The New York Times gets triggered by a plump, juicy chicken breast tucked between hot buttered buns.
Former staff writer Adam Rubenstein, made that staggering revelation in a wild essay published in The Atlantic titled, “I Was a Heretic at The New York Times.”
In the opening paragraphs Rubenstein, who previously wrote for the Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard, recounted his first day working for the Old Gray Lady.
On one of my first days at The New York Times, I went to an orientation with more than a dozen other new hires. We had to do an icebreaker: Pick a Starburst out of a jar and then answer a question. My Starburst was pink, I believe, and so I had to answer the pink prompt, which had me respond with my favorite sandwich. Russ & Daughters’ Super Heebster came to mind, but I figured mentioning a $19 sandwich wasn’t a great way to win new friends. So I blurted out, “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.” 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.
The Atlantic
The Times literally believes that the official chicken of our Lord is hate poultry, as I wrote in my upcoming book “Twilight’s Last Gleaming.” Click here to read my book.
Mr. Rubenstein’s essay is worth the read. It is both tragic and hilarious. And it is a sad commentary on the state of American journalism.