Soon automobiles will follow suit-already diagnostic modules "tell" mechanics what components need to be replaced note: there is little repair that takes place. What this means is that the skills and capabilities of the human actor are quickly becoming things of the past.
Who we are and how we interact is becoming defined by our dependence upon and subordination to the machine. Although there have been many benefits and conveniences that are related to this process of McDonaldization: variety, round-the-clock banking and shopping, and often speedier service; there is a certain sense that these rational systems tend to turn in on themselves, to lead to irrational outcomes.
By that I mean that they deny the basic humanity, the human reason, of the people who work within or are served by them. The lines at the fast-food restaurants can be very long, and waiting to get through the drive-thru can even take longer than going inside.
These rational system don't save us money; we might spend less, but we do more work. The food we eat is often less nourishing, loaded with stabilizers and flavor enhancers, fats, salt and sugar. This contributes to the health problems of our society, a definitely "antihuman" component.
As our children grow up within these systems, they develop habits which insure our increasing dependency upon the systems. The packaging used in fast food industry pollutes the environment. And the family: part of its solidarity and integrity was centered around the family meal:. The communal meal is our primary ritual for encouraging the family to gather together every day.
If it is lost to us, we shall have to invent new ways to be a family. It is worth considering whether the shared joy that food can provide is worth giving up. Visser, ; in Ritzer, Microwavable foods and fast-food restaurants allow us to eat what we want, when we want it.
The ritual of cooking, eating together, and sharing is fading from the American family. Two final problems are worth noting. How long will it be before these rational systems evolve beyond the control of people. How much of our lives are already subject to their influence and control. What happens when the people who control the systems succumb to being controlled?
And, as these systems expand and develop interdependencies amongst themselves-both nationally and internationally, the possibility of a small number of individuals exercising tremendous control over the people dependent upon the systems becomes increasingly realistic.
Wiktionary 2. Freebase 5. How to pronounce mcdonaldization? Alex US English. David US English. Mark US English. Daniel British.
Libby British. Mia British. Karen Australian. Hayley Australian. Natasha Australian. Veena Indian. Priya Indian. Neerja Indian. Zira US English. Oliver British. Wendy British. Fred US English. The diminished quality of these products can only be disguised by extensive advertising which constantly repackages them to look new.
McDonaldization suggests that modern societies are in many respects increasingly standardized, predictable, and uniform. This essentially Weberian view of the trajectory of industrialism is also somewhat at odds with, for example, the theory of reflexive modernization and the risk society proposed by Ulrich Beck and others—who paint pictures of an increasingly uncertain and unpredictable world.
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