Chick-fil-A bully fired.

August the 1st was declared by Governor Mike Huckabee to be Chick-fil-A appreciation day in response to the progressives attack on the company over the CEO’s statement on gay marriage. Nanny state politicians got involved, actually attempting to deny the company access to states and cities.

The day was a resounding success, with Chick-fil-A recording record sales and some outlets running out of stock. This seems to have caused the ironically named Mr Adam Smith, the CFO of Vante; a medical supplies company to have a brain explosion, deciding to berate one of the service staff and was small minded enough to post a video of his actions:


After he and his position within Vante was identified, he has been dismissed from that company. From Breitbart:

Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith and an employee at Chick-fil-A. Effective immediately, Mr. Smith is no longer an employee of our company.

The actions of Mr. Smith do not reflect our corporate values in any manner. Vante is an equal opportunity company with a diverse workforce, which holds diverse opinions. We respect the right of our employees and all Americans to hold and express their personal opinions, however, we also expect our company officers to behave in a manner commensurate with their position and in a respectful fashion that conveys these values of civility with others.

We hope that the general population does not hold Mr. Smith's actions against Vante and its employees.

In a free society people hold all sorts of views and are entitled to express them as well as refuse to trade with organizations for any reason including disagreement with the views of company executives. The author, Dana Loesch makes some valid points about Smith acting in his own time:

“Sure, Smith is a doucher of epic proportions, but this was an individual on their own time acting like a doucher, not while representing the company. Companies don't own their employees thoughts and opinions off the clock unless of course, that is your previously agreed upon arrangement.”

On the other hand, online activities in the public arena are used with growing frequency to assess the suitability of employees and Mr Smith would have been aware of that. Kids are being warned all the time about the possibility of social media activities coming back to haunt them.

The moment he was identified as an executive of Vante acting like an ignorant yobbo, abusing a staffer in a bullying manner and posting it, the company could no longer afford to employ him, especially given the scrutiny given to statements of these people and the reaction they can cause. The Chick-fil-A controversy is an example of the sort of reaction Vante is trying to avoid.

Ironically some liberal bloggers are making an issue of the sacking. Mr Smith as CFO of a company, probably fits well into the dreaded ‘one percentile’ hated by all good progressives. It seems strange that they should feel the need to support the right of one of these, to abuse a hard working employee in a thankless job who is clearly one of the 99%.

Reminiscences:

In the early 60s when the Ferguson tractor was so wildly popular that demand outstripped supply, Batsons Garage was the outlet in the local area. A large landholder who wanted to buy one took umbrage at not being to get one immediately and abused the employee at the desk. Old Mr Batson came on the scene and intervened, ordering the customer out of the shop, telling him that there was no way he wanted his product in the hands of a person who was discourteous to his staff.

In the early 80s the service manager of Sullair Qld had to travel up to a Central Qld coalmine to service a compressor, and due to union demands had to stand on the outside of a chain-wire fence in the full heat of summer giving directions to unionists working under cover. On hearing about it the Qld manager of the company warmed the mine that if this happened again, they would not be supplied with any more Sullair equipment.

It works both ways.