Role-Play Debate for course EngC 1015

Clean restrooms and service with a smile. You're right. What else would any customer want? McDonald's is nothing bad, and I don't understand how people think negatively of McDonald's, other than the fact that too much of it can be unhealthy. They are even looking into changing their menu, like adding pizza. Really, what is there not to like about a restaurant who will add or change their menu items, up-keep their bathrooms, and give service with a smile just to please their customers?

I agree with both of you; McDonalds is innocent. I don’t think it is the actual franchises that are the problem, rather what McDonalds symbolizes to other countries. As David Barboza states in “When Golden Arches Are Too Red, White and Blue”, “The brands… represent what most people despise about American culture: its seductive, indulgent and fast-paced lifestyle.” Even though McDonalds is willing to adapt to a vegetarian menu and offer pizza to please a changing society, the idea of “fast food” will not be lost. But how come McDonalds’ franchises are popping up all over the world even though they seem to be despised by the world for what they represent? This, I believe, is the flaw with the argument that McDonalds is imposing western culture upon the rest of the world. If people all over the world did not like McDonalds or the atmosphere of McDonalds, it would not succeed. I personally don’t see the charm in McDonalds and whenever I try it overseas, it has been worse than in America. But if the world wants McDonalds, the world will get McDonalds.

When I was in 8th grade, I lived in Cape Town, South Africa. One of the most interesting things about my year abroad was that many of my friends actually believed that some large American brands were South African. For example, my friend was positive that Heinz ketchup was a South African company and other friends even backed her up. Many of these large brands have distribution centers in other countries so it appears to be from that country. I know that this has nothing to do with McDonalds but I thought it was an interesting perspective on common brands.

I think the problem with Mcdonalds that everyone is overlooking is its atrocities against the environment. Mcdonalds is infamous for clear cutting parts of rain forests so they can raise their cattle to be slaughtered. Now why are they doing this? The demand is so great. Mcdonalds even puts beef derived flavoring in their fries and hash browns. So if you agree with killing cows and ecosystems, go have a big mac or something ill like that

Multinational conglomerates only have expansion room with environmental safety. When companies choose to set up their shop, their considerations are guaranteed property rights protection, a functioning legal system, a well-educated workforce, and sufficient infrastructure. These considerations outweigh the lax environmental regulations. There are considerable cost savings associated with standardized production techniques. Thus, companies tend to operate at the highest environmental world standard rather than adopt multiple production technologies for use in different areas. This includes the cultural and local repercussions of hurting local rain forests. Killing cows I can't deny, even thought I honestly wonder how much of their crap is real food, anyway that's beside the point. Any claim that this outsourcing hurts the environment is not very well thought through on an economic standpoint. McDonald's international expansionism provokes state owned and sponsored manufacturers in respective businesses to restructure interally which makes them also more environmentally sound. McDondald's campaign to get safer fuel for cars and other technological advancements also help. I'd go get a Big Mac if I wanted to die of liver disease, not if I wanted to doom all humanity in the future.

Being an international company with restaurants and employees all over the world, McDonalds has a lot of people to please and even more to piss off. I think McDonalds does a pretty good job of pleasing it customers. McDonalds could just serve its Americanized versions of its menu all over the world, but instead they have substitutes in their menu like a no meat substitute in India. The differing menus depend on the geographic location of the restaurant. McDonalds promotes jobs, sanitary eating and working conditions, a friendly atmosphere, and much more. Not only do they this effectively in America, but throughout the world as well . If a company is able to do this and has the amount of people traffic McDonalds has, I think that company deservers recognition and it isn’t that bad.

The thought of McDonalds being "such a bad idea" is not because of the cleanliness of it's bathroom and attitude of it's employees. Fast food takes away from tradition of supper. Instead of sitting down for an hour and spending that time with your family, one can now drive through a McDonalds on their way home and be done eating in a matter of minutes. Also, the obvious nutrition of it in itself is enough to say its not a good thing for the world. The idea that Ray Kroc developed in franchising McDonalds is genius though. The work he did in just a few years in the late 50's and early 60's has made his family worth billions of dollars.

I am with you, it can't be bad. The people want the product and are obviously buying the product, but I guess that some people will always resist change.

