- McLibel -

There is hope

Posted by: Michelle ( Australia ) on September 23, 1996 at 16:44:13:

In Reply to: This is just totally depressing posted by Heather M. on September 16, 1996 at 18:09:27:

> No matter how much bad publicity this case gets,
> McDonald's will remain a giant.
...
> There are just too many mindless people in the
> world who are more concerned about their immediate
> needs than larger issues that affect the world.
> I may never eat at McDonald's but I don't kid myself
> into thinking that I'm changing the world.

I think I understand why you feel the way you do, but I disagree that
it's all an utter hopeless mess. A company like McD's or any other
multinational only has so much power because the people within it
take action to access and maintain that power. No matter what influence
it has over a population, it was built by humans, and can ultimately
be taken apart by humans.

Even if the information disseminated by the ripples of the McLibel trial
are all that come out of it, I think it's a step ahead. The way to
challenge disinformation and propaganda (ie that their food is nutritious
or that Ronald is a healthy role-model for our kids) is to provide a
space for alternative viewpoints. --- McSpotlight!

I know heaps more about what's behind the glossy McDonald's image now than
I did before the trial started. It means I'll never set foot in one again
(even to buy fries if there's nothing else to eat...), and I'll tell everyone
else what I know. That might make me feel like just a tiny cog in the huge
scheme of things, but when I know people are making similar choices as far
away as America or Finland, it seems like the world could really make a change.

Yes, there will always be `mindless' people, but you don't have to abandon
your world to them.


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