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Pretty good tit for tat article on CNN.com
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/08/opinions/ok-boomer-callan-filipovic/index.html
OK Boomer, OK Millennial, we need to talk
Jill Filipovic: Boomers, you started it Paul, generational warfare is nothing new. Remember when today's Boomers were warning each other not to trust anyone over 30?
You Boomers have called us "snowflakes," mocked us for trigger warnings and safe spaces (which are just an attempt to be sensitive to others), and even derided avocado toast (which is delicious).
You were born into post-war prosperity, enjoyed the riches of government hand-outs and affordable education, then moved into your subsidized suburban homes and pulled the ladder up behind you. You're retiring with a pension and Social Security benefits I will likely never see, and that are almost definitely out of the question for any kids I might have -- if the world is even around when those kids grow up, thanks to your generation plundering our planet.
You have the audacity to demand the government keep their hands off your Medicare while telling people my age we can't afford to be a part of it.
Boomers, you started it. And yes, I know, #NotAllBoomers (maybe not you, Paul, and not my liberal parents, either). Boomers animated the feminist and civil rights movements, protested the Vietnam War. But as you aged, you -- or at least the white people among you -- collectively became more conservative, more selfish, and less empathetic, and it's my generation that will pay the price. Instead of extending a hand, you mock us for living out the values you raised us to have: Compassion for others. Curiosity about the world. Kindness to ourselves.
When my parents were my age, they owned a home, had no educational debt, and were comfortably raising two children. I'm married with six-figure student loan debt and two cats. Kids? I don't see how we could afford them -- and even if we could, their futures seem so tenuous on a flooding, burning earth that I'm not sure having them would be ethical.
All that, and it's you who wants sympathy and an apology -- because your feelings were hurt by an irreverent meme? Boomers, you're practically snowflakes.
----
Paul Callan: You've handed me exhibit A.
Jill, our CNN editor instructed us to submit: "100 words or less." Your submission: 355 words. Following instructions is a Millennial problem. This precision calculation, incidentally, was generated by Boomer-invented word processing using a PC, also invented by a Boomer while you were getting a "participation trophy" for just showing up to play soccer, and while your doting Boomer parents watched.
Your professional success is undoubtedly the result of your Boomer parents raising you in a "subsidized suburban home," thereby facilitating the "affordable education" you now criticize. The participation trophies were a Boomer error I readily admit. (Btw that's 100 words)
Jill Filipovic: A straight answer, please
Paul, it's true -- putting in more time and effort for less money in a capricious gig economy and then being derided for it is certainly an experience many Millennials (and Millennial women in particular) can relate to. I see you haven't addressed any of my actual arguments, so I'll try again: Boomers did a lot of good; they also ravaged the planet, hoarded resources for themselves, and elected right-wing demagogues who are destroying American democracy. This, understandably, makes the youngs angry. What makes Boomers angry? When we say "OK Boomer."
Perhaps participation trophies aren't the problem.
Callan: Don't get mad, get to work
Jill, I'm waiting for real arguments. Complaining about how tough you have it in the "gig" economy of the richest, most successful and diverse democracy in the history of the planet doesn't cut it. In much of the world no "gigs" are even within reach, so consider yourself lucky to have more than one.
I know that you are an attorney. I remember attending the first class at Boston College Law with 50/50 gender parity. The policy of seeking gender and racial diversity in higher education was enacted as a result of student Boomer demonstrations in the 60s and 70s and Boomer legislation in the years that followed.
You complain of a "ravaged" environment. Check a little environmental history. If you want to see "ravaged," take a look at the smoky, grime ridden photos of the New York Skyline prior to the 1960s. Often buildings were barely visible through the smoke and smog. Boomers developed and implemented the technological innovations that enabled you and other "woke" Millennials to breathe clean air and complain about the environment.
Yes, we have a long way to go but maybe if your generation moves out of the basement of mom and dad's house and gets to work on some new technological solutions we will solve or current global warming challenge. Yelling at Donald Trump may feel good, but we need solutions and it's about time that your pampered generation stops posting rants on social media and gets to work. You might think about fighting to protect free speech on campus rather than restricting it to protect your snowflake ears. OK Millennial?
Filipovic: Please.
Paul, I don't dispute that Boomers did quite a bit of good in the 1960s and 70s, and many continue to contribute to progressive causes. But look at numbers: Overwhelmingly, older Americans (and especially the white ones) vote for policies and politicians that undermine the American dream for people my age and younger.
