Does Boycotting Huge Companies Really Work?

I read an article today about how a Chick-fil-A restaurant in the UK will be shutting down after its 6 months lease is up.  It's their very first location there and I'm unsure of if there will be others any time soon.

The restaurant opened in early October 2019 and has faced heat from an LGBTQ rights group calling out CFA for its previous financial support of anti-LGBTQ groups like The Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Paul Anderson Youth Home.  The pressure was great enough to get the Oracle Shopping Center to not renew its lease with CFA.

CFA faces scrutiny on a regular basis from LGBTQ groups for their previous actions yet they are still the 3rd largest U.S. restaurant when it comes to sales.  They're just behind Starbucks and McDonald's.

Will it hurt a company that has earned billions or will it hurt those who lose their jobs when the company closes?

CFA gets over 20,000 inquires per year from franchise candidates.  They open 70-80 new restaurants annually.  Those restaurants bring jobs and tax money to the communities they service.

How people handle discrimination is completely their prerogative as long as it's legal.  I'm just playing devil's advocate here and I have two questions because I want to know how people feel about this:

Who does the boycott really hurt?  The huge company or its employees?

Are you anti-LGBTQ if you patronize or work at Chick-fil-A?

Why Are There So Many Churches Yet So Much Evil?

I left church yesterday and I drove around my city to find a good breakfast spot.  I live in a city of 24,000 people.  My North Jackson, MS suburb is about 18 square miles.  However, as I drove from the east side of the city to the west side, I must have passed 6 or 7 churches.  I saw all of the vehicles parked outside of each church.

I started thinking about all of the churches in Jackson (population 170,000).  You can drive a 5 mile stretch in that city and easily see 10+ churches.  I'm not sure how it is in other parts of the country, but in the South, there are more churches than gas stations on every other corner.  I'm not saying that this is a bad thing.  If you refer back to my first sentence, I attend church, too.  However, what I'm wondering is how are there so many evil people in the world if so many people attend church?

That leads me to believe one of two things: either most of the people who attend churches are hypocrites or churches are not effective teaching its parishioners how to become better people.  Or maybe it's both, I don't know.  Either way, there's a problem somewhere.

No one is perfect.  We all sin, but the level of nastiness in some people these days is astonishing.  I've met some very nasty and petty people in my life who are at church every time it opens.  They sing praises on Sundays and mistreat people the rest of the week.  Adulterers, liars, racists, greedy CEO's, gossipers, abusers, etc.  The list goes on.  Yet, they clean up on Sundays and sit in church and shout "amen" to a way of life that they don't even attempt to follow.

And despite the fact that so many of them know their holy scriptures like the back of their hand, for some reason, it doesn't apply to them.  You can't tell them that they're doing anything wrong without backlash

.  After all, only God can judge you, right?  Good luck with that when you meet Him.

Sex Isn't Dirty

Okay, so I understand that people have different views which is what makes us so unique.  But, some views tend to make me scratch my head a bit.  Especially when it comes to sex.  It's not a very popular topic among certain groups of people, but sex is the only reason any of us are even here.

So, in regards to something that is essential to life itself, why is it viewed as something dirty and disgusting?  Can it be that way?  Absolutely, depending on how open-minded you may or may not be.  But, the act itself is as natural as anything on this planet and it's time to stop demonizing it.

Churches

I grew up in a traditional Baptist church.  A lot of churches teach sex as if it's a bad thing.  That it's something that makes you unclean.  Depending on your religion, that could be true in some cases, but they don't differentiate the cases.  You're brought up to think that it's simply a bad thing.  To top it off, not all churches explain that sex can be about more than just having babies.  Sex can be something spouses can enjoy together.  You can still enjoy sex and "keep it holy" if you read more than you listen.  That usually gets lost somewhere in the "teachings."

Ladies

So many women get brought up to think that their private parts are always off limits.  If you have sex with a lot of guys then you're a slut.  If I had a daughter then I'd probably teach her the same thing, too.  #Hypocrite LOL!  However, in the spirit of fairness I'll be open-minded on this one, too.

A woman who enjoys sex is not a slut.  Now, that doesn't mean go out and do Bangfest 2014, but it does mean that it's okay if you have those urges.  Be responsible and use common sense and if it does happen, then it just happens.  Don't let a man tell you that if he sleeps with 50 women he's a "playa," but if you sleep with 50 men you're a "ho."

Spouses

Some people are afraid to let their "freak flag fly" even when they've locked down that special someone.  Why?  Why would you commit the rest of your life with someone you can't be yourself around?

Look, if people remained virgins until marriage then these topics wouldn't be much of an issue.  That's not the case.  A very small group of people in the U.S. make it to marriage as a virgin couple.  Regardless if you're a first-timer or a veteran, you should still be able to be yourself in the bedroom with your spouse.  Don't be afraid to try new things.  If you've always had an open line of communication with your spouse then it shouldn't take them by surprise anyway.  Communication is the key to a happy marriage in and out of the bedroom.

Like everything else in the world, sex can be fun if you have the right approach.  You can enjoy yourself and still wake up in the morning feeling respected if you make the right decisions.  It's more than just 50 pumps and a walk of shame if you choose it to be.  Don't let society dictate what's right for you.  If you want to wait until marriage then I'll encourage you to do so.  If you want to "get it in" before marriage then I'll encourage you to use protection and make sure the person you're with is responsible and respects you.

Either way sex isn't dirty unless you're in the mud.  It's a beautiful thing.

No Hand Gestures, No Emotions

I hate zero tolerance.  If you don't think that there's an exception to every rule, then more than likely, I may think you're an idiot. Please watch the short video below:


Now, first of all, this argument has been turned into a religious argument, but it's more about the rule itself. The rule states that no one can make hand gestures. Now, what exactly that means is a matter of interpretation.  However, you essentially can't celebrate during the event.  How dumb is that?

Now, I understand that people take celebrating too far at times, but to ban celebrating completely?  Why is it that zero tolerance only applies to kids, but adults get all sort of second and third chances?  Kids can't bring plasticware to some schools because they can be used as weapons.  Athletic kids can't accept money from anyone while in college despite not being allowed to have jobs.  Kids can get expelled from school for dancing if it's considered provocative.

There's not a zero tolerance on drunk driving.  There's not a zero tolerance on adultery.  There's not a zero tolerance on the things our elected officials do that sabotage our country.

So, why do adults, who are supposed to know better, getting a pass when the under-21's are not?  Why is it okay to do those things that I listed for adults, but you can't celebrate (even on the sly) for achieving greatness?  Are we to the point that we're on the verge of having robots compete in athletic events?  It's the best way to achieve the "no hand gestures, no emotions" rule, if so.

I think that it's sad that these kids aren't allowed to make a run at a championship over a gesture.  A gesture that most people probably didn't even notice as this kid crossed the finish line.  How crazy is it that buying an automatic weapon can be done with little-to-no restrictions, but winning a race has strict guidelines?

Is there ever anything that can require a zero tolerance result?