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The greatest pressure for MNCs. and 'globalisation' comes from
the USA. But it is remarkable that some of the finest literature
against these sweet poisons also comes from the USA. A valuable
addition in the latter genre is George Ritzer's 'The
McDonaldization of Society' (Pin Forge Press, Thousand Oaks,
California, 1996).
The learned author notes with dismay that MeDonald has a world-wide
chain of 12,000 outlets, with annual sales of over $23 billion and
a net profit of over $ 1 billion. The outlet in Beijing, of all
places, has 700 seats and 1,000 employees. The chain continues to
grow and the learned author does not see how this process can be
reversed.
But he points out that although these fast food joints appear
efficient and economical, they are nothing of the kind. They give
you an empty plate and expect you to wait in line, fill your plate,
dispose of it, drive down to the place, face traffic jam and
contribute to pollution. It is, in the words of Max Weber, doyen
of modern sociologists, a classic example of "iron cage of
rationality," Here is reasoning-but no reason, no reasonableness.
The cleanliness of these places approaches sterility. The
hamburger stuffing over-flows-to give the impression of very ample
filling. The price is four to six times the cost. Since the
potato slice has to be uniform in size and shape, too much of it is
thrown away as waste. And since the bread again has got to be
uniform, "all the chewy and nutritious elements of wheat, such as
bran and germ, have to be milled out."
Here food is not taken with pleasure, it is 'zapped', 'nuked'. You
go just to "re-fuel" and 'graze".
This food is okay for. broken families-with one-parent and
two-career situations-but it is killing the family. You just
gobble food in the bazar, or micro-wave pre-cooked stuff. All that
you get is 'finger foods' of pizza, hamburger, fried chicken,
french fries, pop-corn. it was only when the New York Times carried
the report 'The Poisoning of America' that they switched from beef
tallow to vegetable oil. But the end-result always is: more
quantity, worse quality. The pleasure of preparing your food and
enjoying it together, is gone.
Nor do matters stop there. The inhumanity behind fast foods is
colossal. The light burns bright first week or two, to make chicks
grow faster. Thousands of chicks are 'farmed' together with no more
than half a square foot of space per 3.5 lb birds. However,
confining chickens in such crowded quarters creates
unpredictabilities, such as violence and even cannibalism. Farmers
deal with these irrational "vices" in a variety of ways, such as
dimming the light as chickens approach full size and "debeaking"
chickens, so they cannot harm each other.
Other animals-pigs, lambs, steer, and calves especially-are also
raised in similar settings. To prevent their muscles from
developing-which toughens the veal-calves are immediately confined
to tiny stalls where they cannot exercise and, as they grow in
size, may not even be able to turn around. Being kept in stalls
also prevents the calves from eating grass that would cause their
meat to lose its pale color. The stalls are kept free of straw,
which, if eaten by the calves, would also darken the meat. 'They
are fed a totally liquid diet, based on non-fat milk powder with
added vitamins, minerals. and growth-promoting drugs," says Peter
Singer in his book, 'Animal Liberation'.
To make sure the calves take in the maximum amount of food, they
are given no water, which forces them to keep drinking their liquid
food. By rigidly controlling the size of the stall and the diet.
veal producers can m e two quantifiable objectives-the production
of the largest amount of meat in the shortest possible time and the
creation of the tenderest, whitest and, therefore, most desirable
veal.
This MeDonaldization is infecting all aspects of life so that now
there are 'designer babies' and unnecessary Caesarean deliveries.
These latter operations are more expensive and less safe and yet
they are being performed more and more. Most of them are performed
around 5 p.m.-so that doctors can go home for dinner!
MeDonaldization has even caught up with deaths. Death has become
an $ 8 billion industry.
The most dangerous part of these fast foods is that they are being
packaged as fun. If it really isn't efficient, and it really isn't
cheap, then what does MeDonaldization, more specifically, the
fast-food restaurant, offer people? Why has it been such a
worldwide success?
"For one thing. it offers the illusion of efficiency and frugality.
As long as people believe it, the actual situation matters little.
Perhaps more important, what fast-food restaurants really seem to
offer, as Stan Luxenberg has pointed out, is fun (or Garfield's
"fun. fun, fun"). As another observer notes, "Restaurants have
become a form of entertainment." Today's diner often looks for
theater more than food.
