- McLibel -

It is the WAY the system is set up.

Posted by: Kilroy on June 21, 1999 at 13:15:52:

In Reply to: what's wrong with McDs making a profit? posted by Ludwig von Mises on April 26, 1999 at 11:26:54:

: : : I can't understand what would make people become so involved that they have a debate about a fast food chain. I came accross your page in search of some info about the company, and I feel i have to tell you that Mc Donalds uses recycled paper so you can'y complain about that, and they also have events for charity for those kids who are worse off than we are. So you can't call it a bad company

: : Oh, that's alright then.
: : I was worried there for a moment that worker exploitation,

: The workers can leave.

Not if they can't find a job anywhere else. Not if they've been brainwashed (You know, the classic "Many of our top people started right where you did!")

: : animal cruelty

: They don't directly hurt animals, thier providers do.

And McDonalds pays those providers to do it.

: : and making enormous profit from selling crap food might be a problem.

: What is "crap food" is for the public to decide. Obviously, the public likes this "crap food", so what's wrong with McDs making a profit?

: : But as long as they give a token amount to charity, they can do whatever they like.

: A token amount?!?!? Charity is one of thier main things, it's not a "token amount".

All things considered, yes it is.

Frankly, I am tired of capitalist attempts to justify exploitation, environmental damage, etc., through diffusion of responsibility. Anything, ANYTHING, can be justified in this manner, even the slaughter of millions of Jews. From McDonald's point of view (and apparently yours too, not to imply that you share a brain), they do no wrong, they simply pay suppliers, advertise, employ, sell crap, etc. From the suppliers point of view, they do no wrong, only what they are paid. Poeple who buy the food do no wrong, they only buy a product made available to them, thereby supporting a massive oppresive multi-national (and they do it after having seen hundreds of hours of McD's ads). The workers do no wrong, there just working a job, something everyone's expected to do, at least during Republican administrations. In effect, no one person is doing anything wrong, it is THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE committing the crimes.

This is one of the numerous reasons people get so incredibly irate when they hear criticisms of capitalism, or any other system they happen to belong to. They truly are doing no wrong (usually), there are very few "bad guys." Just look at the posts by franchisee owners. While everyone is flaming everyone else, the big picture is lost. It is the WAY the system is set up. Unfortunately, class-stuggle, environmental damage, violence, war, imperialism (tell me that's not still going on, I dare you), oppression of the inherently weak, cruelty, yadayadayada, are inherent to the basic underpinning of capitalism, especially the global capitalism we have today.

BTW, nobody is "used to" living in holes dug from human filth.


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