Ever since the president of Chick-Fil-A, Dan Cathy, made comments about gay marriage, the company has come under heavy scrutiny from the public and the media. The company, despite the backlash, has not backed down from its stance against gay marriage. On August 1, customers swarmed the 1,600 locations across the country when asked to by former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. One customer decided to let his opinion be heard loud and clear by the company that day.
The video of the incident has been posted on YouTube and it is embedded in this article. The man in the car, Adam Smith, orders water at the drive through and then berates and bullies the female employee who completes his order. After the video went viral Smith lost his job as the CFO of Vante, Inc., which is located in Tucson, Arizona. The company released the following statement:
The actions of Mr. Smith do not reflect our corporate values in any manner. Vante is an equal opportunity company with a diverse workforce, which holds diverse opinions. We respect the right of our employees and all Americans to hold and express their personal opinions, however, we also expect our company officers to behave in a manner commensurate with their position and in a respectful fashion that conveys these values of civility with others.
If you cannot make out the audio in the video, here is the transcript:
Smith: “You know why I’m getting my free water, right?”
Worker: “No.”
S: “Because Chick-Fil-A is a hateful corporation.”
W: “I disagree. We don’t treat any of our customers differently..”
S: “I know, but the corporation gives money to hate groups. Hate groups. Just because people want to kiss another guy.”
W: “I’m staying neutral on this subject… my personal beliefs don’t belong in the workplace.”
S: “Yeah I believe that too, I don’t believe corporations should be giving money to hateful groups.. I’ll take my water”
W: “I’m really uncomfortable that you’re videotaping this..”
W: “It’s my pleasure to serve you, always.”
S: “Oh of course, I’m glad that I can take a little bit of money from Chick-Fil-A, and maybe less money to hate groups.”
W: “Well we’re always happy to serve all our guests.”
S: “I don’t know how you live with yourself and work here. I don’t understand it. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values. You deserve better.”
W: “I hope you have a really nice day, and..”
S: “I will, I just did something really good, I feel purposeful, thank you so much.”
S: “Have a good day… I’m a nice guy by the way, and I’m totally heterosexual.. not a gay [unintelligible] in me, I just can’t stand the hate, you know? It’s gotta stop, guys. Stand up.”
