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The Chick-fil-A Choir Concert

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This Chick-fil-A controversy was brutal, wasn’t it?
 
I stayed on the sidelines – I didn’t express an opinion or buy a sandwich or protest or anything.
 
I watched Facebook erupt with pictures of chicken sandwiches and thoughtful condemnations of those that bought them.  I’m sure you saw plenty of the same thing; none of us could avoid it.
 
As we attempt to learn the lessons of all this, I wonder this:  Would you come to my choir concert if you didn’t like my politics?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ,
     
    If only it were so simple!  Politics do not operate on a purely individual basis.  Politics are shared views that confer a lot of power and influence.  Consequently, having a political stance means that one is aligned with many other who support and share the same policies.
     
    In the case of Mr. Cathy, it has been alleged that he made contributions to those who are in favour of the death penalty for gays in Uganda.  If this is so, and I have not seen any refutation of the allegation, then putting money in Mr. Cathy’s tills is tantamount to supporting a policy of the extermination of fellow human beings, for no reason other than their sexual orientation.  This makes the question somewhat more than just hypothetical
     
    Politics can be relatively neutral.  This being so, I can conceived of many concerts which I would have no problem attending.  It would be ridiculous to imagine that I would share all my political thinking with anyone else.  But to link back to the original question: to ask that question in the context of Chick-Fill-A is provocative.  Let each follow their own conscience.

  2. What great answers and ideas.  Living in democratic countries means we have the right to express our opinions and to oppose or agree with others.  Yes I would attend.  Your politics are just that, YOURS and should not interfere with the music presented.  I would bring my own with me. 
    We sang at a concert that happened to be a Christmas but was called a Wellness Event because the group for whom we sang served in many countries with many beliefs we were not allowed to do anything with a Christmas theme.  They were walking a political tight rope not wanted to offend anyone and yet many found it offensive that they were in Canada and Christmas was not to be admitted.  
    So we sang winter type songs and season neutral music honouring our hosts.  We all benefitted from the interaction and no one’s politics was injured.  It was an interesting exercise.  We shared music of love, and kindness but didn’t use the word “Christmas”.  
    Would we have changed their thoughts by staying away?  Probably not.  I know from the responses that we made a positive impression by being there. 

  3. My simple answer to the original question posed would be “Yes, I would.” And to add to that, I would say, “Yes, I already do.” I know that my opinions in matters political/religious/societal, etc. are vastly different from many choir directors I know personally and only know of professionally. But that has never/doesn’t/will not stop me from attending their concerts. And like those of both sides of the argument have already stated, if the concert itself, or the concert material, or the proceeds of the concert would be aligned with positions with which I do not agree, then yes, I will evaluate whether to go or not. But that was not the original question that was posed for this discussion. (Which has been very polite and civilized, I may add. Yea choir directors!)

  4. Ronald, I believe you need to be corrected on a few points–he most certainly can present his opinions as those of the entire company as they are a privately owned company. It’s no secret that in the 66 year history of the company, they have been a Biblical-principaled company. If you do not agree with that, you do not have to go there and you do not have to apply for work there. That’s who they are. Just as In-N-Out is and other companies. As a privately held company, he certainly can speak for the whole company. Just like the Starbuck’s CEO did and just like Google did, etc. stating that they are for same sex marriage.
     
    I do not think you read his entire interview, either. So I will provide a small sampling for you here:
     
    “We don’t claim to be a Christian business,” Cathy told the Biblical Recorder in a recent visit to North Carolina. He attended a business leadership conference many years ago where he heard Christian businessman Fred Roach say, “There is no such thing as a Christian business.”

    “That got my attention,” Cathy said. Roach went on to say, “Christ never died for a corporation. He died for you and me.”

    “In that spirit … [Christianity] is about a personal relationship. Companies are not lost or saved, but certainly individuals are,” Cathy added.

    “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.”

     
     
    As far as you being annoyed that Mr. Cathy isn’t being “honest enough” by putting his beliefs towards same sex marriage into a mission statement, I feel that’s ludicrous. First you are accusing him of something like being insincere or dishonest in a way but yet the whole controversy arose because he was being just that–plainly honest. And a mission statement? (Do corporations still engage in that fad?) I think you can see pretty much what their “mission statement” is from the above quote. They discriminate against no one. Not in their service (and they demonstrated Christian love to even the protestors), not in their hiring practices, and not in their treatment of their employees. More than a worthless, meaningless “mission statement,” like so many schools and school districts pretend to live by, this company actually practices it.
     
    To reiterate, as far as speaking for the whole company, as a privately owned and privately run company, definitely, oh yes he can. And large publicly owned corporation CEOs have done so.

