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Do You Deserve a Break Today?
By John W. Kennedy | July 29, 2008
I received a call from a reader on Monday urging me to write an article for Today’s Pentecostal Evangel about McDonald’s Restaurants selling out to homosexual activists.
The caller strongly suggested that I call up American Family Association for the scoop on how McDonald’s has become a pawn to promote the gay agenda. On its Web site, the AFA declares, “Throwing out any pretense of being neutral in the culture war, McDonald’s has taken up the rhetoric of gay activists, suggesting those who oppose same-sex marriage are motivated by hate.”
Bill Whitman, a spokesman for the fast-food behemoth, responded by saying, “We stand by and support our people to live and work in a society free of discrimination and harassment.”
I think McDonald’s and AFA are both missing the point. Gay marriage isn’t an inalienable right. On the other hand, AFA is about 20 years too late in picking a huge corporation to boycott for being gay friendly.
According to Human Rights Campaign, McDonald’s isn’t even one of the 195 U.S. corporations to receive the gay lobbying group’s 100 percent corporate equality rating. I’ve blogged about the ineffectiveness of scattergun boycotts before. How is a McDonald’s boycott going to be effective when plenty of other companies in the food industry—including Cargill, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kraft Foods, Pepsi and Starbucks—have achieved HRC’s perfect score for opposing sexual orientation discrimination?
Perhaps AFA will convince millions of Americans to stop eating Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets. But I doubt it. If it’s going to influence their pocketbook (that is, inexpensive food), most people—at least of my generation—don’t want to be bothered standing up for a moral cause.
There is a reason many people (myself included) avoid McDonald’s. It has to do with calories and nutrition. I made this decision long before watching Super Size Me.
Along with millions of other teenagers, I worked at McDonald’s to help save money for college back in the day when the eatery had a catchy commercial jingle, “You deserve a break today.” It will be interesting to see how many fast-food eaters take a break from McDonald’s.
Topics: boycott |
July 29th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Finally, a reasonable approach to this. We Christians need to think more, and shoot from the hip (with that scatter gun) less.
July 29th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
McDonald’s is now SICKDonald’s. Clara
July 30th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Indeed, the road is broad that leads to distruction, and many American corporations are on it. Seems to me that in addition to pointing them out, we also need to point out those companies that are on the narrow road, those supporting traditional marriage, pro-life programs and Christian values. We need a top 100 list for these fine brave folk.
August 6th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I have not eaten at McDonalds since the AFA wrote about it. Is this good or bad? I did drink a coke today. How is Ford’s standing? We bought a car from the Ford family of cars. Is that bad?