Word: mcdonaldization
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Here's why: because real Real Americans defy stereotypes. The real Real America has become both more homogeneous (more chain stores, less local flavor) and more heterogeneous (the "exotic" is less exotic--McDonald's sells lattes and chipotle wraps). This is America today: the real people borrow from the fake people, Dunkin' Donuts from Starbucks, and vice versa. But the media's cultural referents for ordinary America have hardly changed since George H.W. Bush cracked open a bag of pork rinds...
...show, while adding a few American originals. But their new characters don't measure up, and the original British ones - like Lucas as thick-accented juvenile delinquent Vicky Pollard - are so culturally specific that they translate to being plopped inexplicably into American settings here like spotted dick on a McDonald's dollar menu. (Except that spotted dick is funnier...
...Magruder, a McDonald's franchiser who is a leading financial and political backer of McCain's comprehensive immigration reform approach, defends Sproul's involvement in the race, calling Pearce part of the "David Duke wing of the party" and saying that Sproul showed "courage" in taking on the task of trying to unseat Pearce...
...mood at banks more generally is cautious. The most recent Federal Reserve survey of loan officers showed a plurality of banks tightening credit standards across the board. Add in anecdotal evidence - like Bank of America declining to increase lending to McDonald's franchisees even though the two companies have a long-standing partnership - and things do seem to be cascading down to Main Street, or whatever road is home to your local fast food joint. In August, 67% of small-business owners said they'd been affected by the credit crunch, compared with 55% in February, according to surveys...
...Siddiqa suggested that Gen. Kayani's protests over the raids may have been designed for domestic consumption."And where the public is concerned, there have been only a few demonstrations in Peshawar, which is natural," she added. "But again, that hasn't stopped the queues outside McDonald's and the visa section of the U.S. embassy. I think there is a lot of unhappiness and discomfort in Pakistan. But the reality, as Prime Minister Gilani recently said, is that we can't do anything. I think what the Americans have calculated is that this will not get out of control...