  5. My understanding is that the CEO of this company is using his position and responsibility to promote a particular cultural/religious/political point of view
    No, he was being interviewed by a Baptist magazine for a Baptist readership which also believes in the same way that he does. So 1) he was not “using his position” in any way, and 2) given who was interviewing him and who the target audience was, he was not necessarily “promoting” a point of view. So you need to be more informed.
     
    As far as your first sentence, I agree. Well, I agree with your second sentence as well.

  6. I would think that people in this day and age could rise above nonsensical things like the Chick-Fil-A controversy. I would not have any trouble coming or not coming to any concert regardless of politics or intention or agenda. If I did not like what was presented I would either choose to stay or walk out. Since I am in full support of the CEO of Chick-Fil-A has nothing to do with it. Frankly, what that CEO did was profoundly refreshing in today’s world of political correctness run amok.
     

  7. As it is unlikely that there are no gay/homosexual (whatever is the currently correct term) people here, the question is provocative and important.
     
    It is my understanding that the business in question was/is making financial contributions to those that are considered by gays to be ‘hate groups’.  If, say, the OP were the one making such contributions, then I would consider that to support a concert under his auspices could possibly be akin to offering comfort and support to a political stance that I find repugnant..  And frankly, I would not wish to risk finding myself in a situation where I would have to walk out of a concert because it was likely to prostitute music (which should unite) into being a tool of a debased and unaccepatable form of politics which disadvantages and excludes fellow citizens.
     
    Of course if it were a simple concert with no political agenda informing its programme, that would be another matter.  But as we are dealing with such an emotional matter, there is probably no way of knowing in advance it the hypothetical concert is going to turn into an anti-gay rally.  So best to keep away, say I.

  8. For more “spoofable” material go to http://www.CathyFamily.com. You can get all the dirt on their giving to such as Morehouse College, a black college which Robert Shaw held in high esteem.  They aslo support a homeless charity in Atlanta – scandalous, eh what And two churches!!!!!!!!
     
    Dr. Edward Palmer

  9. For a true picture of the family that owns Chick fil A (there are no stockholders) go to http://www.CathyFamily.com and see the list of
    the fine organizations they support. It includes an Atlanta “homeless’ charity and Morehouse College, a fine black college Robert Shaw admired. and on whose board Dan Cathy serves.The Cathy family is truly an inspiration to me.
     
    I read the entire story on each group and nowhere did I see the words, “gay”, “homosexual” or any LGBT reference.
     
    Philip, I know you did not ask for this, but since others have launched into this aspect of the so-called controversy, why not I?
     
    Ed Palmer

  10. We had a similar issue recently:
     
    A choir member offered – as a fundraiser FOR the choir – to buy a FULL page in a concert program, and the person was going to publicly (well – our audience) critize the current governement and its arts cutting (if you follow Canadian politics …. ). After back and forth, the choir did not ‘sell’ a page to the choir member.
     
    Our organization receives substantial funding from the governement (various levels) and i.e. must provide concert programmes to be assessed. So – while we could gain X amount by this person – we could loose Y amount of funding from official sources. 
     
    What are your experiences?
     
    in the discussion we raised as well following: as likely other choirs, we sell add space in our concert programmes – how about selling space to advertize a company with a similar (chick-fil-a) political view? 
    one of our sponsors (company) appears clean and is generous – if you dig deeper (not difficult, I found it too), one arm of the company is in weapons development, supplying China among others …..
     
    what are your thoughts?!
    do you screen these add-buyers?
    do you have policies?
     
     
     

  11.  
    I would attend just as those who don’t like Chick fil A did and were served water against the hot temps and free food.
    I patronized Chick fil A three times recently, having discovered the delicious sandwich via the protests and the wild
    support for the company.
     
    The fastest way to alienate half of a potential audience is to dabble in controversial “issues.”  Rather than spend time on issues
    which are out of our control perhaps our thoughts and time are better spent on making great choral performance of which,
    in my opinion, there is precious little.
     
    Papa John’s, anyone?
     
    Ed Palmer
     
     

  12. If you kept your politics to yourself, sure.  If you used your choir to promote your politics, I can choose to support you or not.  Despite the fact that I find Chick-Fil-A’s stance and action against marriage equality appauling, I believe they have a right to their own opinions and I have a right to react to those opinions and withdrawl my support.  The same would go for your concert. 

  13. If $2 million dollars a year from your concert went to support organizations who’s sole aim was to perpetuate discrimination against 10% or more of Americans, yeah, I’d probably stay away.  Just the same as if, in the 1950’s proceeds went to perpetuate Jim Crow laws

  14. If I knew that a portion of your proceeds from the concert would be donated to an organization that works to curtail my human rights — I certainly wouldn’t attend or support your organization.

  15. If I didn’t like your politics? Sure I would come to your concert.
     
    If it were announced or stated somewhere in the concert’s publicity that a portion of the proceeds of ticket sales would go to an organization I would spend my last breath speaking out against? 
     