Is "OK Boomer" rude and dismissive? Sure, and it's not my insult of choice. But let's look at the concerns on each side. Millennials are worried about pervasive economic insecurity, a warming planet, a broken health care system that means, incidentally, that we're dying younger, a social safety net full of holes, out of control college and childcare costs, growing income inequality and the rise to power of right-wing strongmen from nationalist movements the world over (and in the US, a nationalist-leaning Republican party that is increasingly white, and comes with its own television propaganda arm).
Baby boomers and social technology
From what I can see, you're more interested in yelling at us about silly, trumped-up culture war fights stoked by Fox News: Campus "safe spaces," alleged violations of free speech by a handful of college kids (check out conservative campuses if you really want to see free speech being shut down), how we're whiny live-at-home snowflakes. Want to end this generational warfare? So do I. Tell your Boomer friends to turn off Fox, worry less about the kids and their safe spaces, and vote for progressive candidates who will make sure that all Americans have the opportunities that were afforded to the luckiest of your generation.
Callan: Call it Generation 'Victim'
Jill, I do concede that the Boomer generation shares one exceptionally serious flaw, their child rearing techniques were abominable. We rebelled against our parents, accusing them of being too strict, "judgmental" and rule oriented. All they really were trying to do was to instill a religious-based sense of morality in their children.
Teaching and holding us to moral standards of right and wrong was imperative. Boomers rebelled from that 1950's world with the sexual revolution, an educational revolution and a skepticism of authority. These ideas were embraced and enhanced by many of the Millennials as well as substantial numbers of generations Y, Z and the "Centennials" in a way Boomers never anticipated. The result is the veneration of "situational morality," a lack of personal responsibility and the embrace of "victimhood."
Your Boomer parents should be proud of their highly articulate daughter, as I am of my own children. But they make a mistake if they think Fox News and nationalist rhetoric is the problem. American democracy is a fragile flower which has blossomed with a reverence for free speech and the incorporation of all of the world's ethnic groups and races into the melting pot of a collective American culture. The result has been the world's most successful run at a workable democracy. Keeping it alive should be the joint work of both generations...OK?
Filipovic: Here's what really divides Millennials and Boomers
Paul, Boomer grievances about Millennials amount to little more than "kids these days" and "get off my lawn." There is nothing particularly original about this venerable, generational kind of friction -- the younger folks rejecting tradition and obligation, the older ones tut-tutting about bad manners and how things were back in their day.
And like every generation before us, Millennials have shifted course from our parents, and have been branded lazy, entitled and disrespectful in the process (do you remember the 60s and 70s? Because that's what hippies, feminists and civil rights activists were called, too, and the Beats before that). I'm sure in 30 years, I'll be griping about the generation being born now.
But there are very real differences between Boomers and Millennials that are less about culture and more about resources: When you entered the job market, the federal government was investing in your future -- your infrastructure, your education, research -- to the tune of $3 for every $1 spent on entitlements like Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. Now those numbers are reversed, and spending on entitlements is growing to closer to $5 for every dollar spent on investments. (Please do read this whole article, written by a Boomer who I think is pretty OK).
I agree with you that free speech is crucial to protect. I also don't think Millennials pose a particular threat to it -- I think college students are still learning and figuring things out, and in my college days (and yours) we were free to do that without going viral; today, minor statements are blown up to stoke Boomer outrage at Kids These Days.
It's not Millennials who are a threat to American democracy -- it's rank inequality. It's not Millennials who threaten free speech -- it's autocratic leaders. I won't defend every youthful excess. But looking at the politics and priorities of Millennials vs. Boomers? I'd say the kids are all right.
Callan: Maybe if we talk more...
Jill, I come away from this discussion with the feeling that differences often perceived as "generational" are in reality more ideological in nature. The "younger generation," including, once, the Boomer generation, have always felt that their parents had lost touch and were too conservative in their ways. The flippant "OK Boomer" insult eliminates the need to have a respectful and reasoned discussion about the solutions to the problems of contemporary America.
Both Boomers and Millennials might be surprised to learn that the majority of both generations share the same desire to solve America's racial, economic, and environmental problems. And now that we Boomers are a little older we will even discuss these problems with the Millennials who might possibly be over 30 ... not that this applies to you, Jill.
