Conservatives Now Think That Chick-fil-A — Yes, Chick-fil-A — Is Too Woke
Rejoice, fellow LGBTQ+ mafia: we have a newfound ally in Chick-fil-A. At least, that's what conservatives would have you believe. Much like a serpent consuming its own tail, the right has turned on none other than its former darling, and the company that has donated literal millions to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations has "gone woke" in the eyes of conservatives.
It all started earlier this week when eagle-eyed right-wingers spotted a page about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on the chicken chain's website (which, to be clear, has been up for months). What's more, conservative "political strategist" Joey Mannarino tweeted on Monday, "We have a problem. Chick-Fil-A just hired a VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This is bad. Very bad," before questioning whether conservatives would have to boycott their beloved pickle and bun purveyor.
In reality, as The Daily Beast reported, Erick McReynolds has been serving as Chick-fil-A's VP of DEI since November 2021, and was previously the company's DEI executive director starting July 2020.
That didn't stop the right from making a mountain out of a molehill, though. In a Wednesday episode of The Charlie Kirk Show , the titular host stated that Chick-fil-A was trying to "regain some likability with the secular Marxists" and that DEI was an "anti-white, anti-western project," per the right-wing watchdog Media Matters . Supposed "Marxism" is a popular buzzword, it appears, with Turning Points USA contributor Benny Johnson and Newsmax host Rob Schmitt both evoking the author of the Communist Manifesto in describing Chick-fil-A's hiring of a DEI professional. Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanue additionally blamed "wokeness, which is another word for communism" for Chick-fil-A following the standard corporate norm of having a DEI head.
Them has reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment and will update if a response is received.
DEI has seemingly overtaken "critical race theory" as the right wing's primary object of ire. As with CRT, criticisms of DEI often seem to function as a smokescreen for outright white supremacy. Last month, Florida governor Ron DeSantis enacted a law that banned public universities from offering DEI programs , which also banned curricula that "teaches identity politics" or any programs or student clubs that "promote or engage in political or social activism." Texas followed suit on Monday , with both chambers of the legislature approving Senate Bill 17, which bans DEI programs and initiatives from public universities, even as it pertains to hiring and admissions. In March, Iowa's three public universities were forced to halt all new DEI programs while its Board of Regents conducted a six-month review process of current DEI initiatives.
The Associated Press found that as of April, more than 30 bills had been introduced intending to restrict DEI efforts in higher education. But not content to go after colleges, conservatives are now attacking one of their primary food sources.
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