Can we really blame Ronald?

What has McDonald’s done to our culture? According to George Ritzer’s, The McDonalization of Society, fast food chains like McDonald’s have caused trends in what drives our nation. The people of the United States place value on rationality, efficiency and speed, which are values that are perfected by McDonald’s campaign. We want our food quick and cheap, but Ritzer argues that we apply these values to much more than just food. Ritzer connects his idea of rationalization through fast food chains to Weber’s description of how bureaucracy was shifting societal views. One component he focuses on is our nation's need for efficiency. Americans don’t have time to cook their own dinners, instead they rather go through a drive-thru and not even have to get out of their cars. This efficiency of McDonald’s is connected to its predictability. You go to McDonald’s knowing exactly what number on the value menu you are going to order. The limited menu options allow the customer to receive the same product every time they go there. Ritzer uses a camping example to highlight how our society has removed the uncertainties by having specific camp grounds that are enclosed with fences. This is an example of turning uncertainties into predictabilities. One of the most important aspects in my mind was his argument on calculability. We want quantifiable results. We want to know how much food we can get for that buck, aka the dollar menu. All these options of what you can get for $1. Ritzer describes the damaging effects of McDonaldization. I think this is best illustrated through our academic emphasis on grades, rather than the importance of understanding the knowledge. We have huge, money making business for standardized testing such as Kaplan and Princeton Review that take advantage of our society’s value on calculability.

While Ritzer did highlight other aspects of his theory, these three were the most important to me. I do agree with Ritzer that McDonald does provide an example of the American lifestyle, but I do not think it is McDonald’s fault for the way that America is run. Sure, McDonald’s does give other companies an example of successful marketing and business strategies, but it’s the public that drives demand. I don’t believe you can put all the blame on the fast food structures in our society. Are we really going to say that Ronald McDonald should be accounted for SAT and MCATs?

How has McDonaldization influenced your life? Why can’t we blame other organizations such as Wal-Mart for our societal values?