One of the most prevalent American icons is McDonald’s. McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast food restaurant chain, operating in nearly every country. The glowing golden arches can be identified anywhere. Whether we like it or not, those arches have come to be a prominent American icon.McDonald’s has become a symbol of the spread of American culture. However, McDonald's has been a recent issue of public debate on topics concerning obesity and consumer responsibility.
The documentary Super Size Me addresses these issues in a fascinating way. In an interview with Tiscali, Morgan Spurlock said he wanted “. . . to make a film that would hopefully cause people to think about how they eat and live their lives.” So, he performed an experiment to achieve his goal. He ate from McDonald’s three times a day for 30 days, only ate meals offered at McDonald’s, sampled every McDonald’s item within the 30-day period and “Super Sized” his meal every time he was invited to. Spurlock gained 25 pounds from his experiment, which took 14 months to lose.
The documentary was the ninth highest grossing documentary film of all time with a total of $28,548,087. The world’s great interest in Super Size Me goes to show McDonald’s iconic nature.
How do you feel McDonald’s status as an American icon influences others’ views of Americans? Do you feel McDonald’s is a positive or negative American icon?
37 comments:
I believe McDonald's is a positive icon for America. It shows other countries that the American dream and and does happen, and what success can come from free enterprise. It could be argued that there is a negative connotation because of the obesity issue, but I think that it is in their favor because recently they have added messages and food items to promote better health.
All things in moderation. I don't really have an opinion on whether McDonald's is a positive or negative icon. I see it both ways as in free enterprise as a good thing and unhealthy food as a bad thing. However, they offer healthier food options, which is a good thing. Personally, I don't get cravings for McDonald's. On The View, Whoopi Goldberg said if you want us to stop eating badly, stop putting high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils in our food! Our society has made bad food cheap and so people buy it. I do think companies should look into taking the bad for you ingredients out.
I think McDonalds is a negative icon. Our lives in today's age are so busy! I think we should slow it down as much as we can. We aren't helping this situation much when we encourage this busy lifestyle with the option of fast food. Obviously food that is made that quickly cannot be healthy...McDonalds drives us to go faster and it is very unhealthy!
I think it could be considered both positive and negative. Yeah, McDonalds is not the healthiest thing in the world even with their added healthier options, but it is a symbol of free enterprise. None of the fast food chains are healthy anyways, that's just the nature of the beast. I can understand why people think it's negative because of the health issues, but overall, it has become a successful world-wide company, so it's got something going for it.
I agree with other posts- it can be positive or negative, like most businesses.
Positive- the doublecheese burger for a buck? AWESOME. The toys that came in the happy meals when you were little? AWESOME. Fast, inexpensive, and a good example of an American company going huge.
Negative- All the fat kids running around, appreciating too much what was mentioned earlier.
I think McDonalds is more negative than good because it pretty much manipulates kids on going there to play in the play area and get the happy meals. Plus, its food isn't the most healthiest and highest quality. But really I don't think McDonald's is the best representation of the American dream. Yeah they started a corporation, but the corporation makes people feel like they need to eat food that they really don't need. So that's not really a good thing or something that I would look up to as the American dream.
I personally think that McDonald's is a positive icon. I actually really enjoy hearing the story about Ray Crock and how he managed to turn a little hamburger joint into one of the world's most recognizable symbols. I think it's the individuals who eat at McDonald's twice a day who ruin this image. Moderation in all things.
I think McDonalds is a positive Icon for America. I would have eaten there every day while in Peru if I could have
I believe that McDonald's is a positive icon for America outside of the US. In talking to a close friend she said McDonald's in her country is a favorite and tastes better than here in the US. I think that helps to make American's appear more favorable. As far as within the US, I loathe McDonald's. I think it's disgusting and I feel disgusting after eating it. Documentaries like "Supersize Me" only reemphasized that feeling.