Filipovic: ...and name-call less.
Paul, I'm not particularly interested in branding Boomers -- a diverse generation -- as conservative and selfish, but it definitely makes me want to roll my eyes and say "OK Boomer" when I see young people portrayed as entitled triggered snowflakes (in part because that dig is old and lame and just sounds crotchety).
While I am worried about the future, all I'm hearing is scolding about my generation not being as great as yours was in the past. Perhaps the lesson is that the dynamic between experienced, obstinate (and cranky) older people and malcontented, forward-looking (and irreverent) younger ones is the same as it ever was. And that the "generational warfare" frame makes us talk past each other and puts us all on the defensive.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/08/opinions/ok-boomer-callan-filipovic/index.html
OK Boomer, OK Millennial, we need to talk
Jill Filipovic: Boomers, you started it Paul, generational warfare is nothing new. Remember when today's Boomers were warning each other not to trust anyone over 30?
You Boomers have called us "snowflakes," mocked us for trigger warnings and safe spaces (which are just an attempt to be sensitive to others), and even derided avocado toast (which is delicious).
You were born into post-war prosperity, enjoyed the riches of government hand-outs and affordable education, then moved into your subsidized suburban homes and pulled the ladder up behind you. You're retiring with a pension and Social Security benefits I will likely never see, and that are almost definitely out of the question for any kids I might have -- if the world is even around when those kids grow up, thanks to your generation plundering our planet.
You have the audacity to demand the government keep their hands off your Medicare while telling people my age we can't afford to be a part of it.
Boomers, you started it. And yes, I know, #NotAllBoomers (maybe not you, Paul, and not my liberal parents, either). Boomers animated the feminist and civil rights movements, protested the Vietnam War. But as you aged, you -- or at least the white people among you -- collectively became more conservative, more selfish, and less empathetic, and it's my generation that will pay the price. Instead of extending a hand, you mock us for living out the values you raised us to have: Compassion for others. Curiosity about the world. Kindness to ourselves.
When my parents were my age, they owned a home, had no educational debt, and were comfortably raising two children. I'm married with six-figure student loan debt and two cats. Kids? I don't see how we could afford them -- and even if we could, their futures seem so tenuous on a flooding, burning earth that I'm not sure having them would be ethical.
All that, and it's you who wants sympathy and an apology -- because your feelings were hurt by an irreverent meme? Boomers, you're practically snowflakes.
----
Paul Callan: You've handed me exhibit A.
Jill, our CNN editor instructed us to submit: "100 words or less." Your submission: 355 words. Following instructions is a Millennial problem. This precision calculation, incidentally, was generated by Boomer-invented word processing using a PC, also invented by a Boomer while you were getting a "participation trophy" for just showing up to play soccer, and while your doting Boomer parents watched.
Your professional success is undoubtedly the result of your Boomer parents raising you in a "subsidized suburban home," thereby facilitating the "affordable education" you now criticize. The participation trophies were a Boomer error I readily admit. (Btw that's 100 words)
Jill Filipovic: A straight answer, please
Paul, it's true -- putting in more time and effort for less money in a capricious gig economy and then being derided for it is certainly an experience many Millennials (and Millennial women in particular) can relate to. I see you haven't addressed any of my actual arguments, so I'll try again: Boomers did a lot of good; they also ravaged the planet, hoarded resources for themselves, and elected right-wing demagogues who are destroying American democracy. This, understandably, makes the youngs angry. What makes Boomers angry? When we say "OK Boomer."
Perhaps participation trophies aren't the problem.
Callan: Don't get mad, get to work
Jill, I'm waiting for real arguments. Complaining about how tough you have it in the "gig" economy of the richest, most successful and diverse democracy in the history of the planet doesn't cut it. In much of the world no "gigs" are even within reach, so consider yourself lucky to have more than one.
I know that you are an attorney. I remember attending the first class at Boston College Law with 50/50 gender parity. The policy of seeking gender and racial diversity in higher education was enacted as a result of student Boomer demonstrations in the 60s and 70s and Boomer legislation in the years that followed.
You complain of a "ravaged" environment. Check a little environmental history. If you want to see "ravaged," take a look at the smoky, grime ridden photos of the New York Skyline prior to the 1960s. Often buildings were barely visible through the smoke and smog. Boomers developed and implemented the technological innovations that enabled you and other "woke" Millennials to breathe clean air and complain about the environment.
