Monday, May 22, 2006
Mickey D (“D” stands for Dharma)
For the most part, I love our global economy / culture. To think of the days where a trip to get an exotic spice like saffron was a deadly, Homeric feat and not just a trip to the local Highlander.
Of course, that journey can be dangerous too, if you’re driving my car. (I don’t know why you’d be driving my car, unless you are the dick who stole it a while back.)
It goes without saying (so I’ll say) that this isn’t a unilateral thing: American influence is running rampantly all over the world. Ah the delicious irony of seeing a jovial Middle Eastern guy saying, “Death to America!” as he’s wearing a Pepsi shirt.
So naturally, I wasn’t surprised when I heard McDonalds was opening a joint in India. Then the obvious equation of Beef Patties + India = rioting in the streets. I’m not as versed in Hinduism as perhaps I could be, I admit. I believe in it every bit as none as I believe in Christianity. But from what I gather moo-cow parts would be tantamount to serving McJesus Burgers, or Mother Marry McNuggets. And how about the Shroud of Turin as a napkin?
It’s nothing for an American company to retool to meet with the cultural zeitgeist of another country. I was sitting around with a friend from Ecuador and a friend from Japan and Pizza Hut came up. My Ecuadorian friend said his favorite Pizza Hut pizza back home was Corn, and my Japanese friend said his was Curry Lamb. And I thought I was getting loony by ordering a Taco Pizza every awhile and once.
But McDonalds? Talk about a fundamental disparity. That would almost be like Ms. magazine trying to repackage themselves for the former Taliban-occupied Afghanistan.
But what of Mayor McCheese? He IS a hamburger. Will he be barred from entering the fair country of India? Will he be detained at customs? Will special doggies, trained to sniff out cow meats instead of drugs be “sicked” on him? Will his swishy, effeminate cousin, Alderman McBocaBurger be allowed to go in his stead? Conversely will the Hamburgler be exalted as folk hero instead of villain for robbing us of our ill-begotten sacrilegious meat? What will become of their Big Mac anthem? (“Two all beef patties, special sauce…”) All good questions. But why did they replace Ronald with this:
(photo courtesy of Boing Boing)
Clowns = evil. Baby Clowns = Satan incarnate. More freaksome than that nightmarish baby in the sun on Teletubbies.
Money making wise, every thing McDonalds touches turns to gold…like those arches, and that’s just for instance. I guess time will tell. Can you say, “Euro-Disney?”
Of course, that journey can be dangerous too, if you’re driving my car. (I don’t know why you’d be driving my car, unless you are the dick who stole it a while back.)
It goes without saying (so I’ll say) that this isn’t a unilateral thing: American influence is running rampantly all over the world. Ah the delicious irony of seeing a jovial Middle Eastern guy saying, “Death to America!” as he’s wearing a Pepsi shirt.
So naturally, I wasn’t surprised when I heard McDonalds was opening a joint in India. Then the obvious equation of Beef Patties + India = rioting in the streets. I’m not as versed in Hinduism as perhaps I could be, I admit. I believe in it every bit as none as I believe in Christianity. But from what I gather moo-cow parts would be tantamount to serving McJesus Burgers, or Mother Marry McNuggets. And how about the Shroud of Turin as a napkin?
It’s nothing for an American company to retool to meet with the cultural zeitgeist of another country. I was sitting around with a friend from Ecuador and a friend from Japan and Pizza Hut came up. My Ecuadorian friend said his favorite Pizza Hut pizza back home was Corn, and my Japanese friend said his was Curry Lamb. And I thought I was getting loony by ordering a Taco Pizza every awhile and once.
But McDonalds? Talk about a fundamental disparity. That would almost be like Ms. magazine trying to repackage themselves for the former Taliban-occupied Afghanistan.
But what of Mayor McCheese? He IS a hamburger. Will he be barred from entering the fair country of India? Will he be detained at customs? Will special doggies, trained to sniff out cow meats instead of drugs be “sicked” on him? Will his swishy, effeminate cousin, Alderman McBocaBurger be allowed to go in his stead? Conversely will the Hamburgler be exalted as folk hero instead of villain for robbing us of our ill-begotten sacrilegious meat? What will become of their Big Mac anthem? (“Two all beef patties, special sauce…”) All good questions. But why did they replace Ronald with this:
(photo courtesy of Boing Boing)
Clowns = evil. Baby Clowns = Satan incarnate. More freaksome than that nightmarish baby in the sun on Teletubbies.
Money making wise, every thing McDonalds touches turns to gold…like those arches, and that’s just for instance. I guess time will tell. Can you say, “Euro-Disney?”
// posted by Tim @ 12:29 PM 