I agree with you that McDonalds is not bad. I mean people in any society complain when something changes. The older generation is used to sit down meals with their family and not the fast food life style and so they oppose it because they do not want to adapt to it. Even in the U.S it took us a very long time to adapt to other cultures and especially African Americans having equal rights. People just have a hard time changing. But the new generation in Hong Kong loves McDonalds. I believe people look at McDonalds to negatively. I mean they are increasing the cleanliness of Hong Kong, for example their bathrooms, they are bringing a new food aspect, and they are definetely increasing the economy. I mean if you look at Hong Kong today and even ten years ago, the change is dramatic. There are so many more mulinational companies, booming the economy. Their standard of living is way up. I am not saying however that McDonalds is doing everything right but I think there are more positives than negatives. Sure I do not believe in killing animals since I am a vegetarian but I know its a part of this world. They are not the only ones doing it. And does it matter how they kill the cows? Killing is killing to me. If you are going to kill, you might as well do it cost efficient. I mean low prices is a big deal for McDonalds.

I remember reading in the Star Tribune a while back that lots of people go to Dairy Queens on dates in China. It may seem weird to us here where we think of fast food pretty negatively, but in their new markets in Hong Kong and Shanghai, going to these places is a real treat.

In that same article, they talked about how each of these American restaurants change their menus to more adapt to the country. For example, a large DQ Blizzard in China is either smaller or the same as a small Blizzard in the U.S. Just thought that was interesting.

McDonalds doesnt have one person maning the helm. Each one is tailored for a sepcific community. Its unfair to say that McDonalds is a strictly American thing just because its roots are in America. Alot of good things have started in a country and become globally accepted. The foods served vary from country to country. Many of them are even locally owned. I agree in saying McDonalds isnt that bad and we all have to remember that nobody is being forced to eat there.

I tend to agree with the lot of you, although I think Watson must have at least a small investment in McDonald's after reading his hymn to Lord Ronald.

I thought the most interesting part was that about "service with a smile." I'm glad that there was some opposition to this, as I think it's sort of tacky and overused. I was at Best Buy last weekend in my hometown, and the girl at the checkout was OVERLY cheeky. "Just scan your card in the machine thingy, mmk?! SUPER DUPER! Have a GREAT day guys!" First of all, the ability to scan a credit card is no feat deserving of a super duper...we'll save that for preventing a train derailment or something like that. And there's no way anyone could geniunely be that spunky about watching someone else leave, especially when they have to sit at that same counter for additional hours...I'd be angry.

I miss real people being real. I hate when someone gets in a fender-bender, gets out, and laughs. What's so funny? Your car is BROKEN. That's expensive...

You make a good point, about real people being real. There is a fine line to be walked there. But as a consumer, i would rather have someone be overly excited to help, and provide good service rather than be angry and provide terrible service because they are being "real." Red Foreman from that 70's show said "Life is about doing a whole bunch of things that you don't want to do." And he's right, so are you going to just grin and bear it, or be mad and upset. I'll take the grin and bear it any day.

Its not so much the building that causes the problem but rather the symbolism. Its is the epitome of westernization, and the exploitation of the environment. The second and main problem that these McDonalds pose is that the food is extreamly unhealthy. People around the world are becoming fatter, and losing their tradtional diets that their bodies, and genetics are used to.

Sure Mcdonalds has great food, but everytime you take a bite out of one of those juicy hamburgers, do you even think about what your shoving into your mouth, all those poor helpless cows that were killed just for your own pleasure, it's disgusting, and if you really think that clean bathrooms, and, a most likely fake smile, makes up for that, then go ahead and shove your faces.

Mcdonalds food is very fataning and it is disgusting how thay make it and the resturants are in terible condition, But over all I give it 5 stars WHO HOO I LOVE MCDONALDS. :)

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
MCDONALDS ROCKS YAAAAAAAAA.

yeah, if you are a tree hugging, vegetarian, then McDonalds sucks, but for people who actually have a life and dont always have time to sit down for an hour long dinner every night then McDonalds is pretty useful.

yes i admit that sometimes McDonalds is more convienient, espaecially when people have such busy schedules, but that doesnt make it ok to eat all the time...it's called a balance, and i am not saying that everybody should cut it out of their diets completely but we do need other foods too. McDonalds 24/7 is not the way to go...at least not the healthy way!

Thats true that mcdonalds has nice bathrooms,thier food is horrible though i think they need to figure out a way of making their food better. A bathroom is only a bathroom?

Thats true that mcdonalds has nice bathrooms,thier food is horrible though i think they need to figure out a way of making their food better. A bathroom is only a bathroom?