ipl-logo

Summary: The Mcdonaldization Of Society

511 Words3 Pages

In the nonfiction text The McDonaldization of Society, George Ritzer continually connects the overall idea that society has embodied the method of McDonaldization, and supports his argument through providing many examples of past events and companies that embody the specific characteristics of this idea. One interesting point Ritzer continually makes throughout his book is that not only does McDonaldization convey the four characteristics of efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control, but the author makes it clear that a fifth dimension of McDonaldization, irrationality of rationality, exists as well. Through supplying this new element, it provides the reader with a different point of view on the idea of McDonaldization because …show more content…

One interesting point Ritzer made early on in the book is how the food chain “In-n-Out” defies McDonaldization characteristics, but is still deemed as a “cult favorite” to its devout customers. Another interesting idea included by the author is how restricting McDonaldization can when thinking considering Weber's idea of the “Iron Cage”, mentioned in chapter 2. This idea broadens the reader's perspective on how limiting this method can be due to society becoming “nothing more than a seamless web of rationalized structures” where there “will be no escape.” Moreover, in the following chapters, Ritzer goes into depth relating to the distinguishing characteristics of McDonaldization and how it can be seen in a McDonald's restaurant as well as modern day examples, some of which being shopping malls, machine graded multiple choice tests, movie sequels, and pre prepared food items for fast food restaurants. Due to the extent of how Ritzer provides numerous examples of McDonaldization in our society, it allows for consumers to understand how greatly this idea and its values affect us daily. Along with chapters covering the characteristics, the author choose to provide chapters on how to deal with McDonaldization as well as will it go away. By providing the reader with these crucial chapters, it allows for the reader to either directly take home advice on how to deal with this new information they received, as well as if they can reverse this sociological

Show More
Related
215 Words | 1 Pages

Eric Schlosser's purpose in writing Fast Food Nation is to inform the American readers that they personally withhold the power to change solve the nation's fast food crisis. Schlosser exerts and Authoritative tone in his passage, "how to do it, which guarantees the reader that demanding the fast food industry to change will yield amazing results. The authoritative tone embodies the reader with a sense of reassurance and safety. Schlosser wants the reader to know that, "Even the anticipation of consumer anger has prompted McDonald's to demand changes from its suppliers" in the past (269). The reader is provided facts that make them believe that they have leverage over the industry.

Read More
410 Words | 2 Pages

Since the conclusion of World War II, the fast food industry’s place in America and its economy has rapidly grown. The industry grew along with the automobile industry, which allowed customers easier access to the food establishments. Throughout the book, Schlosser mainly focuses on McDonald’s since he credits it with inspiring many of today’s popular fast food chains. Schlosser retells McDonald’s rise to popularity, but also the dark side of its

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

The book review begins with Danovich introducing the force money has with bringing or keeping out fast food franchises. She describes the situation in 1974 when a McDonald's wanted to open their doors in Manhattan’s Upper East Side and were forcibly thrown out after they revealed the restaurant inflated their stock resulting in it dropping $357 million. It is a different story for less wealthy neighborhoods where it is nearly impossible

Read More
380 Words | 2 Pages

Schlosser argues America’s lives are solely based off of fast food. Throughout his writing he describes how common it is in our society in which fast food is ordered, sold, and consumed. Everywhere you go, every glimpse you take, every corner you pass, fast food is being sold everywhere. Schlosser describes throughout his text the commonality of fast food in restaurants, airports, schools, and large chained stores available nationwide, in which each compress the similarity of fast food. Not only does he include how common fast food is in an American’s life, but he describes how Americans will spend more of their money in their wallet on fast food than they would on other livelihood essentials.

Read More
922 Words | 4 Pages

The setting in which I found McDonalidzation most prevalent is the Public Education School System. Public school systems have been heavily influenced by assembly line production and the characteristics of McDonaldization. I will briefly summarize the characteristics and how they tie into the public-school education system. Efficiency is one of the most important defining characteristics of McDonaldization because of the United States’ focus on capitalism, making a profit and cutting costs while limiting the number of workers. Industrialization and the invention of the assembly line were very successful and heavily influenced businesses, governments, and especially the classroom.

Read More
566 Words | 3 Pages

Schlosser provides a good argument with personal anecdotes and statistics that serve as solid support for his argument. However, his political bias against large corporations has overshadowed the benefits that these fast food industries actually give. In his book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser fails to convince the readers of the perils of the fast food industry by disregarding the pros of the industry and manipulating the reader's emotions. First,

Read More
328 Words | 2 Pages

#3 McDonaldization is a dominant pattern in American society The four key characteristic to McDonaldization are efficiency, predictability, calculability, and controllability. All four components play a crucial role in the society we live in today. One good example of McDonaldization is Disney World. Walt Disney tries to change our society in to resembling their theme park and the character there.