Yes, we have a long way to go but maybe if your generation moves out of the basement of mom and dad's house and gets to work on some new technological solutions we will solve or current global warming challenge. Yelling at Donald Trump may feel good, but we need solutions and it's about time that your pampered generation stops posting rants on social media and gets to work. You might think about fighting to protect free speech on campus rather than restricting it to protect your snowflake ears. OK Millennial?
Filipovic: Please.
Paul, I don't dispute that Boomers did quite a bit of good in the 1960s and 70s, and many continue to contribute to progressive causes. But look at numbers: Overwhelmingly, older Americans (and especially the white ones) vote for policies and politicians that undermine the American dream for people my age and younger.
Is "OK Boomer" rude and dismissive? Sure, and it's not my insult of choice. But let's look at the concerns on each side. Millennials are worried about pervasive economic insecurity, a warming planet, a broken health care system that means, incidentally, that we're dying younger, a social safety net full of holes, out of control college and childcare costs, growing income inequality and the rise to power of right-wing strongmen from nationalist movements the world over (and in the US, a nationalist-leaning Republican party that is increasingly white, and comes with its own television propaganda arm).
Baby boomers and social technology
From what I can see, you're more interested in yelling at us about silly, trumped-up culture war fights stoked by Fox News: Campus "safe spaces," alleged violations of free speech by a handful of college kids (check out conservative campuses if you really want to see free speech being shut down), how we're whiny live-at-home snowflakes. Want to end this generational warfare? So do I. Tell your Boomer friends to turn off Fox, worry less about the kids and their safe spaces, and vote for progressive candidates who will make sure that all Americans have the opportunities that were afforded to the luckiest of your generation.
Callan: Call it Generation 'Victim'
Jill, I do concede that the Boomer generation shares one exceptionally serious flaw, their child rearing techniques were abominable. We rebelled against our parents, accusing them of being too strict, "judgmental" and rule oriented. All they really were trying to do was to instill a religious-based sense of morality in their children.
Teaching and holding us to moral standards of right and wrong was imperative. Boomers rebelled from that 1950's world with the sexual revolution, an educational revolution and a skepticism of authority. These ideas were embraced and enhanced by many of the Millennials as well as substantial numbers of generations Y, Z and the "Centennials" in a way Boomers never anticipated. The result is the veneration of "situational morality," a lack of personal responsibility and the embrace of "victimhood."
Your Boomer parents should be proud of their highly articulate daughter, as I am of my own children. But they make a mistake if they think Fox News and nationalist rhetoric is the problem. American democracy is a fragile flower which has blossomed with a reverence for free speech and the incorporation of all of the world's ethnic groups and races into the melting pot of a collective American culture. The result has been the world's most successful run at a workable democracy. Keeping it alive should be the joint work of both generations...OK?
Filipovic: Here's what really divides Millennials and Boomers
Paul, Boomer grievances about Millennials amount to little more than "kids these days" and "get off my lawn." There is nothing particularly original about this venerable, generational kind of friction -- the younger folks rejecting tradition and obligation, the older ones tut-tutting about bad manners and how things were back in their day.
And like every generation before us, Millennials have shifted course from our parents, and have been branded lazy, entitled and disrespectful in the process (do you remember the 60s and 70s? Because that's what hippies, feminists and civil rights activists were called, too, and the Beats before that). I'm sure in 30 years, I'll be griping about the generation being born now.
But there are very real differences between Boomers and Millennials that are less about culture and more about resources: When you entered the job market, the federal government was investing in your future -- your infrastructure, your education, research -- to the tune of $3 for every $1 spent on entitlements like Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid. Now those numbers are reversed, and spending on entitlements is growing to closer to $5 for every dollar spent on investments. (Please do read this whole article, written by a Boomer who I think is pretty OK).
I agree with you that free speech is crucial to protect. I also don't think Millennials pose a particular threat to it -- I think college students are still learning and figuring things out, and in my college days (and yours) we were free to do that without going viral; today, minor statements are blown up to stoke Boomer outrage at Kids These Days.
It's not Millennials who are a threat to American democracy -- it's rank inequality. It's not Millennials who threaten free speech -- it's autocratic leaders. I won't defend every youthful excess. But looking at the politics and priorities of Millennials vs. Boomers? I'd say the kids are all right.
Callan: Maybe if we talk more...
