Chick-fil-A, a company whose owner, Samuel Truett Cathy, held extremely homophobic beliefs, is still able to bring in massive revenue each year. In 2010, Cathy donated a total of $1.9 million to numerous anti-same-sex marriage foundations.
One of those foundations was Exodus International, an organization that, helps people who wish to limit their homosexual desires.” in essence, Exodus International was a group that used conversion therapy to shut down individuals non-heterosexuality. However, how willing are individuals to give up their beloved waffle fries and chicken sandwiches?
Another example of a controversial company that still draws in loads of customers is Coachella. One of the founders of Coachella is Philip Anschutz, a far-right businessman who has openly supported anti-transgender and anti-gun control organizations and political candidates. Nevertheless, thousands of people still go to the famous music festival and numerous artists choose to play at the show.
This reminds me of the argument of separating art from the artist. Can you watch Woody Allen films or listen to R. Kellyís music, while being fully aware of the horrible things they have done? It is incredibly difficult to let go of something that youíve been supporting for a long time, but itís immensely important to do so. You donít have to stop doing something all at once; you can slowly wean off of it.
For example, if you go to Chick-fil-A at least once a week, try to just go once every two weeks, and try to find alternative companies that have delicious food but have better owners with more respectable opinions. But you canít get too wrapped up with this concept. There is a plethora of things we support on the daily without even taking into consideration the beliefs of the owners.
An example of this is fast fashion. It’s very difficult, and expensive, to solely purchase sustainable clothing, but if you ease into it, you’ll end up supporting a much more ethical clothing brand, while also not getting too wrapped up in it.
The most important thing is to be aware of what you’re consuming. There are numerous factors that make purchasing things from a questionable company much easier than purchasing things from an ethical company, such as price. But don’t let that discourage you. It takes time to embrace change, but give it time, and you’ll get it done.
