Negative Effects Of Mcdonaldization

781 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: McDonaldization and globalization

For many Americans, McDonald’s is a road trip staple. This is true to the extent that, without any planning, it is safe to assume that you’ll be able to stop at a McDonald’s right in the middle of your next big drive. Availability is the first of many ways in which the typical fast food stop is extremely predictable. Once you arrive, you are sure to find the same familiar menu that you know from home. Furthermore, you will find clean bathrooms, a table to sit at, and a line that provides just enough time for you to decide what to order. On top of that, you’ll be back on the road within 30 minutes (sooner if you decide to eat while driving). The McDonald’s experience certainly exemplifies the, “efficiency, predictability, calculability, substitution …show more content…

Since, “only ten percent of Chinese people can afford a Big Mac”, people in China must be choosing to spend money at McDonald’s rather than elsewhere (Drucker, 4). In the United States, people frequent fast food restaurants despite having the opportunity to cook cheaper and healthier meals using ingredients from the grocery store. If McDonaldization is harming us by homogenizing our culture, who exactly is being harmed? It’s unreasonable to assert that it is the American consumer, who can choose between fast food, the grocery store, and a wide variety of thriving restaurants selling food from all over the world. Furthermore, people in other Countries aren’t having their cultures wiped out by American fast food. As James Watson points out, McDonalds needed to adapt in many ways to fit in with the culture of foreign countries like China (Watson). More dramatically, as Stephen Drucker observed in 1996, “This summer McDonald 's will open its first restaurant in India. It will serve no hamburgers” (Drucker, 6). Even if fast food were colonizing the world, this level of local adaptation makes it clear that McDonalds is by no means serving everybody the same

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Mark Bittman's Article: Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been withstanding controversy about whether fast food is easier on the pocket than eating home-cooked meals. Take McDonald’s for instance, they’re notorious for their convenient and affordable dollar and value menus. Since you can get a burger for just $1.19, feeding a family of four should be inexpensive right? Mark Bittman, author of “Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?” argues otherwise. He claims that fast food is not at all cheaper than buying a few groceries and cooking at home. He expresses the different myths about fast food like how it is supposedly cheaper than real food when measured by the calorie, the mentality of people that if it isn’t fast food, it has to be costly organic food, and that there just isn’t enough time to cook at home. These myths followed by genuine factors such as addictions and a cultural impact, help Bittman prove his argument’s validity across to his audience. I have to say that Bittman proved his argument’s effectiveness, for he clearly stated his thesis and provided various reliable

    Read More

  • hgk

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    Section 1: Typically, we need a well-balanced meal to give us the energy to do day-to-day tasks and sometimes we aren’t able to get home cooked meals that are healthy and nutritious on a daily basis, due to the reasons of perhaps low income or your mom not being able to have the time to cook. People rely on fast food, because it’s quicker and always very convenient for full-time workers or anyone in general who just want a quick meal. Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation argues that Americans should change their nutritional behaviors. In his book, Schlosser inspects the social and economic penalties of the processes of one specific section of the American food system: the fast food industry. Schlosser details the stages of the fast food production process, like the farms, the slaughterhouse and processing plant, and the fast food franchise itself. Schlosser uses his skill as a journalist to bring together appropriate historical developments and trends, illustrative statistics, and telling stories about the lives of industry participants. Schlosser is troubled by our nation’s fast-food habit and the reasons Schlosser sees fast food as a national plague have more to do with the pure presence of the stuff — the way it has penetrated almost every feature of our culture, altering “not only the American food, but also our landscape, economy, staff, and popular culture. This book is about fast food, the values it represents, and the world it has made," writes Eric Schlosser in the introduction of his book. His argument against fast food is based on the evidence that "the real price never appears on the menu." The "real price," according to Schlosser, varieties from destroying small business, scattering pathogenic germs, abusing wor...

    Read More

  • Bureaucratic Theory Of Mcdonaldization

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theory of “McDonaldization” describes the way different aspects of the modern world are taking on more and more of the “principles of the fast food restaurant” (Ritzer 1). Obviously, the term stems from the restaurant “McDonald’s” itself; however, McDonaldization is present in many restaurants, industries, politics, religion, and many aspects of social life as well. For example, the music industry has become increasingly McDonaldized. Artists are expected to produce many albums in a certain amount of time, they are expected to look the same and sound the same at any concerts they give, and most popular music is created through Auto Tune and producers cutting and pasting snippets of a song together. The modern idea of going on vacation is similarly McDonaldized. For example, you can go to another country, hire a tour guide to show you as many of the most popular spots as possible, as fast as possible. Your picture is taken in front of certain attractions, you are taken to certain places to eat, and you stay in certain places. It’s very efficient, the cost is easily calculated, and it’s incredibly predictable. For this paper, I will

    Read More

  • McDonaldization

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    sociologist George Ritzer argues that the relationship between McDonald’s and our society runs even deeper. Beyond its commercial propaganda and symbolism, Ritzer says, McDonald’s is a potent manifestation of the rational processes that define modern society.

    Read More

  • Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation: The Destruction of American Values

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book Fast Food Nation: The Darks Side of the All-American Meal, Eric Schlosser claims that fast food impacts more than our eating habits, it impacts “…our economy, our culture, and our values”(3) . At the heart of Schlosser’s argument is that the entrepreneurial spirit —defined by hard work, innovation, and taking extraordinary risks— has nothing to do with the rise of the fast food empire and all its subsidiaries. In reality, the success of a fast food restaurant is contingent upon obtaining taxpayer money, avoiding government restraints, and indoctrinating its target audience from as young as possible. The resulting affordable, good-tasting, nostalgic, and addictive foods make it difficult to be reasonable about food choices, specifically in a fast food industry chiefly built by greedy executives.

