In this excerpt from the Dennis Prager Show, host Dennis Prager reads a piece written by a former New York Times writer who recounts an orientation ice‑breaker where he named the spicy chicken sandwich from Chick‑fil‑A as his favorite. The HR representative chastised him, claiming the comment was hostile to gay employees, prompting a broader discussion about cancel culture, workplace political correctness, and the left’s tendency to label dissenting views as hateful. Prager interweaves his own conservative commentary, contrasting corporate stances (Chick‑fil‑A, Ben & Jerry’s, Nike), recounting his personal media career (NYT, Wall Street Journal, Weekly Standard), and critiquing what he sees as a lack of genuine leftist thought. The segment ends with a plug for the full episode on Prager’s website.
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So the HR representative— hi everybody, Dennis Prager. I'm reading to you from a piece by a former New York Times writer. I believe he was writing in the food department, and they had a— one of his first days there, they had an icebreaker, as they say, and he was— they would pick a Starburst, and then that would ask you a question. Based on the color. So they were asked, what's your favorite sandwich? So I blurted out— I'm reading again— the spicy chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A, and considered the ice broken. The HR representative leading the orientation chided me, we don't do that here, they hate gay people. So you will remember Chick-fil-A, which has turned around and I think become very woke, But Chick-fil-A, being owned by Christians or a Christian, believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, reserved to a man and a woman. I believe that. The thought that I hate gay people is an absurdity, as all the gay people in my life could attest to. But I do believe that marriage should be reserved to a man and a woman. The rights of marriage should be obtainable by same-sex couples. But the official word marriage should be reserved for one man and one woman. Okay, does that make you a hater? In the eyes of the left, anything you differ with them, you're a hater. If you don't think affirmative action, choosing people by race, is good for people of any color, you're a hater. If you think that A man cannot race against women if he says he is a woman. You're a hater. That's why being a leftist entails no thought. All you have to say is you're a hater if you differ with them. There is no thought on the left. There are liberal thinkers and there are conservative thinkers, but there are no leftist thinkers. There are leftist writers, but not thinkers. They hate gay people. We don't do that here. That was the answer. In other words, he can't say it's his favorite sandwich. I think Ben Jerry's are fools, are staggeringly stupid people, the people who make that ice cream. But for years, decades, I told you I enjoyed Ben Jerry's ice cream because the product was good and The people are a-holes. Okay, Wagner is an a-hole and I love his music. People started snapping their fingers in acclamation. I hadn't been thinking about the fact that Chick-fil-A was transgressive in liberal circles for its chairman's opposition to gay marriage. Not the politics, the chicken. I quickly said, but it was too late. I sat down ashamed. Do you understand that? Do you think that that would happen in a conservative journal, conservative website? Think about it. It's an open question. You're asked, what is your favorite sportswear, and you say Nike, even though Nike is dedicated to hurting this country. Would anybody say, oh no, we don't say that here? No, it's just— we— nobody— I don't think anybody would say anything. You're asking, shouldn't human resources be neutral? Do you think it's odd that Human Resources said that to him? That's an interesting question. Is it odd that Human Resources said this to him? Well, presumably the Human Resources person would say— let me put it this way— she would say, because they're usually she's, she would say that you are hurting the feelings, and you are creating a toxic work environment for our gay employees. You're laughing because you know I'm right. Yes, exactly. I know the left. When I can't figure out what they would say, I get very annoyed with myself. But it isn't— it's usually not difficult. As far back as I can remember, my parents have subscribed to the Times. As a kid, I'd run out to grab the newspaper from the driveway most mornings, and we do the crossword puzzle together on the weekends. When I got a job in the Times opinion section in 2019, they were thrilled. The last time someone in my family had had anything to do with the paper, it was for my grandmother's run-in with the law in 1986. In an act of civil disobedience, she had chained herself to her hot dog cart in Houston after city officials refused to give her a food vendor license. She ultimately beat the ticket. I was glad that someone like me with a background writing for right-of-center publications was welcome at the paper of record. After college, I landed a fellowship on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal and then the Weekly Standard. And anyway, it goes on, it goes on. I'm happy to pick fights with Republicans So I was happy to be at the Weekly Standard. It was conservative but unrelentingly anti-Donald Trump. The story I'm most proud of writing there was one exposing the racist comments of then-Representative Steve King of Iowa. Anyway, he goes on. It's a long piece, and we're going to put it up at DennisPrager.com. And so he left the New York Times. It's fascinating. I will read to you more on another occasion, but you just understand how he had to leave the New York Times because he liked Chick-fil-A sandwiches. For the full episode of the Dennis Prager Show, go to pragertopia.com, sign up, and become a full member.
