Someone needs to give Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy a standing ovation for his comments in July, which prompted thousands of same-sex marriage supporters to protest and boycott the restaurant chain.

While gay couples publicly kissed and boycotted the restaurant, thousands more lined up at the restaurant to support its CEO’s belief by purchasing Chick-fil-A’s chicken.

He deserves the applause because this was one of the most genius marketing ploys for the company, even if it wasn’t intended to be such. News outlets big and small around the country published content including the chain’s name and its main product, its chicken.

Supporters of same-sex marriage read the coverage as a message for other like-minded people to join the protests. Those who sided with the outspoken CEO saw their more traditional values confirmed, strengthening their loyalty to the company.

Nearly half of the country still doesn’t support same-sex marriage, but that also means that nearly half the country supports Cathy’s comments. Chick-fil-A still has a large customer base, which is now more energized to purchase a chicken sandwich than ever, even if for a little while.

Do his comments outrage me? You bet they do. But will I stop buying sandwiches from Chick-fil-A because of what Cathy said? Of course not.

His views do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the chain’s several employees, who show up to work simply to receive their paycheck to cover the bills, political agenda aside.

I can still buy a Chick-fil-A sandwich today, tomorrow, two weeks from now and not set back the gay rights movement.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. Certainly some may never return to Chick-fil-A as a customer, but a large majority of these adamant protestors will not uphold their boycott, especially if they were regular customers before. A year from now, unless reminded, many of those casually against Cathy’s stance will forget what he said.

Trying to end the employment of several hard-working Americans who largely have nothing to do with the politics of the event shouldn’t be the brunt of the attack. The anger is misdirected.

Although a futile effort, those outraged shouldn’t attempt to jeopardize the employment of cashiers, cooks, truck drivers who transport the food, store managers or anyone else low on the Chick-fil-A administration totem pole.

Despite Cathy’s comments and the protests, millions will continue to purchase chicken from the chain, pushing this overreaction into the depths of insignificant and forgotten history.

_Ryan is a junior in LAS._