L.:
:
: All evidence supports my hypothesis!
: They own over 25,000 stores world wide!MB:
OK. Actually if I understand right around 70 to 80% of those stores are private franchises, but still with Corp. power and influence.
L.:
: They spent over $2 billion a year on advertising!
MB:
You gotta get the word out about your product somehow. Think of all the pidgeon poop that would be everywhere if they did it the old fashioned way instead of the airwaves :).
L.:
: They con and brainwash poor helpless little children that they MUST get the Happy Meal because of the cool toy.
MB:
That's no worse than an obnoxious car salesman trying to pressure you into buying that shiny new VW Jetta or Ford Escort and enticing you with a chance to win a prize in the process. The ad man's job is to persuade as big a crowd as possible to "beat a path". Buy this, get that, maybe win that is an ad practice that's been around for over 60 years. Have you forgotten the kids' cereal commercials, as well as the toy and game commercials? They're just as guilty as the Arches for using that method. As for "brainwashing", that's a strong term. What McD's and the others are after is convincing enough people on a given day to come and buy their product, so they can "make the sale", and raise the monthly profit margin ever higher. If you don't go to your local McD today, someone else, maybe a lot of someone elses will. As for the children, they are not that "poor and helpless". They are bright, and have all the capabilities in place to be objective, listen to all sides of the story, weigh the pros and cons, and be skeptical when the situation calls for it. It's up to the parents to inform them and teach them the art. If parents give into their kids' whim every day to go to McDonald's for that "happy meal and toy", or they just haul 'em there all the time out of convenience [read: pure laziness], then it's mom & dad who are at fault here, not the CEO in Oak Brooke, Illinois.
L.:
: Mcdonalds is a cruel and brutal company who is trying to brainwash us all into buying their products and give them the extra dollar.
MB:
Adolf Hitler and the Ayatolla were "cruel and brutal". Saddam Huisseine, Mormar Quadaffy, and Tim McVeigh still are. If you want "brainwashing", talk to Saddam and Mo, they're pretty big experts on the topic. McDonald's is just another company out there chasing a healthy balance sheet. Yeah, I believe they are putting profit ahead of everything else, including customer satisfaction, but that's nothing new. They're not the first, and they won't be the last. By your very post, you've shown the readers on this board that you're your own person, that you're not letting anyone do your thinking for you. You've shown that you're able to form opinions and beliefs. It's obvious you wouldn't be caught dead at a McD's. So much for their "brainwashing". Myself, I don't believe McD Corporate is a saint, far from it, as evidence would indicate. But yes I do eat at McD's licensed franchises/company stores, occasionally some months, frequently others. But that depends on what food I'm in the mood for. It's not the ridiculous ads on TV that infuence my decisions.
L.:
: I just want to thank Mcspotlight for what they are doing and I want to say that I intend to tell my whole (Year 12) english class all about Mcdonalds when I present my Propaganda speech. Mcdonalds is a fine target considering their whole existance is a lie. Thank you for all the information you have on this site, it is fantastic.
MB:
I have nothing against the McSpot staff personally, and it certainly is an interesting site, especially these forums. But to sum it all up, I don't think either side is absolutely right or wrong.
I'm not sitting here cursing McD or any other corporate firm, nor am I frothing mad at their CEO's. I'm just an average person getting by day to day the best I can. I'm in control of my life and my thinking. As for the "obnoxious, critic-silencing lawyers", well this site is still going full-blast after almost 4 years, and the end result of the McLibel Trial, as I understand, was that all the company officials and lawyers involved wound up looking like dumbasses.
MWB.
None.
