Remember the old story of the young communist who tried to explain to a Westerner that his system of government was truly free? For, he explained, how can elections provide freedom if the wrong side wins? Which, you'll understand, brings us to the American college campus:
Students at Rider University in New Jersey were given a survey asking what restaurants they'd like on campus. Which makes sense. Students are going to be the largest customer base, so they should get the most say in this decision. And they were free to pick anything they wanted, so long as what they wanted wasn't a fried chicken chain owned by a family that espouses Christian values.
The papers say Rider University removed Chick-fil-A as an option "based on the company's record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ community." Hmmm. Was this survey about the philosophical values of restaurant owners, or what food students wanted to eat?
What an insult it is to students for the administration to narrow down the options. (It reminds us of what Henry Ford said about his Model Ts: You can have them in any color you like, as long as it's black.)
If the administrators of Rider University think liberals don't enjoy chicken sandwiches now and again, they'd better reconsider their stereotypes. We know somebody who was there when Chick-fil-A opened just outside of Portland, Ore., one of the most left-leaning cities in the country. The place was packed with thousands of customers for the first few days and remains consistently busy to this day.
Have you seen video of when the one in New York opened? Their lines were so long, customers had to get food to tide them over while they waited in line to order their food.
What kind of lesson is this for students? Surveys are frauds? Your betters know best? Don't worry your pretty little heads about these things?
Thankfully, students in this more enlightened state have the option of getting Chick-fil-A on college campuses all over. You can get the waffle fries and the spicy chicken sandwich at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Fort Smith, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas Tech, the University of Central Arkansas, Harding University and more.
It's not about the chicken. It's about the choice. Or the lack of it.
Now excuse us. We're hungry.
Editorial on 12/01/2018