McDonald’s vs. The Dictionary

Just thought I would bring this up.

The term “McJob” was printed featured in the Oxford English Dictionary as far back as 1986, defined as: “An unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, esp. one created by the expansion of the service sector.”

A few years ago (in 2003, to be precise) the publisher Merriam-Webster printed the term “McJob” in its Collegiate dictionary, with the definition “low-paying and dead-end work”. Well, sounds pretty damn precise to me. This term is also used widely today as slang for generally shit jobs in the service sector that aren’t necessarily with McD’s.

The funny thing is, McDonald’s and its bloated millionaire board of directors didn’t like the publicity (and its implications) this widely-disseminated word gave the corporation. First, they threatened to sue Merriam-Webster for infringement of trademark (as McD’s stamped the big ol’ TM on it in 1984), but in the end backed down. Instead, as we can still see on the Crew Room wall and on any literature advertising McD ‘careers’, they set out on a PR campaign to change its meaning to its complete opposite. So, a complete lie. If a ‘McJob’ was actually good it would have reliable shift patterns and decent pay for all (not less for the young), instead of a “culture of flexibility” (source: McD careers site) i.e. a culture of “the boss tells you when and how long your shifts are and that’s it, matey”. Yeah, so Ronald McDonald and his cronies’ (up in that ivory tower with the big ‘M’ on it) answer was to paint the “McJob”, so shamed in popular culture, as really quite lovely, flexible and fun.

McDonald’s even used this slogan in their advertising campaign in 2006: “McProspects – over half of our executive team started in our restaurants. Not bad for a McJob”. So they pretty shamelessly claim that £4.80 and hour (if you’re under 21) – with totally unreliable hours, managers breathing down your neck constantly and a complete contempt for trade unions and workers rights – is just dandy. Hmmm, I think that one’s worked a treat.

The reality is that the dictionary term is still accurate. If the bosses had changed it to ‘McExploitation’, they would’ve been onto a winner.

Ronnie raises the flag for McCapitalism!

– McProle