In what may be termed the "cotton candy principle," people will
buy, and even pay comparatively high prices for a few pennies worth
of food as long as it has a strong, pleasant, and familiar flavor.
Indeed, as Luxenberg shows, what fast-food restaurants often sell
is "salty candy." One of the secrets of the MeDonald's french fry
is that it is coated with both salt and sugar. People taste the
salt and the sugar, but rarely if ever the potato slice, little
more than an excuse for the rest.
McDonald's offers a kind of 'public theater," Instead of a private,
folded menu, McDonald's offers a marquee that, like the movie
options at the local cineplex, presents the diner's alternatives.
In this, and many other ways, dining becomes a public rather than a
private and personal experience, at times even a public spectacle.
Under the impact of MeDonaldisation even TV news has become
'Infortainment' that is information plus entertainment.
What is the way out of this velvet cage? The learned author is not
sure many people want to fly out of this cage. But he has
suggestions for those who resent and reject this cage.
For those of you who can afford it, avoid living in apartments or
tract houses. Try to live in an a-typical environment, preferably
one you have built yourself or have had built for you. If you must
live in an apartment or a tract house, humanize and individualize
it.
Avoid daily routine as much as possible. Try to do as many things
as possible in a different way from one day to the next.
More generally, do as many things as you can for yourself. If you
must use services, frequent non-rationalised, non-franchised
establishments. For example, lubricate your own car. If you are
unwilling or unable to do so, have it done at your local,
independent gasoline station. Do not, at all costs, frequent one
of the franchised lube businesses.
Similarly, the next time a minor medical or dental emergency leads
you to think of a "McDoctor" or a "MeDentist," resist the
temptation and go instead to your neighbourhood doctor or dentist,
preferably one in solo practice.
At least once a week, pass up lunch at McDonald's and frequent a
local cafe or deli. For dinner, again at least once a week, stay
at home, unplug the microwave, avoid the freezer, and cook a meal
from scratch.
To really shake up the clerk at the department store, use cash
rather than your credit card.
Seek out restaurants that use real china and metal utensils; avoid
those that use materials such as styrofoam that 'adversely affect
the environment.
More generally, watch as little television as possible. If -you
must watch TV, choose PBS. If you must watch one of the networks,
turn off the sound and avert your eyes during commercials.
Seek out small classes; get to know your professors. Go to no
movies that have roman numerals after their names.
It is particularly important that steps be taken to prevent
children from becoming mindless supporters of MeDonaldization.
Instead of using a "MeChild"-care center, leave your child with a
responsible neighbour interested in earning some extra money.
Keep your children away from television as much as possible and
encourage them to participate in creative games. It is especially
important that they not be exposed to the steady barrage of
commercials.
If you can afford it. send your child to a small, non-McDonaldized
educational institution.
Above all, when possible, avoid taking your children to fast-food
restaurants or their clones in other domains. If no alternatives
are present (for example, you're on a highway and the only options
are various fast-food chains), consider blindfolding your child
until the ordeal is over. (Remember, some of these suggestions are
only half serious.)
The learned author concludes: "Although I have emphasized the
irresistibility of MeDonaldization throughout this book, my fondest
hope is that I am wrong. Indeed, a major motivation behind this
book is to alert readers to the dangers of McDonaldization and to
motivate them to act to stem its tide. I hope that people can
resist McDonaldization and create instead a more reasonable, more
human world."
A few years ago, McDonald's was sued by the famous French chef,
Paul Bocuse, for using his picture on a poster without his
permission. Enraged, Bocuse said, "How can I be seen promoting
this tasteless, boneless food in which everything is soft."
Nevertheless, Bocuse seemed to acknowledge the inevitability of
McDonaldization: 'There's a need for this kind of thing ... and
trying to get rid of it seems to me to be as futile as trying to
get rid of the prostitutes in the Bois de Bologne." Lo and behold,
two weeks later, it was announced that the Paris police had cracked
down on prostitution in the Bois de Bologne. Said a police
spokesperson. "There are none left." "Thus, just as chef Bocuse
was wrong about the prostitutes, perhaps I am wrong about the
irresistibility of McDonaldization."
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