a particular nation organized on a global scale and
without national identity
. decline of the nation state
political . rise of the nation state
. shift in identity of individual from
. liberal democracy
citizen to consumer
. growth of the political party and
. decline of party affiliation, and rise
broad basis of political participation,
of single-issue politics (e.g. abortion)
e.g., labour parties
. power shifting to trans-national
. job security, unionization, growth
bodies, e.g., NAFTA, WTO, etc.
of the welfare state
. end of job security and lifetime
. imperialism and colonialism
employment
. rise of identity politics (based on
race, ethnicity, gender, orientation)
. loss of social capital (e.g., road
social . emergence of the nuclear family
rage, decline in volunteerism,)
(decline of extended family)
. divorced and blended families
. urbanization
. increase in number of people living
. growing scale in social life
alone
. population growth
. shift from mass to public
cultural . growth of mass media systems
communication
. conservative social roles
. increasing presence of simulation
. nationalism
. liberalization of social roles
. transition from Old to New World
. multi-culturalism
. growth in science
. digital media
religious and . secularization . experiments with “new
ethical . secular basis for ethics religions,”e.g. New Age
. rationalism . popular culture 英语论文网 【http://www.51lunwen.org】substitutes for
religious experience
. greater ethical relativism and
challenges to rationalism
(i) McDonalds as postmodern phenomenon
McDonald’s was started by California businessman Ray Kroc in 1954. Kroc had heard of a
concept for a restaurant that adopted Henry Ford’s assembly line production model to
preparing and serving food. That restaurant was a burger restaurant owned by the
McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac, in California. Kroc saw the potential in the McDonald
brothers’ idea, and bought the name and the business. McDonald’s is the world's leading
food service retailer with more than 30,000 restaurants in 121 countries serving 50 million
customers each day.
The restaurant with the golden arches, of course, is familiar to everyone whether we eat
there or not. It spends $2 billion annually on advertising worldwide; its restaurants are a
fixture in most North American cities of any size; it contributes financially to Ronald
McDonald Houses, which provide temporary accommodation for the families of children who
are receiving medical treatment. While its reputation has been affected by mad cow disease
fears, a trend toward healthier eating, and documentary films like “Super Size Me,”
McDonald’s remains one of the most visible corporate citizens.
But how is McDonald’s postmodern? To appreciate the point, it will help to explore
Kincheloe’s description of postmodernity first.
In a postmodern culture, media and popular cul
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