Jill, I come away from this discussion with the feeling that differences often perceived as "generational" are in reality more ideological in nature. The "younger generation," including, once, the Boomer generation, have always felt that their parents had lost touch and were too conservative in their ways. The flippant "OK Boomer" insult eliminates the need to have a respectful and reasoned discussion about the solutions to the problems of contemporary America.
Both Boomers and Millennials might be surprised to learn that the majority of both generations share the same desire to solve America's racial, economic, and environmental problems. And now that we Boomers are a little older we will even discuss these problems with the Millennials who might possibly be over 30 ... not that this applies to you, Jill.
Filipovic: ...and name-call less.
Paul, I'm not particularly interested in branding Boomers -- a diverse generation -- as conservative and selfish, but it definitely makes me want to roll my eyes and say "OK Boomer" when I see young people portrayed as entitled triggered snowflakes (in part because that dig is old and lame and just sounds crotchety).
While I am worried about the future, all I'm hearing is scolding about my generation not being as great as yours was in the past. Perhaps the lesson is that the dynamic between experienced, obstinate (and cranky) older people and malcontented, forward-looking (and irreverent) younger ones is the same as it ever was. And that the "generational warfare" frame makes us talk past each other and puts us all on the defensive.
Irishize
Well-known member
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She sounds like the stereotypical caricature she protests so vehemently. Went to law school but isn’t practicing law. Maybe being an editor was her goal but is a law degree required? If not, why incur all that debt she complains of to go work in journalism. Yes, I do realize a ton of journalists went to law school, but was it with the full intention of getting into journalism or did they realize they couldn’t cut it practicing law or did they realize they had a huge competitive market to deal with & didn’t want to grind their way to success?
ulukinatme
Carr for QB 2026!
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Paying for a law degree and becoming a journalist is like buying a Ferrari and then immediately trading it straight up for a Kia.
NorthDakota
Grandson of Loomis
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Certified pre-owned!
I plan on using my future law degree to get a badass Dodge Ram, (best in class fuel economy) during TruckTober!
greyhammer90
the drunk piano player
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FTFY. Let's be real here.
ulukinatme
Carr for QB 2026!
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I've been looking at veteran suicide recently, especially with PTSD and treatments including Art Therapy. Almost posted this yesterday.
United States military veteran suicide
(Wikipedia)
Hotlines, outreach and evaluation by professionals are important, but therapies that work are critical.
A R T T H E R A P Y, P O S T T R A U M A T I C S T R E S S D I S O R D E R , A N D V E T E R A N S
Annual number of suicides per 100,000 population. 2000-2010.
Female (Never served) - 5.2
Female (Veterans and Active Service) - 28.7
Male (Never Served) - 20.9
Male (Veterans and Active Service) - 32.1
United States military veteran suicide
(Wikipedia)
Hotlines, outreach and evaluation by professionals are important, but therapies that work are critical.
A R T T H E R A P Y, P O S T T R A U M A T I C S T R E S S D I S O R D E R , A N D V E T E R A N S
Annual number of suicides per 100,000 population. 2000-2010.
Female (Never served) - 5.2
Female (Veterans and Active Service) - 28.7
Male (Never Served) - 20.9
Male (Veterans and Active Service) - 32.1
Last edited:
Irish YJ
Southsida
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IIRC, suicide rates in general (general population) were very high during both WW1 and WW2, much higher than today. In fact, the rate for the general population back then was higher itself than today's veteran suicide rate.
I saw a very interesting graphic showing suicide rate by branch of military, also comparing to the general population rate. The Marines and Army well over the general average. The Navy however was similar to the general population or below it. The airforce trended that way too, but has increased lately.
If you're kid is going to join the service, make sure he goes Navy.....
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This is sad. Looks like Chick-fil-A is starting to cave a little.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/business/chick-fil-a-donations-lgbtq.html
Chick-fil-A Stops Giving to 2 Groups Criticized by L.G.B.T.Q. Advocates
Chick-fil-A said on Monday that it had stopped making charitable donations to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, groups that have been widely criticized by advocates for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender rights.
The fast-food chain, a longtime target of L.G.B.T.Q. rights groups because of its stance on gay marriage, has met resistance in recent months as it has looked to expand in the United States and other countries.
