To the editor of The Appalachian,
Recently you published an opinion article entitled “Don’t discriminate with your protests.” There are a couple things I would like to address.
First, the author contends that Chick-fil-a has “fallen victim to anger and uproar as a result of Cathy’s comment.” To be clear, the protests against Chick-fil-a are not just about Mr. Cathy’s comments. They are also regarding donations totaling five million dollars from Chick-fil-a to anti-gay groups. One of the groups Chick-fil-a has donated to is the Family Research Council, which is a designated hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Later, the writer contends that we cannot protest against Chick-fil-a without also protesting against underpaid workers in Apple factories and Nike sweatshops. Oh wait, we’ve already crossed that bridge, as published in The Appalachian in 2008.
It is a logical fallacy to assume that just because there are other wrongs in the world that what Chick-fil-a has done is not wrong. There are countless things we could protest, but the current focus is on something that we think we can change now. Allowing Chick-fil-a to operate on university property constitutes an acceptance of their stance, which is contrary to Appalachian State’s nondiscrimination policy.
Boycotting is a tried and true method for supporting civil rights (and I and many other students do believe that gay marriage is a civil right), and we will continue to boycott and encourage others to do so until we see the change we desire.
Sincerely,
David Sabbagh
Freshman theatre arts major