Friday, August 03, 2012

Opinion vs. discrimination at Chick-fil-A


A graduate student at North Carolina State wants to ban Chick-fil-A from his campus, based upon the comments the owner made about being a family-oriented company and his belief that marriage should only be between a man and a woman

In a news article from WTVR in North Carolina, the student, Jose Chavira, says the following:

“There’s quite a large LGBT community on campus and it’s almost offensive in a sense that our university is willing to maintain this relationship with an organization that blatantly discriminates against a portion of our student body,”

"Almost offensive in a sense"? Either it is or it isn't offensive; how can it be offensive "in a sense"? And this is a graduate student? In what?

But here's the kicker: he characterizes Chick-Fil-A as an "organization that blatantly discriminates" against a portion of the student body at the campus.

If the owner believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman - so what? Is the owner not as entitled to that position as someone who believes differently?

Discrimination, on the other hand, is illegal under certain circumstances, like in employment and in service to clients and customers.

There is no evidence anywhere that Chick-fil-A or its franchises discriminates in hiring, service or other business practices. There is nothing to indicate the company "blatantly discriminates" against anyone.

You are not discriminated against simply because somebody believes something that you don't. There is a significant difference between opinion and discrimination. Apparently, being educated by an institution of higher learning has not helped Chavira understand this basic concept.

And yes, in case you were wondering, Chavira's action does qualify as 'stuck on stupid.'

(H/T Fresh Brewed Conservative)

1 comment:

Mad Jack said...

I had a chance to speak with a Chick-Fil-A franchise owner back when the first store opened up in the Woodville mall. After talking to this man and wife team for ten minutes, I'd be willing to believe that they would not hire an LGBT person at their store. I suppose that's discrimination, but I really don't care. It's their store, their business and they are perfectly capable of making their own decisions. At the same time, I could never envision them turning any customer away on LGBT issues.

I actually checked into the working conditions and found them a little scary. They start off with a prayer meeting of some sort then they sing the Chick-Fil-A theme song, then they pray for Chick-Fil-A or some such. Me, I've got my own problems. I'll put in my time and punch out at five.

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