Chick-fil-A had to cancel the opening of a restaurant at the Buffalo airport in March after local politicians objected to it, and it cut short its plans for a British expansion last month when activists organized a boycott of its first outlet there. In September, the grand opening of Chick-fil-A’s first international location, in Toronto, was met with protesters who chanted, “Shame!”
Equal rights advocates described Chick-fil-A’s decision to stop funding the charities as a positive step but called on the chain to do more.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a nonprofit that encourages stronger Christian faith in athletes, requires student leaders to sign a statement banning “any homosexual act.” The Salvation Army, a Christian charity, has been accused of discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation. (The Salvation Army maintains that it serves people of all genders and sexual orientations.)
On Monday, Chick-fil-A released a list of organizations to which its foundation has donated this year. The list did not include either organization, even though the groups had received millions of dollars from the foundation over the years.
Chick-fil-A had made “multiyear commitments” to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that ended in 2018, a company spokeswoman said. Now, she said, the company plans to give to “a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of hunger, homelessness and education.”
In an interview with the news website Bisnow, the president of Chick-fil-A, Tim Tassopoulos, appeared to frame the decision as a response to the company’s critics.
“As we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are,” he said. “There are lots of articles and newscasts about Chick-fil-A, and we thought we needed to be clear about our message.”
But Chick-fil-A left open the possibility that it might resume donating to those organizations in the future. “No organization will be excluded from future consideration — faith based or non-faith based,” Mr. Tassopoulos said in a separate statement.
Chick-fil-A has faced widespread criticism from gay rights advocates since 2012, when Dan T. Cathy, the company’s chairman and chief executive, was quoted saying Chick-fil-A believed in the “biblical definition of the family unit.” Mr. Cathy commented after news reports revealed that the company’s foundation had donated millions of dollars to efforts to prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States.
Chick-fil-A ended nearly all its donations to groups opposed to equal rights for people of different sexual orientations in 2012. But since then, it has given money to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Last year, Chick-fil-A gave $1.65 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and $115,000 to the Salvation Army, according to tax filings.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for the Salvation Army said the organization was “saddened to learn that a corporate partner has felt it necessary to divert funding.”
“We believe we are the largest provider of poverty relief to the L.G.B.T.Q.+ population,” said Alex Yap, the Salvation Army spokeswoman. “When misinformation is perpetuated without fact, our ability to serve those in need, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or any other factor, is at risk.”
Advocacy groups said Chick-fil-A should do more to support L.G.B.T.Q. rights.
“While this is an important step for Chick-fil-A, the company still does not have workplace protections and policies that are fully inclusive of L.G.B.T.Q. people,” said Beck Bailey, the director of workplace equality at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, an arm of the largest L.G.B.T.Q. rights group in the United States.
Just days after Chick-fil-A’s first British restaurant opened in October, the chain said it would close the site in six months amid protests led by a group called Reading Pride.
Martin Cooper, the chief executive of Reading Pride, said Chick-fil-A’s decision to stop donating to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes had not changed the group’s position.
“It is only a step,” he said. “It’s not an action that allows us to fully forgive.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/18/business/chick-fil-a-donations-lgbtq.html
Chick-fil-A Stops Giving to 2 Groups Criticized by L.G.B.T.Q. Advocates
Chick-fil-A said on Monday that it had stopped making charitable donations to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, groups that have been widely criticized by advocates for lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender rights.
The fast-food chain, a longtime target of L.G.B.T.Q. rights groups because of its stance on gay marriage, has met resistance in recent months as it has looked to expand in the United States and other countries.
Chick-fil-A had to cancel the opening of a restaurant at the Buffalo airport in March after local politicians objected to it, and it cut short its plans for a British expansion last month when activists organized a boycott of its first outlet there. In September, the grand opening of Chick-fil-A’s first international location, in Toronto, was met with protesters who chanted, “Shame!”
Equal rights advocates described Chick-fil-A’s decision to stop funding the charities as a positive step but called on the chain to do more.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a nonprofit that encourages stronger Christian faith in athletes, requires student leaders to sign a statement banning “any homosexual act.” The Salvation Army, a Christian charity, has been accused of discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation. (The Salvation Army maintains that it serves people of all genders and sexual orientations.)
On Monday, Chick-fil-A released a list of organizations to which its foundation has donated this year. The list did not include either organization, even though the groups had received millions of dollars from the foundation over the years.
