Posted by: Dr. Jeffrey "Jake" Baker
Last week my wife and I were finishing some errands one of which was stop by the Sprint phone store and get our phones fixed. Two out of three of our phones were malfunctioning. After finally finding the Sprint store, we entered and the manager BK greeted us at the counter. We explained the problems with the two phones. My wife Katie’s had the most serious problem because hers wasn’t ringing and would only text in Spanish, which means we had no idea what we were saying. Sort of like being a progressive. BK said it would be about an hour and a half before he could get to her phone, however, his associate Duce Roddick said he could take a look at my phone to make the small adjustment that would solve my problem.
I instantly perceived that old Duce was a bit lacey but if he can fix my phone … unfortunately my wonderfully innocent wife did not perceive that this young man was in fact homosexual, which becomes an important part of this little story as you will see. Moving on, Duce took my phone and began to examine it. He jokingly remarked that he was very hungry and that we could pay him in burgers from across the street at the fast food joint. It was about then that Katie said no we’ll bring you something from … wait for it … Chick-fil-A.
That’s about the time that old Duce’s “Milk of Human Kindness” began to sour. Duce went from helpful employee to fire-breathing (or should I say flaming) heterophobe in nothing flat.
In the twink of an eye our former happy burger boy Duce, handed me my phone and said in that case he could not work on my phone. He then went on to explain how he believed that the cow ate the cabbage or maybe the chicken ate the cabbage ... Anyway Chick-fil-A was a hate filled organization that discriminated against “gays”, they were awful and he hoped that their customers choked on their chicken.
I then asked him if he thought it was appropriate to wish death or injury to political opponents. I reminded him that bullying others for their opinions was just what he was accusing them of doing to him. I asked him if he thought it was appropriate to berate people who disagreed with him. After all Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy had only stated the exact opinion held by Barrack Obama until a few weeks ago.
But as is often the case, the longer this young man went on, the more impassioned he became. He then felt obligated to give more detail on his belief that Chic-fil-A was a bunch of bigots and hate mongers who provided money to anti-gay organizations (not pro family group). He said that he wasn’t a bully but that Chick-fil-A was a bunch of bullies telling “gays” who they could and could not marry. Further in the same screed he demanded to know what right they had to inflict their morality on him and other “gays.” This young man was in full bore. The matched had touched the fuse of his rage and he was “Flame On.”
Knowing already that I was going to file a formal complaint with Sprint I managed to keep myself calm and collected and address logically the issues proffered. I reminded him that the gay community was much more prone to bullying than the Chick-fil-A organization. I reminded him that Mr. Cathy held a position that had been held for six thousand years of human history. Further, Chick-fil-A forcing their morality on the gay community. In fact if anyone is trying to force their morality or lack thereof on anyone I would have to say that the Homosexual lobby and angry homophobes are much more guilty of that than anyone else in the country.
The question might more reasonably be asked, Why is it that homosexuals believe they have the right to force what many see as immorality on everyone else. I reminded him that had his sexual preference been dominant, the human species would have lasted about one generation in the garden, beyond that …
It was at that point that I turned to the manager, BK, who was just standing there with a dumb look on his face, and told him that in my business I had fifty employees and if any one of them ever spoke to a customer as this young man had just spoken to me, I would fire their butt in about three seconds. Whether the customer is right or wrong is irrelevant. Employees simply have no right to represent their employer in this manner, nor does an employee have the right to assault customers in this fashion.
I assured him that his passive ignorance was no excuse and that if either of them were working in my company they would be now be unemployed. Meanwhile, customers who were in the store are gone, those who were about to come into the store are turning and walking away. In all, this young man’s tirade probably cost the store several thousand dollars.
But Old Duce got to say what was on his mind and prove once again that this isn’t about homophobes, this is about heterophobic bullying of anybody who would stand in the way those who would blithely toss out six thousand years of morality to embrace that which has always been regarded as unseemly. Obviously, there is much more I could have said to this young man but it would have been a complete waste of time … mine not his.
By this time Katie was more than exasperated and asked the manager BK for another sprint store to which the wise and honest could repair for repairs. I was tempted to ask if there were any Sprint stores in the area where the attendants were sane. But knowing that the milk of human kindness had not just soured but indeed dried up, I fought the urge to further annoy this young heterophobe and poor ole BK; besides it was almost supper time and I still had to have my phones fixed which would allow me the ability to answer both the call of my appetite and my wife’s phone.
Maybe Katie and I will send this kid a fast food gift certificate … from Chick-fil-A. He might need it if he is no longer employed at Sprint. Something warming about poetic justice, isn’t there?
Now on a serious note. I have received a lot of wonderful email on this letter. For that I thank you. In more than one email the question was raised about Mr. Cathy’s public stance, “discriminating against some of his customers” being bad for business. To that let me say. Mr. Cathy to the best of my knowledge has never discriminated against anyone. He was speaking to the Baptist press. He was asked a question and gave a straight answer (no pun intended). He told them that he believed in a Biblical understanding of family. That is not discrimination. That is Christianity. Speaking the truth in love. He was not raging against homosexuality, he was commending Yahweh’s definition of family as he saw it in the scriptures. Some may call it bad business, I call it courage.
By the way I have posted a copy of the letter sent to Sprint below.
Jake Baker
If you would like to read the letter I sent to Sprint's Board of Directors, CLICK HERE.
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