It is so tough being a conservative these days.
When I first heard about published reports that Chick-Fil-A had supposedly reached some kind of an “agreement” with a bullying Chicago alderman to stop donating money to Christian groups like Focus on the Family in order to get permission to open a new store in Chicago, the anguished phone calls from Chick-Fil-A supporters came flooding into my radio show today.
If the reports are even remotely true, the backlash from Judeo-Christian conservatives might just make the opposition that the activists drummed up seem like a walk in the park to Chick-Fil-A executives.
Millions of Americans recognize the right of private businesses to donate to any cause they choose; that if one doesn’t want to patronize a chicken sandwich business, one can certainly buy fast food anywhere they want. But for elected government officials to use their positions of authority to block a credible, legitimate, wildly successful company from even being able to open a new location in their community, that’s a line that has been crossed that no one – on any side of the spectrum – should endorse.
All I can think is that the owners of Chick-Fil-A have decided they have had enough, that they’re just going to focus on selling chicken sandwiches to as many people as they can, and they figure that keeping their views about marriage to themselves is better than having a bunch of angry activists on your doorstep.
It is so tough being a conservative these days.
I expected a lot of flak over my new book, “50 Things Liberals Love to Hate” from, well, liberals. It’s not a big shock that the kind of liberals I skewer in the book -- the radical, Che Guevera-loving type – have posted scathing reviews at Amazon and written nasty e-mails and voiced opposition to a book they haven’t actually read.
But what happened with Facebook, I never saw coming.
Like all authors, I’m proud of my book and I hope that a lot of people buy – and read it. And I’m honored that a great company like Simon and Schuster’s Threshold imprint would publish it. I’ve loved traveling around the country and meeting people at book signings. And I was flattered that my speech reading from portions of the book was taped and aired on C-SPAN 2’s “Book TV.”
So being a bit of a Facebook aficionado, I was excited to buy ads promoting my book on the social media giant. My team worked for days on the creative for the banner ads; all was ready to go. Until Facebook decided to reject the ads.
That’s right, Facebook turned me down.
I’m not allowed to buy advertising for my book, “50 Things Liberals Love to Hate” on Facebook because, according to their representative, they have received complaints about the word “hate” in my book title.
I guess if I wrote a book titled “I Hate Broccoli” or “Things I Hate About Skin Rashes”, I wouldn’t stand a chance on Facebook since it has the word “hate” in it, correct?
Yeah, right.
The reason they rejected my ad is because the title contains the word “liberals.” I have a hunch that if my book was called, “Why Liberals Hate Conservatives”, I wouldn’t have heard a peep.
Apparently, my book title is more offensive to Facebook than stalkers and pedophiles and perverts who troll the site with impunity.
Liberals love to screech about “free speech” but it’s pretty clear to most of us that they don’t really tolerate any speech but theirs. My book has been described as fun, smart, funny and insightful. Yet I’m not allowed to buy ads on Facebook to encourage people to buy it.
Free speech, indeed.
If I were a cranky conservative, I’d be convinced that the real reason someone at Facebook rejected my ad is because they don’t want people to buy my book. If I were a cranky conservative, I’d hear the stories from listeners from all over the country saying the book isn’t on the bookshelves at a lot of retailers – even though it’s supposed to be – and be certain that’s because liberals don’t want a conservative’s voice to be heard. That they want a conservative’s book to fail, no matter how many people might want to buy it. Because liberals always want to stifle and stamp out any world view that isn’t theirs.
I guess I’m a cranky conservative.
I know many people will be angry with Chick-Fil-A. But believe me, the anger and the hate and the contempt from the left can be relentless. Most people don’t like conflict; they just want to be able to live their lives – or sell chicken sandwiches – or books – in peace.
But to be a conservative means one has to practically declare war against the other side. It’s a war of self-preservation, to be sure. It’s a cultural and ideological battle that is as much self-defense for conservatism as anything else.
Because if we don’t fight back, we’re going to lose.
It is so tough being a conservative these days.
Mike Gallagher is a nationally syndicated talk radio host and Fox News Channel contributor. His book, “50 Things Liberals Love to Hate” is on sale now.