People on both sides of the Chick-fil-A debate seemed to agree that a Tucson man who made a viral video belittling a patient restaurant worker acted like a sanctimonious jerk, even his boss – make that ex-boss.
Adam Smith, who posted an online video of himself going through a Chick-fil-A drive-thru and ordering only the free water, was canned from his gig as chief financial officer of Vante, a Tucson medical manufacturing company, after the video made the rounds.
“Chick-fil-A is a hateful company,” Smith tells the employee. "I don’t know how you sleep at night,” Smith adds at another point. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values.”
After the employee, who never loses her composure, wishes Smith a nice day, he responds “I will. I just did something really good. I feel purposeful.”
Smith pulled the video from YouTube, but by then, it had already gone viral. People on both sides of the debate blasted him for his treatment of the woman in thousands of posts online.
On Thursday, Smith’s boss at Vante, CEO Roger Vogel, cashiered Smith.
“Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith and an employee at Chick-fil-A,” the company said in a statement. “Effective immediately, Mr. Smith is no longer an employee of our company.
“We hope that the general population does not hold Mr. Smith's actions against Vante and its employees,” the statement continued.
Vogel said he wasn’t weighing in on either side of the debate, which began when Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy said he supports the “biblical” definition of marriage. Same-sex marriage advocates blasted the company, which in turn prompted a national outpouring of support for the chicken chain on Wednesday.
Smith previously taught as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Arizona, according to reports, but does not currently hold a position with university.
Video at the source.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/03/vi
Opinion: I find it a contradiction that some of the Chick-Fil-A supporters support the firing of the CFO at the same time they support Cathy for his free speech. I guess free speech is allowed if it supports your agenda.
Adam Smith, who posted an online video of himself going through a Chick-fil-A drive-thru and ordering only the free water, was canned from his gig as chief financial officer of Vante, a Tucson medical manufacturing company, after the video made the rounds.
“Chick-fil-A is a hateful company,” Smith tells the employee. "I don’t know how you sleep at night,” Smith adds at another point. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values.”
After the employee, who never loses her composure, wishes Smith a nice day, he responds “I will. I just did something really good. I feel purposeful.”
Smith pulled the video from YouTube, but by then, it had already gone viral. People on both sides of the debate blasted him for his treatment of the woman in thousands of posts online.
On Thursday, Smith’s boss at Vante, CEO Roger Vogel, cashiered Smith.
“Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith and an employee at Chick-fil-A,” the company said in a statement. “Effective immediately, Mr. Smith is no longer an employee of our company.
“We hope that the general population does not hold Mr. Smith's actions against Vante and its employees,” the statement continued.
Vogel said he wasn’t weighing in on either side of the debate, which began when Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy said he supports the “biblical” definition of marriage. Same-sex marriage advocates blasted the company, which in turn prompted a national outpouring of support for the chicken chain on Wednesday.
Smith previously taught as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Arizona, according to reports, but does not currently hold a position with university.
Video at the source.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/08/03/vi
Opinion: I find it a contradiction that some of the Chick-Fil-A supporters support the firing of the CFO at the same time they support Cathy for his free speech. I guess free speech is allowed if it supports your agenda.
if he wanted to pick a fight, why didn't he do it with one of the asshats choosing to eat there, instead of someone who may not have an effective choice about where to work, given the state of the country's economy?
this dude is a classist prick, and he got what was coming to him. i'm embarrassed that he's on my side.
tl;dr assholes gonna ass.
I am so sure that she is donating millions to anti-gay organizations with that minimum wage job. Seriously, fuck this guy.
As another user put it, I see it as the workers behind the counter taking away money from the company. We have no idea what kind of situation they are in anyway.
Also I think we need a chik-fi-a tag now
Yeah, you sure showed her. I bet after he said this, rainbows erupted all around him, rays of sunlight burst through his ass, and Oscar Wilde descended from on high to declare him The Winningest Person.
As much as that guy is a douchebag, though, I'm really, really uncomfortable with him being fired for it. I'm very much against the idea that companies can look up employees and fire them based on things they write, say or post on the internet when not working. I can't sit here and say, "This guy so deserved to be fired" and then turn around and say I'm NOT okay with my future employer firing me because they don't like that I got pissed at someone on Tumblr. You know?
Basically, this guy is a jackass and deserves to get shit for treating that woman like that, but he didn't deserve to be fired for it.
Also, what kind of grown-up pulls idiotic mischief through a drive-thru towards an employee who has little influence on the company president. There is nothing to accomplish here.
Though I agree that for those who are responding to his words, it's a bit of an overreaction. If someone is: A) older, B) conservative, and 3) very religious, I'm just going to anticipate that they're opposed to same-sex marriage. I definitely wouldn't be up in arms after they confirm my suspicions.
lol oh come the fuck on
I'm not sure the organizer of the protest would approve.
I worked at a store once that was being picketed for a day or two over the use of sweatshop labor. I told the protesters as I was walking in that I supported them but had to work and they were super nice about it.
Honestly, I'm still kind of like "what" because I had posted the recipe on Wednesday to at least try to shut up those who are like "BUT THE SANDWICHES ARE SO DELICIOUS GUYS WHAT AM I TO DO" and, surprise surprise, I start to get messages that "it's just his opinion and omg he's a Chritsian though". I went to a friend's house that day but when I came back that's pretty much what I saw. Those people are intelligent and it's like "but why would you say that? And what's the point of him being a Christian?" I posted this after I read all the comments:
"Obviously being a Christian isn't a problem. I don't think anyone said anything bad about being one. However, until Christians stop using God and the bible to excuse their hate, they should really think about who Jesus walked with and helped before they cast the stone of those "sinners". And I'm talking about the LGBQT communities, those women who *gasp* chooses abortion, the poor, the disabled, the ones who face real oppression (based on the color of their skin, different religion if they choose so, class, whether or not they're cis-gendered) rather than some perceived oppression because some CEO showed his ass under the guise of Christanity and *double gasp* paying the consequences of his hate speech."
I mentioned those groups in particular because I have a few ~devil's advocates~ on my FB. And I pretty much said, "if you group those groups with those who commit crime, you can fuck right off" (paraphrasing). Oddly enough I never got a response. :")
My point is that: what's the point of Cathy being Christian? So what? Does that mean he gets a free pass? But whenever someone who's Atheist or Mulism or any other religion call bullshit on their comments - suddenly its okay? But why is it okay? Is it because they're not Christian?
(I know I know and don't mind me, I'm still like "what does being a Christian have to do with Cathy & co donating to hate groups and actively adding to the problem?" ;;;)
A few weeks ago, a church group which has many congregations in Minnesota released a statement of opposition to the anti-gay-marriage amendment awaiting voting this November. This church currently in its own beliefs defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Some random asshole took it upon hirself to write a letter-to-the-editor realchristiansplaining that the church's view of in-their-church marriage as straights-only was their REAL opinion on the marriage amendment, disappearing the church's opinion on whether they considered it important to force people of other religious identities to live by their church's statement of belief as regards to marriage.
I read that letter and thought, "This is the distinction we make when we call you bigots. This is the distinction you fail to make when you call us intolerant or anti-religion or accuse us of forcing our lifestyles on you. Yay on this church for getting it, and the world would be so much of a better place if everybody else did too."
Aside from that, fully agreeing. Especially in this economy, at that income level; especially after reading yesterday's post from the gay Chick-Fil-A employee---Chick-Fil-A's asshole of a head honcho is not going to be running the drive-through for somebody to harass. It's more likely to be somebody who works there because having a shitty job is better than starving. Something that this douchebag, as a Chief Financial Officer, probably has no understanding of due to massive privilege.