Just a sandwich: Why do people make everything so political?

I didn’t eat at Chick-fil-A Wednesday, but only because I new the lines would be around the block on a day that was being billed as “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day,” which was a response to the groups that have been trying to get everyone to boycott my favorite chicken restaurant.

For as long as I can remember, Chick-fil-A has been an enjoyable part of my life. Back when they just had the sandwich, I used to throw away the bread and pickle, because the chicken was all I wanted. I switched to the nuggets and then to the strips when they were introduced. I have other favorites at other places. The Big Mac and the Whopper were pretty good if I wanted unhealthy burgers — as most of us do sometimes. And the old, discontinued Big Twin (which was an even better knockoff of the Big Mac) at Hardee’s was another favorite. (And speaking of Hardee’s, it’s hard to beat their sausage biscuits.)

There’s lot of food from a lot of places that I’ve loved over the years. But I have to confess that with every favorite I’d add to my list (or choice I’d remember to never buy again), the only thing that mattered to me was whether I liked the food. I never once considered the politics of the people who sold me the sandwich.

The people who serve me the food and the people who manage the companies I’ve patronized almost certainly hold political views that I find repugnant. As an anarchist of the libertarian stripe (anarcho-capitalist variety), I have to accept the fact that almost everybody holds political views that offend me.

Somehow, though, I’m able to do business with these people. Why? Because buying a sandwich isn’t about politics. It’s about buying a sandwich.

At this point, I’m pretty tired of the organized pressure groups on all sides — of just about every issue — trying to make everything in life political. If I want to eat at Chick-fil-A, it’s because I want their chicken, not because I’m making a political statement. If I don’t go there for a few days, it’s not because I’m boycotting anyone. I just might have something else to do. In other words, the transactions I make in the market are for one purpose only. They’re to satisfy the needs I have to buy or sell a product or service. Isn’t that as it should be?

People today have become so eager to make everything political that it’s hard to bring up anything — even to make jokes — without someone turning it in a political direction. Is that all these people think about? Can they not turn off their partisan brains long enough to experience good-natured fun or discussion that has nothing to do with the “team” they follow — Red or Blue or whatever?

I’m glad that Chick-fil-A is thriving and I’m glad that a lot of people supported the company Wednesday. The people I know who made it a point to go there did so because they didn’t like what they saw as bullying from political activists. I’m sure there were some people who went because they hate gay people, but I don’t know anyone who felt that way. The people I talked with merely felt strongly that a company owner should be able to do what he pleased with his own money and not be attacked for it.

I hate it that Mike Huckabee and his group will get credit for making “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” a hit, because it’s definitely political to him. I wish both sides of the culture wars would just shut up about trying to turn our mundane little choices into political issues.

The food I eat has to do with whether I like the taste or not. My food isn’t a political statement. I enjoy not having to keep up with what the management and employees of the various companies believe. Frankly, I don’t care. I just want the food I like.

Now let’s go get some Chick-fil-A.