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Where’s the beef? What the Chick-fil-A boss really said
ht/ ricochet
So, did you hear about that wild quote that the president of Chick-fil-A didn’t say the other day?
Here’s a piece of a CNN report that is typical of the mainstream press coverage of this latest cyber-skirmish in America’s battles over homosexuality, commerce and free speech (sort of).
(CNN) — The fact that Chick-fil-A is a company that espouses Christian values is no secret. The fact that its 1,600 fast-food chicken restaurants across the country are closed on Sundays has long been testament to that. But the comments of company President Dan Cathy about gay marriage to Baptist Press on Monday have ignited a social media wildfire.
“Guilty as charged,”, Cathy said when asked about his company’s support of the traditional family unit as opposed to gay marriage.
“We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that,” Cathy is quoted as saying.
Now, one would assume — after reading a reference to the “comments of company President Dan Cathy about gay marriage” — that this interview from the Biblical Recorder in North Carolina (which was circulated by Baptist Press) actually included direct quotes from Cathy in which he talks about, well, gay marriage.
In this case, one cannot assume that.
While the story contains tons of material defending traditional Christian teachings on sexuality, the controversial entrepreneur never talks about gay rights or gay marriage. Why? Because he wasn’t asked about those issues in the interview.
This raises an interesting journalistic question: Is a defense of one doctrine automatically the same thing as an on-the-record attack on the opposite doctrine? In this case, is it accurate for CNN (and others) to say that Cathy made comments about gay marriage when, in fact, he did not speak words addressing that issue?
But wait, readers might say, everyone KNOWS what he was talking about! And, once his actual comments were quoted, kind of, in the mainstream press, it was then possible to quote many people who offered their angry reactions to his actual words because of their interpretation of them.
This is certainly true. It would have been easy to have quoted several of the tsunami of tweets, blog comments and other commentaries blasting Cathy for his defense of basic Christian doctrines. You know, those quotes that sound like this, drawing from the actual interview:
Chris
July 25th, 2012
Support Chick-fil-A days are 7/25 (today) and 8/1 in case you are interested.
Sapper Chris
July 25th, 2012
Just got done with my Chick-fil-a lunch, and will be continuing my avid support of all of their restaurants in my travels. It’s always a great meal, the staff is always polite and friendly, and the fact that the owners’ beliefs and values piss off liberals makes it that much better. 1600+ restaurants in the country, I have visited at least 60 of them, need to up my intake.
Stranded in Sonoma
July 25th, 2012
We used to have one in a local mall but not any more. There are 51 Chick-fil-a resaurants in CA with most in LA and Sacramento. My wife and I are planning a trip to Sacramento in a few weeks. We’ll be eating at Chick-fil-a.
dapenguin in Alaska
July 25th, 2012
Saw this on Bad Blue: still LMAO:
http://nakeddc.com/2012/07/25/chick-fil-a-boycotters-probably-still-not-totally-boycotting-chick-fil-a-sort-of/
Stirrin the B.S.
July 25th, 2012
I stopped eating at fast food restaurants years ago – initially because of the high calorie menu, and then ultimately because it was like walking into a third world country.
Chik-fil-a is the exception. I will gladly eat there when traveling – the employees are curteous and always say “my pleasure” when you order or ask for something.
Oh and BTW, CNN, did you hear that Dan Cathy is a Tea Party member?
Bob M.
July 25th, 2012
ALL views MUST be ‘TOLERATED’ in this day & age…
… EXCEPT the views of Bible-BELIEVING Christians…
UNCLE KINK
July 25th, 2012
Love me some Chic-Fil-A!
I’m gonna eat there even more now.
Suck it Liberals.
Edith McCrotch
July 25th, 2012
Dear Progs, Militant Gays, the LSM, and supporters…you can say and do your nastiest against Chic-Fil-A, they’ll only smile and pray for you and yours.
But the first one of you who blocks my way between me and my chicken sammich is gonna get an ass whoopin’.
Plain Jane
July 25th, 2012
While traveling, FF is our choice for lunch and breakfast. Our next trip will be Chic-Fil-A led. Love their chicken strips.