Read More
634 Words | 3 Pages

In Margaret Visser’s essay, “The Rituals of Fast Food”, she explains the reason why customers enjoy going to fast food restaurants and how it adapt to customer’s needs. Some examples of the most loyal fast-food customers are people seeking convenience, travelers, and people who are drug addicts. First, most loyal customers are people seeking convenience. The reason why fast food restaurants are convenient because longer hours of being open, the prices are good , etc. As Visser said in her essay, “Convenient, innocent simplicity is what the technology, the ruthless politics, and the elaborate organization serve to the customer” (131).

Read More
132 Words | 1 Pages

“Don’t Blame the Eater”, written by David Zinczenko, is a short article discussing how fast food is the main cause of childhood obesity. This article came about in relations to two kids filing a lawsuit against McDonalds for making them fat. He begins his piece by sympathizing with these individuals because he used to be like them. Zinczenko then informs the reader of his background and how he fell into the category of being dependent upon quick and easy meals. In an attempt to provide a valid argument, he debates on how kids raise themselves while their parents are at work and that the nutritional values are not labeled upon prepared foods.

Read More
2288 Words | 10 Pages

Introduction In the year 1993 a sociologist named George Ritzer wrote a book called The McDonaldization of Society, which wasn’t about how the deliciousness of McNuggets has revolutionized the world, but instead focused on how the methodology and rational structuring used at the McDonalds franchise functions. The concept is that traditional ways of thinking are replaced by ends/means focused goals, sense of social control and prioritization of efficiency. In the words of Ritzer McDonaldization is “the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world”. The following essay discusses the origins of Ritzers’ theory of McDonaldization, elaborates on the four components proposed by him and talks about the critique ‘irrationality of rationality’.

Read More
275 Words | 2 Pages

George Ritzer in his book The McDonaldization of society McDonaldization defines as the process by which the principles governing the operation of fast food restaurants have been dominating an increasingly broader aspects of American society number and from the rest of the world. For Ritzer, concepts such as efficiency, speed, control, globalization ... pure fast food are spreading areas of the market and society. In his view, the emergence of fast food "is a new form of ideological domination begins acting on the

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

To begin, enjoying a meal from McDonald’s is the symbol of American culture. The fast food industry was one other major forces to shape modern life in the U.S. When asked to think of a word to describe America, majority of citizens as well as immigrants would say the “fast food”. For example,in 2001 a rebel group led by Jose Bove decided to protest the restrictions on trade set by Unites States in France and as a form of protest they destroyed a symbol of United States, a local McDonald 's, which demonstrates that McDonald 's is a representation of American culture and thus eating at this establishment is seen as an American tradition as well as the most American action a tennager can perfrm.

Read More
961 Words | 4 Pages

As people have issues about Mcdonalds’ low food quality toward people’s health. However, there is another important area that we have to consider seriously about is how its system, so-called “Mcdonaldization”has influenced and continuously effecting our society. From the article “McJobs: Mcdonaldization and the Workplace” by George Ritzer, he distributes the idea of how Mcdonaldized system has changed our society into scripted and “programmized” places (Ritzer 1998:140). He has specifically analyzed the McJobs’( job that has been Mcdonaldized) into four elements,which is its efficiency, calculation, prediction and control. As the nature of the world is made of a full of colors, diverse opinions of people naturally exist toward the term

Read More
1601 Words | 7 Pages

McDonald’s is the largest fast food restaurant chain in the United States and represent the largest restaurant company in the world, both in terms of customer served and revenue generated. In 2014 IBISWorld market research estimated MCD held an 18.6 % of market share of the entire global fast food industry; Burger King in at just 4.6%. Under franchising visionary Ray Kroc, McDonald 's became the world 's premier food brand by selling the rights to operate a McDonald 's store. With this model, MCD keeps overhead costs down and lets local owners deal with individual units, while food costs remain low and service remains fast for a culture increasingly on the go.

Read More
733 Words | 3 Pages

1. Supporting point 1: Nowadays we can see these fast food restaurants in almost every shopping mall and there is at least one of these franchised restaurants in each area of the city and still increasing in number because of the high demand. a. Sub-supporting point 1: Although there are lots of choices of food inside a mall, but people often choose fast food as it is affordable and yet it is tasty and filling at the same time. b. Sub-supporting point 2: For example, in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, there are a lot options of food to choose but the two franchised McDonalds are still always

Read More

More about Summary: The Mcdonaldization Of Society

Related Topics

Open Document