A while back the state of NY did something that put commerce in the direct path of religion, and I'm very interested to find out who wins. In America there are only two things that are holy: making money and at least pretending to care about Christianity. No other religions need apply. That's the only one that matters in America's eyes, and woe be to them who step in its way.
Except these two holy things are now going head to head in a winner take all bout.
The thing that NY did was the Restaurant Rest Stop Act. The thing it is trying to accomplish is to make all rest stop restaurants stay open all seven days of the week to prevent travelers from going hungry when they're on the Thruway or at Port Authority, especially on Sundays, the busiest travel days of the week. There is one restaurant, though, that has problems with that.
You guessed it. Chick-fil-A wants their Thruway locations to remain closed on Sundays. There are seven Chick-fil-As on the Thruway with three more planning to be built. But the restaurant, owned by very strict Christians, needs to be closed on Sundays for worship.
I do not like Chick-fil-A. I have never liked them. I have also never eaten there, so I'm still pure when it comes to my disgust for them. I'm not one of the many, many people who fucking hate that place and yet still eat there. When I first heard of them I said, "Can they not spell?" Filet is a pretty easy one (or fillet, if you prefer, spellcheck takes them both, apparently, McDonald's container notwithstanding). Ordinarily I'd make a crack about Christians trying to NOT educate people so they can continue to rule over people, but Catholics are surprisingly good with education. A Catholic would not stoop to saying "fil-A."
Sure enough, the owner is a Baptist. That does explain a few things.
But this is actually not a hate fest for Chick-fil-A, because I see their argument, too. I am a huge fan of the First Amendment, which includes the freedom of religion. I just hate it when the religious use their rules to fuck the rest of us over. Thoroughly and without lube. I believe it is Chick-fil-A's First Amendment right to be closed on Sundays. And that's a good thing! I remember when I was a kid and tons of places were closed on Sundays. And when five o'clock rolled around on all other days? That's when places started to close down. And I miss that. But corporations today have been granted powers that drive them to abuse their employees at every turn, so to know there is still one place that is guaranteed to be closed one day of the week is good news, indeed.
Some people are thinking this is a great way to put Chick-fil-A out of business, and it could be used that way. But it would be more likely if the owner died, that they would make the company publicly traded. Then the FinBros can move in, steal the company, buy out all the properties the restaurant rents, then rent them to death with new prices. But the owners are smart enough to not sell stock in the company. Chick-fil-A is almost a time capsule, in that it's an old fashioned company, not a new monstrous corporations like the ones we've been dealing with since just before 2008. (And going even further back! But I'm watching those fuckers between 9/11 and the recession because those are the fuckers to watch.) (Also, they're bad fuckers. Fuck them. *You* are all my fuckers. The good fuckers.)
This is sounding like too much of an appreciation, so I'd like to remind you that earlier I stated that I don't like Chick-fil-A, and that's not going to change just because I see the company as a novelty. They are exceptionally cruel to all the people Christianity is usually cruel to. So fuck 'em. Thoroughly. Without lube.
This is one of the older GF ideas in my notebook that I'm finally getting around to. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a clear winner, so the fight continues. Somebody win so I can figure out what is more powerful in my own country: the dollar or the cross?
It's worth noting that Christianity doesn't pay taxes in this country, so perhaps the true power of America leans in their direction, not Capitalism. A marriage of the two would seemingly be ideal in a crazy send-me-directly-to-Hell kind of way, so I can see the true power of America leaning in Joel Osteen's way. But this is a scrap I want to see, especially since I'll have to shit-talk whoever wins. Because whoever wins? We lose.
No comments:
Post a Comment