The Mafia and the Chicken

If something is important to you it isn't negotiable. So what are we to make of the chicken franchise getting backed down off their long held fight over private donations? They used to donate money to The Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes or FCA. Today they made a decision to stop because pushy LGBT groups kept them out of big cities like San Antonio and Boston. There has hardly been a sillier reason keeping a business out. The mob won. Chick fil A buckled under pressure to let outsiders tell them where their money should go, or at least where it shouldn’t go.

In 2012 CEO Dan Cathy made statements in an interview condemning gay marriage. The online mob went after him and threatened a boycott. Christians (and other supporters) everywhere lined up around city blocks and parking lots to defend them. Principle won that day. Chick fil A won because they showed that it’s possible to have values and stick to them, and Christians applauded the effort. The mob retreated.

Mobs always come back though, especially in the face of weak leadership. I didn’t realize it before but Chick fil A quit giving to a handful of groups after the 2012 boycott. They stopped giving to Exodus International and the Family Research Council a few years ago. Chick fil A makes long term agreements in their giving. So if they make a 10 year commitment to a charity, they honor it. The donation agreements to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes were up at the end of last year. In order to get into other cities, or at least to not have mobs descend on your business, a deal was needed. 

Chick fil A rearranged its giving in two ways. First, they’re not giving long term commitments anymore, probably so they can quickly pull back money in case of a controversy. Second, they’re discarding those 'unsavory' Christian charities, Salvation Army and FCA, and giving to much less offensive ones. Homelessness and hunger are far less likely to bring protesters out to hold signs in front of your store.

I should have seen this coming. They did give in to pressure back in 2012 and stop supporting some groups that openly opposed gay marriage legislation. The support and bravery of their stance (a very small one in the larger picture) meant that they were a champion in the culture wars.

Some of my friends snicker at the idea of ‘culture wars’ an ‘exaggerated’ reason to get offended where nothing is really at stake. I’ll admit that much of it is heat and noise, designed to rally troops and causes; we don’t need to go to the mattresses every time another tradition is ripped away like a loose band aid. If Chick fil A were defending tradition for tradition’s sake I’d say ignore it. But they made a decision to stick by principle with the full knowledge that the choices might keep them out of certain markets.

Now their efforts and bravado seem silly.

It’s like they said “Remember that boycott that brought supporters out in droves and turned us into one of the largest growing companies? Uhhh…nevermind.”

Maybe Chick fil A bothers you because they're pro-traditional marriage. But mob behavior works both ways and might eventually come for something you value. Where is your line? What are you not willing to surrender on? I think everyone needs line, a set of ordered principles that no amount of money can influence.

 They threw it all away to get into a few big city markets with mafia-like gay lobbies that continue to treat them horribly. 

Certainly they’ll gain new business, but will they also lose some too?