Fast Food Nation: Ch 3 Question

Fast food workers have not unionized because of the history that is established for this effort. While some efforts have been successful most have failed and thus many workers don’t even bother to try anymore. Usually when a manager suspects efforts to unionize he immediately informs a person who is higher up in the corporate ladder, actions are taken immediately. A squad of managers and corporate executives are sent in and informal sessions are held where questions are asked to the workers. If the executives do not receive the information they were hoping for, then harsher policies are put in place sometimes even resulting in the administration of lie detector tests. Above all workers don’t unionize because they know that such actions will result in the immediate termination of their position. 

Fast Food Nation: Ch 1 questions

How is the 'American world view' embodied in the fast food industry?

The fast food industry embodies some of the best and worst aspects of the American world view. Today America has become synonymous with a need for speedy service, cheap food and unhealthy eating habits. The fast food chains that populate what seems like every corner of the country are the embodiment of said generalizations. And while many Americans are in fact not at all like the stereotypes that plague the minds of many foreigners the truth is that the majority of the population does fulfill these characteristics. Today many Americans no longer care about the food that enters their body. The cycle of going to a fast food restaurant and getting an unhealthy meal for a cheap price in only minutes has become so systematic that many forget that what they’re doing is affecting their life. Still, the fast food industry does also embody the things that make this country great. The fact that small businesses that started and expanded through the hard work of people who worked their way up the social ladder became such great successes and are now internationally recognized is what the American dream is all about.

What elements of Southern California "culture" contributed to and encouraged the development of fast food restaurants?

The accessibility and lower prices of automobiles are the single element that contributed the most to the development of fast food restaurants. The new lifestyle that emerged in southern California as cars became affordable is one that made the success of fast food restaurants a possibility. The introduction of the automobile brought with it a large scale migration that for the fast food restaurants meant new customers. This allowed for drive-in restaurants to thrive. With the success of many restaurants came the need to compete with one-another for customers and subsequently the need to distinguish one from the other. This in turn led to the introduction of methods such as the McDonald brothers’ speedee service system which revolutionized the direction into which fast food restaurants were headed and allowed for the big franchises we know today to emerge. 

Fast Food Nation: Ch 2 Question

I think that the targeting of children outside of school by the fast food industry is a fair move. The fact that they use toys and clowns to do so I think is actually smart move on their part, I mean after all they are a business. The responsibility then falls on the parents to teach their children whether they are being lured into something that is bad for them. On the other hand, I believe that the use of schools to advertise is a shady move on the fast food industry's side. The fact that children can no longer walk a hallway without  trying to be convinced to buy a Big Mac or drink Coca-cola is something that I think needs to change. I think the main difference between an ethical use of advertisement and an unethical one is whether the advertisement can be chosen to be observed as opposed to being forced down your throat. The fact that children can't decide whether they want to watch the advertisement or not is where the debate of whether this move is ethical or not is decided. The fact that parents can't influence their children's decision is also a fault of the advertisement's because many kids, especially young ones, do not know what is good for them and what is not.