Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey faced backlash over the weekend after he tweeted a screenshot of the savings he received from Chick Fil A on a mobile app. Dorsey simply posted “Boost @ChickFilA” with the screenshot.
Many responded to Dorsey in dismay, wondering how he could promote Chick-fil-A because of founder Dan Cathy’s views on LGBT issues. Journalist Soledad O’Brien quoted Dorsey’s tweet and said, “This is an interesting company to boost during Pride month, @jack.” Erica Baker, a senior engineer at Patheos, responded to Dorsey saying, “Please delete this or follow up with how much free advertising you’re going to give GLAAD.” Raw Story political writer Sarah Burris interjected, “mmm, hate chicken never tasted so homophobic.”
The backlash against Chick-fil-A dates back to the late Dan Cathy’s 2012 comments about faith and marriage. In explaining the company’s religious views, Cathy said there is no such thing as a “Christian company” because “Christ never died for a corporation. He died for you and me.” However, he went on to explain, "But as an organization we can operate on biblical principles. So that is what we claim to be. [We are] based on biblical principles, asking God and pleading with God to give us wisdom on decisions we make about people and the programs and partnerships we have. And He has blessed us."
What raised eyebrows and howls of protest were his declarations about his view of marriage. When asked about his support of the traditional view of marriage and family, he responded, “Guilty as charged.”
This led to calls for a boycott of the restaurant chain. This led to a counter-protest in support of Chick-fil-A in which many of the company’s restaurants ran out of food due to the flood of support from people appreciate their food and values.
Jack Dorsey saw O’Brien’s tweet and explained that he should have thought about the company’s politics when he posted the tweet. He told her, “You’re right. Completely forgot about their background.”
Photo courtesy: Flickr.com
Publication date: June 11, 2018
