Boycott?
Posted on July 25, 2012
Charles C. Boycott probably would have gladly gone to Chick-Fil-A.
Boycott was the British land agent who, representing the interests of an absentee English landlord in County Mayo, Ireland in the late 1800’s, found himself at the wrong end of a protest during the so-called Irish land war.
Captain Boycott evicted Irish tenant farmers who refused to pay their rents after a particularly bad harvest. Instead of shooting Boycott, the Irish basically shunned him, refusing to harvest the plots of land that he was responsible for. Boycott and his absentee boss, Lord Erne, lost a bundle of money, and the name Boycott became famous throughout the world.
By and large, I ignore boycotts, despite my Irish heritage. When evangelicals organized a boycott of Disney because of the Mighty Mouse’s favorable policies towards homosexuals, the thought of not watching Disney-owned ESPN never crossed my mind.
I have never been a big fan of economic sanctions either. I don’t like the Cuban embargo, for example. I didn’t care for the embargo of South Africa, which I thought hurt poor people in the country.
I didn’t support animal rights activists who boycotted Kentucky Fried Chicken. I didn’t go out of my way to eat there, either, because, well, the food there isn’t that great. But the idea of not going because some political interest groups tells me not to goes against my very being.
Some gay rights activists now are boycotting one of my favorite restaurants in the world, Chick-fil-A. Now, if you don’t understand that the Chick (as I will call it that from now on) skews a bit conservative, you aren't paying attention. I always get annoyed when I pass one on a Sunday and I can’t go because it takes Sunday off (in honor of the Christian Sabbath, I guess), but I appreciate the fact that it has its beliefs and it lives them.
What I most like about the Chick is the Chicken sandwich. It’s fantastic. And the waffle fries are pretty damn good too.
I don’t consider the politics when I go into a restaurant. I consider the quality of the food.
I don’t particularly like the politics of Bruce Springsteen, but that doesn’t stop me from listening to his music. I don’t care for the politics for most Hollywood actors, but I still go to the movies (when I can).
People are too hung up on politics these days. Everybody needs to relax and eat a nice Chicken sandwich. Believe me, Chick-fil-A is pretty damn good.
Charles Boycott deserved to get boycotted. Chick-fil-A? Not so much.