I think the golden arches as an American icon gives others the idea of our free-market, capitalist economy. In fact, it seems to embody it. I don't think it's a negative icon since it's enjoyed around the world, but it certainly has less "happy" connotations then say Coca-cola or Disney. I think it can be thrown in the same category as Wal-mart. It's good because it's convenient and everywhere, but it stifles local competition.
McDonalds can have both a positive and negative effect on other's as they view americans. The success that McDonalds enjoys comes from supplying the american people with something that they want. If it didn't sell they would have gone out of business long ago. Now on the side of obesity - the fat content is high....but what do you expect with some thing so cheap that tastes so "good". The problem in my mind is two fold....too much of one type of food and not enough exercise. In a sense McDonalds represents what most americans want - products that are cheap, widely available, and fast.
If people outside the U.S. thought of McDonald's as a negative influence, why would it be so popular world-wide? The fact is, people love the place. I too agree that an unhealthy and unbalanced diet will eventually kill you, but again, throw a little moderation in the mix and there's nothing wrong with having a happy meal every now and again.
I honestly don't know how I feel about McDonald's status influencing others views on America, mainly because they have McDonald's in numerous countries but put their own flair in it. So I guess i'd say it has a positive influence sine so many people wish to have a McDonald's, and they do, but still keep the food close to their own culture.
I think McDonald's can be viewed as both a positive and negative icon. I agree with the American Dream idea. McDonald's is a great example of what America has to offer. I think others would argue that due to the obesity issues its food causes that McDonald's is a negative icon. But then a thought comes to mind...Society is the one that keeps fueling this icon. We're the consumers and we all keep coming back for more. So negative icon or not, we still love it.
Why does being financially successful add credibility to an idea or existence?
I am hard pressed to think of one positive outcome that McDonalds has contributed to humanity. Poor eating habits? Increasing the pace of society? Imposition of the "American way"? The Drive-thru? The HAPPY meal? Disposable everything? Ronald McDonald, a trusted friend? The Ronald McDonald House Charities is the exception.
I have been to other countries such as England, Scotland, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and all of them have McDonalds. People love McDonalds outside the United States and they do really well. I think because of their popularity this is a positive icon for the United States.
Both. I personally dont think YAY for America if i ever eat at a mcdonalds outside the us, but i dont hate america because of it.. I know people who think its a gtreat thing and thank america for inventing it but others who think that it fast food culture typifies american culture; fast, lazy and crap.
Saying McDonald's is an American icon, leaves me feeling a little uneasy, but I can understand why people believe that it is.
Its hard to know whether those golden arches are positive or negative, so I'd agree with most and say that it is a little of both.
If we're talking about health, its obvious "mick-e-dee's" isn't the best choice. But overall McDonald's is a recognized symbol around the world and has for that matter been positive.
A close friend once told me that you have a quota amount of times you can eat at McDonald's in your life before you die haha. I think that McDonald's has become a huge icon for America and that because of that it is certainly a positive thing. There is negative aspects concerning health, but hey you have agency to choose how much and when to eat these kinds of foods.
I think McDonald's is a positive and negative icon for America. When I see commercials with little kids smiling while holding their happy meals I can't help but remember the good times of my childhood. On the other hand, McDonald's seems to be one of the main catalyst for America's obesity issues. McDonald's is trying to do something about it by offering healthier menu items, which is a great thing. Whether we agree with it or not, McDonald's will probably always be an icon for America.
I think in some cases McDonalds can be seen as a poor choice for the worlds most popular restaurant chain. It may cause some serious image problems for the USA. But in some countries McDonalds is seen as something completely different: luxury. I served my mission in a third world country that had a handful of McDonalds scattered around. Along with fast food, relatively low prices, and an American experience McDonalds promised one more thing there: cleanliness. Though McDonalds may be seen as less than edible here in the states and in other "developed" countries, McDonalds also has brought food that doesn't have a chance of killing you after one hamburger to some countries that desperately need just that.
