Burger King zings Chick-fil-A by donating its chicken sandwich profits to LGBTQ group

In the '80s, Americans lived through the Cola Wars, one of the most aggressive battles in the history of corporate junk food giants. Back then, there were only two real choices: Coke or Pepsi. Which, if you could tell the difference, kudos for your amazing sense of taste.
Today, America is besieged by the Chicken Sandwich Wars which began as a skirmish between Chick-fil-A and Popeyes and has since grown to include Burger King, McDonald's, and Wendy's.
A recent report found that Americans' spending on chicken sandwiches has quadrupled since Popyeys challenged Chick-fil-A. Although other companies have since jumped into the fray, Popeyes appears to have benefitted the most from the skirmish.
Popeyes made a name for itself by going after the big kid on the block, Chick-fil-A, and now Burger King is following suit. But the King and his court's attacks on the Christian-owned chicken giant aren't based on taste, but activism.
The National Christian Charitable Foundation, the nation\u2019s sixth-largest charity and one of the biggest bankrollers of organizations currently on the front lines in the fight against the Equality Acthttps://trib.al/gdBPb3l— The Daily Beast (@The Daily Beast) 1622595610
Earlier this month, The Daily Beast ran a story revealing that Chick-fil-A's owner, Dan Cathy, had donated money to the National Christian Charitable Foundation (NCF). The NCF has donated millions to fight against the Equality Act, which would make it illegal to discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in most settings.
The Equality Act, which is backed by President Joe Biden, was passed by the Democrat-controlled House back in February but has yet to be voted on by the Senate.
The report showed that Cathy has donated money to the NCF in 2016, 2017, and 2018, the most recent year the filings are available.
Chick-fil-A has a long, controversial history of supporting anti-LGBT organizations. In 2019, it said it would cease donating money to anti-LGBT Christian charities. Although that doesn't prevent Cathy, the company's chairman, president, and CEO from doing so.
*6/3-6/30 with every Ch'King sold, BK will contribute 40\u20b5 to the Human Rights Campaign (Max. donation $250k)— Burger King (@Burger King) 1622768521
So, last Thursday, Burger King tweeted that for every Ch'King Sandwich sold during Pride Month it will donate 40 cents to the Human Rights Campaign up to $250,000. The Human Rights Campaign is one of the most powerful pro-LGBTQ rights organizations in the country.
Burger King took a swipe at Chick-fil-A in its announcement by saying the campaign would go throughout the month of June, "even on Sundays."
Chick-fil-A is known for closing its restaurants on Sundays in accordance with the Christian tradition of honoring the Sabbath.
The company further explained the decision in a statement to USA Today.
"This is a community we love dearly and have proudly supported over the years, so we couldn't miss an opportunity to take action and help shine a light on the important conversation happening," Burger King said in a statement.
So, like just about everything else in American life, the Chicken Sandwich Wars have merged with the Culture Wars, for this month at least. While Burger King's decision to donate money to the Human Rights Campaign is a great way to offset Chick-fil-A's long history of contributing to anti-LGBTQ causes, it'd be nice to see a future when we can all eat chicken freely without being forced to associate it with politics or religion.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.