Why they ARE the evil empire! (McDonald's)

Member Name: Rumblefish

Product:	McDonald's
Date:	05/10/00 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap? Value-for-money?

Disadvantages: Evil.

I am always inclined to compare McDonalds to the Imperial Empire in the orginal Star Wars trilogy, and Ronald McDonald to a bizarre - and frankly much creepier - earth equivalent of Darth Vader. I must first say that I am not saying that Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and other enormous High Street multinationals (Starbucks, Gap, etc. etc.) are that much better than McDonalds - for all I know they may in some respects be worse (though I rather doubt it). But since McDonalds like to regard themselves as the biggest and best, I feel it is appropriate to single them out as epitomizing everything that is sinister and disturbing about the form of capitalist globalisation they spearhead.

A few years ago the McDonalds in my home town of Colchester made the national news when it was discovered that food there was being prepared even though the kitchen was flooded with sewage. It was an appropriate metaphor for an organisation that sells crap and has been accused of treating the environment, the public, and even its own workers like shit.

The food sold by McDonalds is, as your GP will tell you, very bad for you. Three-quarters of premature deaths in the western world are caused by the kind of high fat/low fibre diet promoted by McDonalds. Of course chocolate, ice-cream, and all sorts of delicacies many of us enjoy may be bad for you too. But McDonalds promote their food as "nutritious" and beneficial, when you and your kids would undoubtedly be better off not touching their food at all.

Employment at McDonalds - even aside from sewage - has been derogatorily nicknamed "McJobs", due to the low wages and poor conditions workers around the world have experienced. And McDonalds are notorious for stamping out any form of unionization by workers who want a better deal.

The expansion of McDonalds, even into the Third World, means that there are now fewer and fewer havens from that dreaded logo, and a general degrading of the nat
ional cultures of other countries. In this country we are seeing local pubs being transformed into McDonalds outlets, and in 1995 McDonalds negotiated to purchase a Red Cross NHS hospital cafe in Glasgow.

Perhaps most disturbing of all is the manner in which McDonalds target children. Apart from the purchase-linked toy promotions, sponsored "educational packs" have found their way into primary schools. "But McDonalds have to make money!" you might say, as if poor old Ronald could quite easily find himself in the dole queue. But is there not something reprehensible in specifically targeting youngsters who are blissfully unaware of McDonalds' practices or the unhealthiness of their food? Surely schools should be free of this kind of insidious indoctrination.

I have a great deal sympathy for parents in the McDonalds age, and I don't dispute the convenience and relative value-for-money McDonalds may offer, but I personally find it a depressing state of affairs that so many children enter adolescence already so brainwashed that they can think of nothing better to do with their friends than spend hour upon hour in McDonalds.

McDonalds are so massively powerful that one fears that there is little that can be done to stop their grip becoming even tighter and more pervasive. But some communities have prevented McDonalds turning local pubs into fast food outlets, so it is possible to fight back. Perhaps the evil empire will yet be vanquished...

* Here's a tip for anyone wanting to stage a mini-rebellion. When McDonalds run gaming promotions such as McDonalds Money Monopoly they are required by law to advertise that there is "No purchase necessary" to participate (you'll find it in very, very small print). You are therefore entitled to enter a McDonalds store, request and complete a "No purchase necessary" form, and play. You can do this once a day as long as the promotion is running.
If McDonalds refuse to comply you can report them to Trading Standards and they can be prosecuted.

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