KJ Mullins-Toronto: Have we, as a whole, become a population of haters? It seems that you can’t read any news these days without seeing who is the latest target of hate. This week it’s Chick-Fil-A, next week it may be Snow White.

One of the great things about being human is being able to be an individual with a brain that functions. It doesn’t matter our position in life we are all able to think what we want. Granted there are places in this world where acting on our non-violent thoughts is dangerous, but no one can take away our right to think.

In the Free World we are allowed to say what we think. No one else has to agree with us but free speech laws give us that privilege. Hustler publisher Larry Flynt won a case against Rev. Jerry Falwell in the Supreme Court on the basis of that right. No one has to like what we say but we can say it. We can even spoof the higher ups.

It’s a beautiful thing. But have we gone too far?

When the top news items in the world centers around a businessman’s personal beliefs that are carried to his board room with his money it is noteworthy. When that news dominates news sources for days is it just a slow news week or something more? Yes, the founder of Chick-Fil-A has a very narrow world viewpoint. Yes, being against same-sex marriage is a hot topic today. Yes, John Goodman playing a gay Colonel Sanders is downright funny……..but come on people when is enough, enough?

If you don’t like a company’s stance don’t buy from them but when it becomes the key news piece for days on end what are we saying? To me, and I am clearly stating this is my opinion, it says we’ve become so self entitled that if someone doesn’t believe what we believe they are to be thrown under the bus.

Does anyone else find it okay that a company known for their Christian values to the point that they will pay fines at malls where their businesses are located to preserve their belief of no work on Sunday to donate money to Christian groups? This is the same company that gives their employees scholarships to Christian schools, last year $413,419 was given just to one college in scholarships.

I don’t believe in many of the groups that they give money to but it’s their money. Would there be as much outrage if the company only gave their charity dollars to AIDS charities or to a Christian children’s charity? They did donate money to both of those causes, by the way. If those dollars were going to an out and out hate group like Westboro Baptist Church it would make more sense for the public outcry, at least to me.

In a few weeks the media circus will die down. There will always be someone hanging around for the next mass protest. PETA, Greenpeace, mothers against penguins..you take your pick. There will be a viral video seen around the world and a crowd to fight the cause. By the end of the story there will be a counter story, as in the case of the hunt for Kony.

It’s too bad that all that fighting, all that banding together, all that energy hasn’t helped to feed the starving children or stop malaria. Just saying.