I think McDonalds can be a positive and negative icon. The fact that someone had a vision of an enterprising hamburger place that evolved into a huge restaurant chain worldwide is a great success story. It is another story about an American dream However, the minute McDonalds begins reducing quality to cut price or when the company begins to loose it's main values is when it becomes a negative thing.
after reading a sociology book called "the mcdonaldization of society," ive come to think of it as a negative icon — many countries have come to view americans as obese and arrogant because of such symbols. placing mcdonalds in nearly every country in the world also contributes to the dominance of american culture throughout the world (aka the loss of individualized cultures)
As I kid i used to love McDonald's.. At the time, to visiti the US, "the McDonald's country" was a dream... If people let me I would eat it everyday... but as time went by I started noticing by myself how eating there wasn't my best choice... latter I saw the documentary Super Size Me and since then I haven't eaten at McDonald's once... But still, I think that McDonald's in other countries are still very popular. Last Christmas break I was in Brazil and the line for McDonald's in the mall were huge... I guess the McDonald's crises hit US the most...
Having lived in Costa Rica for two years I view McDonald's as a negative icon. Lots of people view American culture as McDonald's and when they say that American culture is taking over the culture the word they choose to describe that is "hamburgerized". It bothers me to think that McDonald's represents American culture and that people around the world associate our greasy personalities with it's greasy food. As for the healthier options at McDonald's I don't think their anyone really chooses to eat there to get the apple dippers.
Although their food isn't the greatest but I still go there on a occasion. After reading the blog I wish I had time to go there right now. MacDonalds is the most recognized restaurant almost all over the world. In Brazil it is really nice to eat there. I noticed during my time there that the food quality was a lot better than here in the states. I believe that it is a positive icon.
I remember traveling to London a few years back and seeing McDonald's golden arches a couple of times. I couldn't help but notice that our good friends the Brits live a much more active lifestyle than we do. They walk almost everywhere and don't eat near as much. McDonald's may be adored by other countries but it isn't helping Americans lose the title of the most obese nation.
I think that McDonalds is definitely a positive American icon. People make too much of what the affects of a certain company's product are and completely take the responsibility of the individual out of the equation. Occasional Big Macs and fries are an American institution.
You know what...I feel like Mcdonald's is almost American propaganda. Visit Mcdonald's anywhere outside the united states and you will not believe it's the same, ghetto, nastified restaurant. Anytime we wanted a free, nice bathroom or cheap snack in europe where did we go? MCDONALD'S. Yet you would never ever catch me there in the states. I don't know why this happens but it really bothers me. We are the country that FOUNDED Mcdonald's. Shouldn't we hold it to some sort of higher standard?
I think McDonald's is a negative icon. In my opinion it promotes and unhealthy lifestyle and takes away from the traditional family meal time. On the surface it seems like a wholesome all-American company that propagates happiness but is this accurate--NO.
That's funny because on my mission in Mexico, I definitely ran into people that thought that all Americans were fat and all we eat is McDonalds. I think that our icons definitely represent us as a people, whether we like it or not.
It is cool to hate McDonald's today. I can shamelessly say that I love McDonald's. After all is said and done I think it is a positive icon for America. It represents that American dream of entrepreneurship and the free open market.
I served in a foreign country on my mission and McDonald's was EVERYWHERE. And they were so much classier than any I've seen in the U.S. There it served as one of the better places to work and a nice place to eat. It is a positive icon in other places.
Supersize me. That's what McDonalds says about Americans. That we don't work to make our own food and prefer easy, fatty foods over healthy, homemade varieties. I wouldn't say this is particularly positive. Maybe because I personally don't like McD's (other than their commercials) and can't remember the last time I ate there!
not every american dream can be tied up with a pretty bow and have a picket fence around it. the american dream is that of success in a land of opportunity. no one thought about what happens to the american dream once you wake up. that being said, i do think mcdonalds represents the american dream. it was something that could have been created on in america at that time and is an enduring symbol to what america represents.
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