http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTW0y6kazWM: Video clip showing the problem when non human technologies replace human beings.
http://learn.bowdoin.edu/sociology/soc101/?p=103
* A Viewer commenting on the issue of predictability, calculability, control and glocalization
Christopher Houdlette says:
I honestly think McDonaldization is a really horrible global trend. It is a giant concept that is slowly changing how humans perceive and interact with the world. My biggest problems with McDonaldization is the way it standardizes experiences no matter where in the world you are, uses technologically to subjugate humans, and values quantitative results rather than quality of individual experiences.
With McDonaldization the same companies, firms, and brands are popping up all over the world and starting to dominate many local economies. No matter where you go in the world a McDonald’s or other fast food chain is probably nearby. The companies themselves argue that their menus and restaurant styles in different areas reflect and cater to the individual tastes of those countries (i.e. the mayo and shrimp crust in Japan which many of us in class were disgusted by). However, I feel that those companies are essentially duping the mass population; a Pizza Hut in America is the same as a Pizza Hut in Japan… it is still an extension of a western brand. I can see the McDonaldization of restaurants and businesses extending to other facets of culture as well. In the future how will we differentiate between countries when we consume the same media, wear the same clothes, eat the same food (selected for us by these powerful corporations)? McDonaldization breaks down the barriers and cultural differences between countries and could very well end up destroying what makes these different places so unique.
McDonaldization is also impacting the labor force here and abroad. It aids in creating a very large pool of uneducated individuals essentially tied to these huge companies for their continued existence. Technology essentially controls these people and soon there jobs will most likely be replaced by computers and machines. What will these people be able to do when Mcdonald’s replaces them with automated systems? All they are accustomed to is flipping burgers and following carefully regimented directions… how will they be able to respond to this growing information and knowledge based economy which they don’t posses skills to be a part of. What responsibility does Mcdonald’s and other companies have to the human capital it exploits?
My last qualm with Mcdonaldization lies in how it is changing the values of our society through hyper-consumption. People are now trying to consume as much as possible. This pattern is corroborated by these business practices of these McDonalized firms. These firms only see the value in the quantitative aspects of their businesses (getting as many people in and out eating burgers as possible) they don’t pay as much attention to the qualitative aspects of their businesses (how the burger tastes, the environment of their restaurant, clean bathrooms). They just want to get as many people consuming as quickly as possible and make massive profits off those activities. It seems like this has created a shift in out present society where people are essentially competing to consume as much as possible (see for example rising obesity rates… people are physically consuming way more than is actually needed to “please” themselves). It takes the focus of our lives away from the quality of the experiences we have and we are now more focused on quickly and superficially consuming as much as possible. I see this as having very negative repercussions on the future of our society.
I think McDonaldization is doing very, very bad things to the world we live in today!
* A viewer commenting on the issue of a homogenized world.
With the Christopher' view, he is against with McDonalization's controll system. Without human- being, it is impossible to make food only automatic system which McDonald provides nowdays. By making the food with the automatic system effects on the food quality. That's why McDonald's low quality of food. McDonald makes many obese people, with providing many food by ignoring the one adults energy consuming rates in a day.
talhia says:
I agree with Kirin and Chris, and the comment of Walmart destroying community connections reminded me of a conversation I had earlier this semester with an older women at Bowdoin, (though i can’t remember who). I simply remember commenting on how there are a few shops on main street that or stocked, yet I never see open, such as the small hardware store near Hanaford. She told me how Maine Street used to be much different that it is today. It was booming with people from the town and neighboring towns going into the little book stores and hardware stores, for example, on maine street. Then Walmart came and a lot of the business closed down, or just haven’t been doing as well. This was interesting to me because it is a concept we covered, yet it hits so close to us. Though she said Brunswick Maine St. used to be the quite the popular town, I personally beg to differ today. And why? For cheaper prices and less quality items.
On a cultural note, though I haven’t been lucky enough to travel nearly as much as I feel other students here at Bowdoin have, I still very much value the different cultures of different countries. I feel that eventually when I do get the chance to travel, everything will be very homogeneous. I’ve already begun to notice this in my travels to Mexico and Peru. My cousins in Mexico tell me about how they go to the starbucks at the local shopping mall to hang out with their friends–something i visualize a very cheesy teenages in a hollywood movie type of thing to do. Also, I really saw this contrast on my community service trip to Peru. At night we stayed and spent our “fun” times in the city of Lima, where again there were indoor malls that reminded me of the malls back home, with small boutiques of westernized clothing, and of course, McDonalds. I thought to myself that I really would have liked to experience more of the Peru I had in mind: the native people and the native food. If I wanted McDonalds I would have stayed home.
But then, when we went to work during the day into the poor shanty towns on the outskirt of Lima, I really got a taste of the Peru I had envisioned. and why? because they had not been westernized or globalized. I mean, we were building them simple stairs and they took that as a sign of social and political advancement in their community. The women made us home made meals that consisted of potatoes with a delicious sauce (I don’t remmeber what it was called), and of course, we had Inka Cola, not Coca Cola.
Long story short, my point here is that I think that McDonaldization will eventually McDonaldize cultures completely. We will lose the different and very interesting cultures around the world and everyone will even look the same, like westerners (Like in the coca cola billboard in china).