Anonymous
July 25th, 2012
The Chick-Fil-A here in town has cars wrapped
around the drive thru as long as they are open.
Dear GLBT, move on……
xthred
July 25th, 2012
I make a point to go there at least once a week.
FreeMan - "Save Me Sarah"
July 25th, 2012
I smell a very tasty BUYcott coming our way.
Ummm
Right on Danno
JMac
July 25th, 2012
Went to Chick-fil-a for lunch Monday. The cars were wrapped around the building, but the wait in the drive thru was less than five minutes from ordering to receiving my lunch. Always courteous, always clean, always quick. Love me some Chick-fil-a.
the aardvark
July 25th, 2012
Wish we had a Chick-fil-a in this part of country, Eastern Wash/N. Idaho. My daughter who lives in Va. Beach tells me they are very good.
DavVA
July 25th, 2012
In VA Beach, they are always hopping. Usually go there with family every other week. Now..we double up.
GreenCrossForSafety
July 25th, 2012
The wife and I will be there 1 Aug!
FreeMan - ain't no bodhisattva
July 25th, 2012
This post is making me hungry
CrustyB
July 25th, 2012
This is similar to the Jerry Falwell story that he denounced Tinky Winky as an insidious way to indoctrinate toddlers into homosexuality. Falwell wasn’t asked about Tinky Winky. He was posed a hypothetical question about “a gay character on a TV show designed to indoctrinate toddlers into homosexuality.” Falwell responded to THAT question without even knowing who Tinky Winky was.
Never get your news from the news.
Boobie the Rocket Dog
July 25th, 2012
LOVE CHICK FIL-A!!!
TN Tuxedo
July 25th, 2012
May 29, 1993:
I was interviewed by our local newspaper, The Jackson Sun. They wanted the opinion of a graduating Senior regarding the newly consolidated school system. The new system required the school districts to be redrawn to achieve racial balance among the three high schools (i.e. gerrymandered all to heck), and many of the friends I had grown up with were forced to attend schools at the far ends of the city, simply because the area they lived in was mostly Black.
After spending three minutes letting the “reporter” know how much of a bad idea I thought it was, she asked me one follow-up question:
“So there is nothing about this past year that was good? Absolutely nothing at all?”
Like an idiot, I offered my fair and balanced opinion, and stated that in spite of the ruined school system, I was able to meet new friends that I probably would not have met under the previous system.
June 2, 1993:
The front page of The Jackson Sun stated that I was one student who thought that “the new school system was a ‘godsend’ for him, because it helped him meet his new friends”.
Nothing about what I said about the gerrymandering, or about forcing students to go to certain schools based on their race.
She simply published only what she wanted to publish, truth be damned.
Chalupa
July 26th, 2012
Homos – keep effing whatever it is that you eff, and we’ll keep eating that chicken.
tripseven
July 26th, 2012
What…no Chick-Fil-A in San Fransisco? LMAO!
Navigator
July 26th, 2012
Here is a great op-ed piece on this matter from Michael Graham of the Boston Herald.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view/20220725menino_lays_an_egg_and_nowhe_wants_to_regulate_thought/
Major Mal function
July 26th, 2012
Each bite of Chick-fil-A sandwiches are seasoned with the tears of liberal frustration. Mmm, yummy.
Boobie the Racist Dog
July 26th, 2012
I don’t hear CNN whining about Wendy’s in Orlando.
And I don’t see Christians demonstrating in front of it either. They (We) demonstrate with our wallets.
They refuse to serve pork products because they are owned by Moslems.
Why go to Wendy’s if you can’t get a BACONATOR?
Covington & Burling Railroad
July 26th, 2012
The non-homo Chicken is a lot safer than any “gay” options. Chick-fil-A is great!
KissGirl1
July 26th, 2012
Are you sure about Wendy’s? I got a salad there recently that had bacon in it. I thought Wendy’s was owned by the very white Dave Thomas -or is this a particular franchise?
John F.
July 26th, 2012
Wish there was one in my town.