Chick-fil-A had made “multiyear commitments” to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that ended in 2018, a company spokeswoman said. Now, she said, the company plans to give to “a smaller number of organizations working exclusively in the areas of hunger, homelessness and education.”
In an interview with the news website Bisnow, the president of Chick-fil-A, Tim Tassopoulos, appeared to frame the decision as a response to the company’s critics.
“As we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are,” he said. “There are lots of articles and newscasts about Chick-fil-A, and we thought we needed to be clear about our message.”
But Chick-fil-A left open the possibility that it might resume donating to those organizations in the future. “No organization will be excluded from future consideration — faith based or non-faith based,” Mr. Tassopoulos said in a separate statement.
Chick-fil-A has faced widespread criticism from gay rights advocates since 2012, when Dan T. Cathy, the company’s chairman and chief executive, was quoted saying Chick-fil-A believed in the “biblical definition of the family unit.” Mr. Cathy commented after news reports revealed that the company’s foundation had donated millions of dollars to efforts to prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States.
Chick-fil-A ended nearly all its donations to groups opposed to equal rights for people of different sexual orientations in 2012. But since then, it has given money to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Last year, Chick-fil-A gave $1.65 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and $115,000 to the Salvation Army, according to tax filings.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes did not respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for the Salvation Army said the organization was “saddened to learn that a corporate partner has felt it necessary to divert funding.”
“We believe we are the largest provider of poverty relief to the L.G.B.T.Q.+ population,” said Alex Yap, the Salvation Army spokeswoman. “When misinformation is perpetuated without fact, our ability to serve those in need, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or any other factor, is at risk.”
Advocacy groups said Chick-fil-A should do more to support L.G.B.T.Q. rights.
“While this is an important step for Chick-fil-A, the company still does not have workplace protections and policies that are fully inclusive of L.G.B.T.Q. people,” said Beck Bailey, the director of workplace equality at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, an arm of the largest L.G.B.T.Q. rights group in the United States.
Just days after Chick-fil-A’s first British restaurant opened in October, the chain said it would close the site in six months amid protests led by a group called Reading Pride.
Martin Cooper, the chief executive of Reading Pride, said Chick-fil-A’s decision to stop donating to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes had not changed the group’s position.
“It is only a step,” he said. “It’s not an action that allows us to fully forgive.”
ACamp1900
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And like clockwork the LGBT groups that pushed them to this basically told them to fuck off and simply came back with different, new and exciting demands. I would have taken the road of, "there is no making these people happy, so why even try?"
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I don't see why they worry about these groups. First, the so called bad publicity would only be for a few days and be gone. Second, have you seen the lines at the drive thru? Hasn't hurt business yet.
wizards8507
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ACamp1900
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I work in a hallway where the other offices are occupied by occupy types, every one of them,... AND there is a Chick-fil-A literally across the street. I am sure I am repeating myself but damn, multiple times a week I have to hear about "homophobic sandwiches' and how 'Chick-fil-A shouldn't be allowed to operate in a 'free society'" and how those who eat there are proponents of genocide... it's Twilight zone. Especially in light of other social/political stances they hold so dear, I'll let you figure those out...
Irish YJ
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Irish YJ
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A university just banned the Pledge of Allegiance this week too. Said it was oppressive, and the US is oppressive. F'ing snowflakes need to check their American privilege. JHC I'd be afraid to send my kids to college these days.
NDRock
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Which university?
NDRock
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I'd say good parents would be way more effective than a paddle. Honestly, not sure how they get anyone to take a job as a teacher at some of these schools.
GowerND11
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Try being a teacher at a juvenile justice facility. We have some rough days. Through it all, all I can think is about how many of their parents just utterly failed them.
Wild Bill
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Probably because they want to be left alone, and they know the left will never let them make chicken sandwiches in peace unless they embrace anal sex.
Conservatives are weak, offered them no protection from these lunatics and they'll still line up for their chicken.
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Maybe they should offer a new menu item and hang a sign "Anal sandwich in the rear".
NDRock
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Wow, I can't imagine. I've had quite a lot of experience seeing what some of these households (crazy environments for kids) look like and it's sad. Good luck to you.
NDRock
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"My pleasure"
GowerND11
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It isn't always bad, and we have more good days than bad. However, I just get to see first hand how truly messed up our family dynamics in the country are.
ACamp1900
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I've taught some courses at detention centers but those were for adults.... bless you for that one, can't imagine.