Author notes

Chick-fil-A pt.4

jazzy

on July 6, 2012

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and yes, according to The First Amendment - we have a right to free speech.  However, as I'm sure you know, opinions are in fact like assholes…you know the rest.  The CEO of Chick-fil-A is entitled to his opinion, I agree.  Anyone that's: racist, sexist, or homophobic…those are their hang-ups, and there's nothing I can say to negate the years of brainwashing done by their parents and environment that made them that way.  Go ahead, and think what you want…but, live and let live, I say.  The beauty of the US is our right to disagree and exchange opinions.  As long as you're not hurting anyone, and infringing on others rights, then who cares.  Opinions and assholes, after all.
However, the CEO of Chick-fil-A failed his employees by voicing his beliefs.  Now I've never seen a Chick-fil-A employee handbook, but I can only assume that it's like all of the others that I have seen.  By that I mean, there's sure to be some section about respecting other employees and customers.  Almost all handbooks (I've encountered) say to keep your: religious views, political opinions, racist thinking, homophobia, to yourself.  There's got to be stuff like this in the Chick-fil-A employee handbook.  There's got to be!  Businesses have to cover their asses, and prevent big ol' lawsuits that might come from one of their potentially ignorant employees.  Assuming that these safeguards are expressed in the handbook, I would say that Dan Cathy is a big fat hypocrite, and should face the same disciplinary actions that one of his employees would face if they did not follow the handbook.
Furthermore, CEO Dan Cathy, by voicing his opinions, surely just made many of his employees' jobs that much more difficult.  By now I'm sure you've seen the video of the gay-rights activist harassing the Chick-fil-A girl at the drive-thru window.  Those poor people  are now in the awkward position of having to face customers on both sides of the issue.   As if customer service wasn't trying enough.  I think all of those patient Chick-fil-A employees deserve a sizable raise for having to be "the face" of the company, and actually have to be the ones to deal with the aftermath following Cathy's remarks.
 Where's their CEO been through all this…?
 In his penthouse office?
When you're in the service industry/hospitality, your only objective is to make people feel welcomed.  Food service workers are expected to smile, and be polite under any circumstance.  The customer is always right.  A food service worker should never upset or alienate the customer and ruin their experience.  If you cannot be a bigger person, and more-or-less be a "smiling piece of wallpaper", then food service probably isn't for you…Dan Cathy.
We are entitled to our opinions, but we also have to be responsible with them as well.
 
Does that even really have to be said…?