Of McDonaldization & Men

“Of McDonaldization & Men”

Fahad Al Gharabally

Dr. Nassir

ENGL-102

Paper #2

From the ancient times of the Silk Road to the modern day stock market, globalization has been at large since long before the word came to be. Globalization is the international integration that happens by the exchanging ideas, products and other aspects of culture between countries. It is when multinational companies start surfacing in other countries and integrate themselves beyond their borders. Times bring change, and in our world today it is common to see multinational retail companies like Nike, IKEA and McDonald’s when we pay visits to our local shopping centers and malls. Some may think it strange to wake up one morning and realize there’s a McDonald’s on every block of the neighborhood, yet some might see it as something of no consequence. There are a whopping 68 McDonald’s restaurants within proximity of the modestly small city of Kuwait, and it is this fact that has caused a lot of commotion in our society and country. The fact is that McDonald’s has long established itself in many other countries other than Kuwait, and people’s attitude towards the existence of this Corporate Giant around their neighborhoods varies greatly.

I’ve come across two articles that touch a lot of points about McDonald’s as a multinational company and it’s general impact on the world. The first article “Two Opinions on McDonaldization,” consists of the collected essays of authors Joseph Davicsin and Jeremy Skarlsky who tackle different positions on globalization and McDonald’s by firmly injecting their own feelings and attitude towards them.  In the second article “McBastards: McDonald’s and Globalization,” the author Paul Feine discusses his personal experience with McDonald’s and it’s impact on different countries and their cultures. From reading the articles, I have discovered that they are different in their context and in their language. The first article is actually a collection of two argumentative essays by two opposing authors with contrasting points about globalization versus localization; however, in the second article the author presents his case by humorously telling us of his own experiences with McDonald’s, like how he and his family shared good times by visiting McDonald’s restaurants in different countries. Although there are a few differences between the essays, they share many similarities in terms of their purpose, evidence and audience.

They authors share the same purpose in their discussion about McDonald’s success. Many would question’s McDonald’s’ success and assume that the organization got to where it is now through being hyped and overrated, however the authors argue otherwise and defend their purpose in talking about McDonald’s’ success. In “Two Opinions on McDonaldization,” Skarlsky stresses that McDonald’s is not an evil entity that thrives on running local restaurants out of business, as his opposing essayist Daviscin perceives it to be. Skarlsky explains that McDonald’s simply does things better and that they get their competitive edge because they fit into different cultures around the world. For example, customers can get McDonald’s burgers with mutton, chicken and halal beef in places like India and the Arab world, and it’s through this act of tailoring to the dietary laws of different societies that McDonald’s achieves its success. Similarly, the article “McBastards: McDonald’s and Globalization” focuses about the kind of conveniences McDonald’s provides to its customers. In this article, the author Paul Feine Anecdotally talks about his experience with McDonald’s in France where he and his wife needed an inexpensive meal that was of good quality at the same time, and McDonald’s is world renowned for its low prices and its exceptional quality food. “You’ve got to give the people what they want,” says Feine as he also explains how McDonald’s relieves parents of their cumbersome children by accommodating them with a safe playing area and also by fitting free toys into the popular ‘Happy Meal’, which is a favorite among children.