If you boycott Georgia, here’s what you’re gonna miss

Whether it’s because they believe Georgia is actively trying to suppress the vote or because they fear that incoming governor Brian Kemp will follow through on his vow to sign “religious liberty” legislation, some celebrities are jumping on the #BoycottGeorgia bandwagon.

All this boycotting is getting a little out of hand. When comedic actor Will Ferrell campaigned through Georgia in support of Stacey Abrams, he made a stop at a popular pizza joint in Americus and posed for a photo with the owner and some others, prompting a social media backlash and vows of boycotts from right-wingers.

As someone who went to college about a mile or so from that pizza joint and spent many nights drinking beer and playing pool in the back — um, I mean studying there — I suspect anyone planning to boycott that place doesn’t know how good the pizza really is. I may not agree with some of the organizations Chick-fil-A supports, but have you tasted the chicken? If you’re from Georgia, you just answered “Duh!” I can’t live without the occasional Chick-fil-A. Besides, I made a promise to a cow.

There were even folks vowing to boycott Ferrell himself. Really? Watching “Elf” has become a holiday tradition, and I’ll be danged if I’m going to watch Kirk Cameron starring as Ricky Bobby in “Talladega Nights 2.”

Then you have folks like Barbra Streisand who more than once has vowed to leave the United States if Bush won, or W won or Trump won. Where Barbra lives doesn’t really impact me, but it always prompts cries of “Good riddance! I was tired of her anyway!”

Really? I find it hard to believe Barbra was getting in the way of your daily life a lot. “Dang! Every time I try to go to the guest bathroom, Barbra’s in there hogging it!” I think not.

Then there were all the right-wingers who vowed to move to Canada if Obama won in 2008 or 2012 to get away from all the socialism. Yeah, Canada’s a real right-wing paradise with its affordable health care and welcoming of immigrants.

Truth is, most boycott talk is just that — talk. I even bumped into a Chick-fil-A cow at McDonald’s the other day. He gave me a “Hey, don’t judge me” look, and I left him alone. Or her … I didn’t peek under the table.

Much of the celebrities’ #BoycottGeorgia talk has centered around voting irregularities and suppression in the state — something that exists only to people on the losing side, although losing candidate Abrams has encouraged celebs to drop their boycott that she says will hurt the people they care about most. People on the winning side see a vote tally as absolute verification, kinda like when President Trump makes a snowball to prove there’s no such thing as global warming.

However, far more celebrities are likely to jump on the #BoycottGeorgia bandwagon when — not if — the “religious liberty” bill passes in 2019 as the GOP now has the right pieces in place to protect us from one of life’s greatest tragedies: having to bake a cake for a gay wedding. “Religious liberty” supporters always throw out some isolated red herring as the reason for the legislation when everyone knows it comes down to their disgust for gays. They’ll probably all celebrate by singing and dancing along to The Village People’s “YMCA” because I doubt they understand what that song’s about, either.

Still, celebs, I say you will be boycotting Georgia at your own peril. We’ve got cute little mountains, a remarkably natural coastline, delicious fried chicken, the best burger joints in the nation, green forests that have been well-raked, waitresses that call you “honey” and “darlin’,” the Georgia Bulldogs and unbelievable traffic jams in a city called Atlanta that I prefer to avoid whenever possible.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna eat this Chick-fil-A sammich and watch “Elf” with my wife and Barbra Streisand. The woman just won’t leave.

Chris Johnson’s books and more available at KudzuKid.com.