rganizations that share
our commitment.
McDonald’s and our local business units have a long history of support for youth sports and
amateur athletics. We have launched a global program—GoActive!—to build on these
efforts at many levels. The goal is to help people identify realistic, fun ways to incorporate
fitness and
physical activity into their everyday lives.”
In a postmodern culture characterized by confusion and simulation, companies like
McDonald’s assume the role of cultural pedagogues--offering children play spaces and
adults comforting messages supporting community values. The food is secondary to the
image. In true postmodern style, McDonald’s presents us with an amazing “Situationist”
spectacle of high-tech efficiency in the kitchen, friendly service at the counter, and the feeling that by eating there we are not only making our children happy, but expressing a
certain sympathy with McDonald’s own commitment to community, family, patriotism, and
all-round good will. As Kincheloe writes, “Fascination replaces meaning as the spectacle
becomes more important in all facets of everyday life.” If a chief feature of postmodernity is a
culture of highly polished images, McDonald’s imagery of itself as a kind of corporate parent
to generations of children is seamless and persuasive.
(ii) McDonalds and civic advocacy propaganda
In its 2004 “Corporate Social Responsibility Report,” McDonald’s opens with the following
statement:
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“When McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc opened his first McDonald’s restaurant in Des
Plaines, IL in June 1955, he donated 100 percent of opening day sales to a local charity.
Since then, community commitment has flourished at McDonald’s restaurants around the
world.
‘At McDonald’s Canada, we are proud to continue this important tradition—in our more
than 1,340 restaurants across the country, in our corporate goals and commitments, and
in our national charitable sponsorships. We are committed to doing what is right, to being
a good neighbour and a good corporate citizen in every community in which we live and
work. After all, giving back to the community is more than just a commitment. It’s the
foundation on which our company was built.”
McDonald’s philanthropy is thoroughly documented at the site: it supports the Ronald
McDonald Houses nationally, while its franchisees independently engage in a great number
of charitable activities at the community level. The company also expresses its commitment
to animal welfare, environmental standards, and lower-fat food choices. In every sense, it is
a model corporate citizen. Its advertisements project an image of a family-friendly place
where children can play, adults enjoy a “break today,” and community values are foremost.
UK-based anti-McDonald’s “McSpotlight” site:
http://www.mcspotlight.org/
But the creators of the anti-McDonald’s website, McSpotlight, highlight the cynical nature of
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