    Read More

  • An Analysis of Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    The New York Times bestseller Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is one of the most riveting books to come out about fast food restaurants to date (Schlosser, 2004). Fast food consumption has become a way of life for many in the United States as well as many other countries in the world. The author Eric Schlosser an investigative reporter whose impeccable researching and bold interviewing captures the true essence of the immense impact that fast food restaurants are having in America (2004). Beginning with McDonald’s, the first fast food restaurant, which opened on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois to current trends of making fast food a global realization McDonald’s has paved the way for many fast food restaurants following the same basic ideal that is tasty foods served fast at a minimal cost (2011). Schlosser explains how fast food restaurants have gained substantial market share of the consumers; he also shows that by marketing to children and offering less unhealthful fare, that are purchased from mega-companies which are often camouflaged with added ingredients and cooked unhealthful ways, that these companies are indeed causing irreparable harm to our country (2004).

    Read More

  • what we eat

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American life has been transformed by the fast food industry not just changing the American diet but also the culture, workplace, economy, and the landscape. “Today about half of the money used to buy food is spent at restaurants-mainly fast food restaurants.” (Schlosser) This could be due to the fact that about two-thirds of working women are mothers. The impact of fast food on the American culture is transparent when just looking at McDonald’s. McDonald’s has become the world’s most famous brand; the golden arches are more known than the Christian cross. “A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96 percent could identify Ronald McDonald.” (Schlosser) McDonald’s is responsible for 90 percent of new jobs in The United States. The landscape has changed due to the fast food ...

    Read More

  • Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser

    1927 Words  | 4 Pages

    Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Print.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Mcdonalds

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    In many ways, McDonald’s is the model business empire. All-American food, speedy service and a perceived value for money all go some way to explaining why the giant corporation continues to pack in diners to its restaurants every day. Nothing seems to dent the popularity of the mighty Big Mac, even under the pressure of harsh criticism that golden arch still stands tall. Somethings however you just can 't ignore on many different accounts very disgusting things have been found inside of different items on the menu. “Katherine Ortega bought a large order of nuggets from a Newport News McDonald’s and took them home to feed her kids, only to shake a deep-fried chicken head out of the box and onto the plate. That’s not white meat, obviously.”(K

    Read More

  • The Globalization of McDonald's

    2634 Words  | 6 Pages

    A world without the Big Mac, Happy Meals, Chicken McNuggets, and the phrase “I’m lovin’ it,” is almost inconceivable. People around the globe have become accustomed to the high gleaming golden arches that make up the famous emblem for McDonald’s. McDonald’s has grasped the concept that culture flows from power. In this case, the American culture flows through the veins of this fast-food giant and the more that is supplied, the greater the demand. It is no secret that McDonald’s has become one of the world’s largest fast-food retailers. It has become a well known icon that has played a huge part in globalization, with chains located in many different countries… transforming the meaning of fast-food all around the world.

    Read More

  • Effects of Eating McDonalds

    1374 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ask a teenager what their favorite fast food restaurant is and most of them will probably say McDonalds. "McDonalds operates approx. 30,000 restaurants on 6 continents, and feeds about 46 million people in a single day! In the U.S. alone, McDonalds accounts for 43% of the fast food market." Manhattan alone contains 82 restaurants packed into the island (Super Size Me). McDonalds has been criticized by the media and other people for offering too many unhealthy choices on their menu, therefore leading to obesity in America. Eating too much McDonalds, or any other fatty food, will give you many long term health problems.

    Read More

  • The McDonaldization of Society

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    The McDonaldization of Society The McDonaldization of society may sound somewhat misleading but the term actually refers to the rationalization of society. The use of the word "McDonaldization" just simply indicates that the fast food restaurant is one of many great examples of rationality. Ritzer discusses five dimensions that characterize rationality or a rationalized society: efficiency, predictability, calculability, the use and preference of non-human technology, and the control over uncertainty. The five characteristics can be noticed in various aspects of society which exemplifies the extent that rationality affects our society and societies worldwide. In this paper I will summarize Ritzer's discussion of these five characteristics and give possible examples of each dimension.

    Read More

  • Mcdonalds And The Sustainability Of Mcdonald's

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The purpose of this paper is to introduce you to the fast food industry, how it is everywhere in the United States and increasingly spreading globally. The majority of the fast food restaurants in the United States are dominated by hamburger fast food restaurants. Amongst the burger segment, McDonald’s is the number one leader in the burger industry, followed by Burger King, and Wendy’s respectively (Oches, 2011).

    Read More

  • Essay On American Food Culture

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    American culture is changing dramatically. In some areas it’s a good thing, but in other areas, like our food culture, it can have negative affects. It is almost as if our eating habits are devolving, from a moral and traditional point of view. The great America, the land of the free and brave. The land of great things and being successful, “living the good life.” These attributes highlight some irony, especially in our food culture. Is the American food culture successful? Does it coincide with “good living”? What about fast and processed foods? These industries are flourishing today, making record sales all over the globe. People keep going back for more, time after time. Why? The answer is interestingly simple. Time, or in other words, efficiency. As people are so caught up in their jobs, schooling, sports, or whatever it may be, the fast/processed food industries are rapidly taking over the American food culture, giving people the choice of hot

    Read More

  • Negative Impacts of the Fast Food Industry

    893 Words  | 2 Pages

    I Wonder… Term Project Introduction I wonder what negative impact the fast foods industry had on the environment. Nowadays, fast foods industry has become one of the biggest industries in around the world. More and more fast foods restaurants are opened as the number of people who consume fast foods increase.

    Read More

More about Negative Effects Of Mcdonaldization

Open Document