You have to read this. I picked it up from Todd Starnes. It’s the reaction the New York Times staff has to the revelation that one of their own enjoys eating Chick-Fil-A. It’s almost a parody but it’s real.
In the opening paragraphs Rubenstein, who previously wrote for the Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard, recounted his first day working for the Old Gray Lady.
On one of my first days at The New York Times, I went to an orientation with more than a dozen other new hires. We had to do an icebreaker: Pick a Starburst out of a jar and then answer a question. My Starburst was pink, I believe, and so I had to answer the pink prompt, which had me respond with my favorite sandwich. Russ & Daughters’ Super Heebster came to mind, but I figured mentioning a $19 sandwich wasn’t a great way to win new friends. So I blurted out, “The spicy chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A,” and considered the ice broken.
The HR representative leading the orientation chided me: “We don’t do that here. They hate gay people.” People started snapping their fingers in acclamation. I hadn’t been thinking about the fact that Chick-fil-A was transgressive in liberal circles for its chairman’s opposition to gay marriage. “Not the politics, the chicken,” I quickly said, but it was too late. I sat down, ashamed.
Snapping their fingers? Oh boy. We know it’s a cult so we shouldn’t be surprised. But we can still point and laugh.