    Not a chance.
     
    Most of the people I know who were most vocal on the “stay away from them” side of the whole Chick-Fil-A controversy did not protest because of the opinion of the CEO but rather because the company donates heavily to organizations which discriminate against a particular population and are widely classified as “hate groups.” Which means, if I buy a sandwich, I am supporting those groups.
     
    –Jennifer

  16. I once inserted the “recordare Jesu pie” from the Mozart Requiem into a college choir concert I conducted, back in the beginning of the Iraq war.  The kids I taught were terribly uninformed about the war, about war in general, and I used it as a teaching opportunity, under the disguise of a “memorial” for those, whose lives were lost in the conflict.  Little did I know that two years later my own nephew-in-law would be buried in Arlington National Cemetary.  I think there is a fine and dangerous line…once you step over it, it’s abuse.  What I did…I admit, came pretty close to abuse.
     
     

  17. Your politics, sexual orientation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religious beliefs or lack thereof, etc. etc. etc. would be profoundly irrelevant.  I wish I could magically attend every choir concert  in the world.

  18. “Politics” is too broad and indeterminate a word.  If I knew you to be sympathetic to expressions or positions of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, etc. or had yourself made such statements or taken such positions, I wouldn’t go anywhere near you or your work.  I hope no one would; you should be universally shunned, and not only because you would have corrupted the humanistic purpose and ethical grounding of music. 
     
    If your “politics” meant only that you had come to different conclusions than mine about, for example, tax policy, the disparity in our views would not necessarily diminish my regard for you as a musician. 
     
    After World War II there was much discussion about how to respond to artists who collaborated, or appeared to collaborate, some perhaps under duress, some not, with the Nazis.   It is fair to say that a societal consensus emerged that artists who genuinely embraced and endorsed Nazi ideas should not be given further consideration.
     
    Mark Shapiro
    Music Director, The St. Cecilia Chorus
    Artistic Director, Cantori New York
    Assistant Professor of Music, LIU Post
    Conducting Faculty, Mannes College the New School for Music
    Conducting Program Diurector, European American Musical Alliance (Paris)

  19. Philip, the question may very well be – WOULD you express your politics as though for the entire choral group?  In spite of the fact that, like Chick-Fil-A, we have the choice to go or not, and that the food at Chick-Fil-A is NOT essential to our existence (begging the question of music’s essentiality to that same existence), I doubt that very many of us in the world of music would, in an interview, deliver ourselves of a personally-held opinion as being something that the rest of the chorus HAD to hold.  Of course there are concerts FOR causes and AGAINST inhumanities – and the general presumption is, a concert to support gay causes is likely going to be supported by the members of the musical group involved, otherwise, the individual would’ve pulled out of the concert.  My church choir presumably supports (in the broadest sense) the mission and beliefs of the Catholic Church, but I make no presumption to speak publicly for anyone but myself – and if I do, I speak in support of the organization by which I’ve been hired (in my case, the Catholic Church AND the US Army).  What so annoys me about this is, if Chick-Fil-A’s CEO is so sure that his opinion on matters homosexual should be that of the company, then he ought to be honest enough to make it a part of their mission statement.  But of course, he can’t; he’d be guilty of violating a raft of laws against discrimination.  Just think what this country would be like if the CEO of, say, General Motors, not only felt that racism was excusable but admirable – and then spoke for all of GM!  The category 5 hurricane that would follow would destroy GM – hopefully his reputation rather than the company’s.  This is the major danger, IMHO, about social media and the broadcast media in general – it’s too ubiquitous, and we’re too inclined to exercise no self-restraint, and, as leaders, to mistake our opinions as those of the larger group we lead and represent.  The CEO of Chick-Fil-A is perfectly entitled to his opinions; he’s even entitled to public expression of them; but he’s not entitled to present them as those of the entire company, even if he IS the founder and the major stockholder.

  20. In my opinion, the topics of politics and religion and are potentially very devisive when it comes to your members and your audiences. One of the canons of our “code of ethics” states:
     
    We shall not permit the introduction of political, religious or other similar controversial issues into the affairs of Nashville Singers.
     
    Todd Wilson
    Executive Director
    The Nashville Singers, Inc.
     

  21. I would not come if, as a part of the concert, or printed in the program, or announced from the stage, there was promoted a political point of view which I felt denigrated or demonized a group (or a single) person. One’s political/cultural/religious views are involved if they are presented as a part of the concert. Then it is my choice to respond with my attendance or non-attendance. My understanding is that the CEO of this company is using his position and responsibility to promote a particular cultural/religious/political point of view, so if the same situation exists with a conductor and the concert, I believe one could justify staying away.

  22. I totally would, because you might be performing some music i want to hear or perform with my choir. in turn, you could come to my holiday show this year and hear my chik-fil-A spoof!  😉

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