure would probably be great for the company.
In June, during gay pride month and other such festivities, a JC Penney ad featured what appeared to be at least 2 same sex partner families. The ad did not come out and say that was what was happening, but a lot of that could be assumed. For a few weeks we (just our store, not the company as a whole) got angry, hateful phone calls asking how on earth we could support that and that they would never shop in our store again because of this. Our reaction was, "Okay, do what you want. We didn't personally print the ads".
I am going to throw in a little side note - I am not what you would call an LGBTQ hater. I have several dear, dear friends and relatives who live the LGBTQ lifestyle and I still love them for the people they are. My personal belief is that you should love people. I may not love what they do, but I still love them. I do not support same sex marriage or that lifestyle, but I don't hate those who do.
Back to JC Penney and Nabisco - I saw an ad on facebook that was included in the following article. I really agree with what this person had to say.
A friend of mine (who happens to be gay and a liberal) posted a meme with a lot of this same information in it when all of this was going down. I agreed with what he had to say as well. It is really silly to boycott one business to stand up for that cause but continue to support the others - It's also kind of silly to deny yourself of something you love because someone in that company made a statement.
Which brings me to Chick-fil-A...
I will admit, I do NOT know the entire story. I did not read or hear the interview. But I DO know that it has gotten ridiculously out of hand.
Here is something a friend of mine posted about her personal experience with this company.
You know what? Chick-fil-A is a great company. I worked there for two years and have absolutely nothing negative to say. They treat their employees well, they treat their customers well, they are active supporters of charity causes in their communities, they have a scholarship program for their employees, they operate debt-free. We should all eat at Chick-fil-A today, if for no other reason than that we believe in free speech. I question the legality of government leaders (such as the mayor of Boston and several other cities) banning Chick-fil-A because they don't agree with Dan Cathy. I will always support a company that gives back more than it takes.
Something to think about.
Also - I heard or read today (I couldn't find the link...) that this whole thing sprang from an unprofessional interview. Whoever was interviewing Dan Cathy (owner of Chick-fil-A) asked the company's stance on same sex marriage, to which he replied a PC statement about no discrimination, etc. But then the interviewer did something which I feel was out of line and asked him his personal beliefs. And from what he said his personal beliefs were is what brought this whole thing about.
Here is a link stating some very interesting things about this interview...
Regardless of all of this, I feel it is time for this...
People on both sides, liberal as well as conservative, have crossed some lines here. I think that is evident in some of the examples I have cited.
I think that we as Americans need to think about what we say, remember it, and refrain from hypocrisy.
I say that because if the liberals felt it was stupid for conservatives to stand up to JC Penney and Nabisco for their beliefs, then they should not stand up to Chick - fil - A for the exact same reason.
I have always remembered the day that I learned the golden rule in elementary school - DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.
If we truly lived by this rule, so much anger and hate could really be done away with. We all need to calm down, allow individuals to have their own opinions, and just leave it alone. All of these boycotts and protests are not helping anything. Those companies (if they have any moral fiber at all) will stick to their guns and maintain the values they hold dear and people throwing tantrums and hate mail around should not change that.
There - my two cents. Do with it what you will.
Just quit being a freaking hypocrite, and we'll all be fine.
