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In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

theguardian.com

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Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#271

Post by eli_gottlieb »

DanielBMarkham wrote: post #147
stcredzero wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People in the US need to be more aware of the Authoritarian Anti-Authoritarian spectrum in politics. There are some people on the left who are very authoritarian, while there are others who instead prioritize individual rights. In the us, the term "Libertarian" has been placed on the political right, while the "left" is a mishmash of very Authoritarian and Anti-Authoritarian views.

Yes. It used to be that the left was anti-authoritarian and the right was authoritarian. Libertarians were extremely anti-authoritarian. What has evolved, however, was that "soft" libertarianism got co-opted by the right. The left also co-opted libertarians, but not to the degree the right did. As the right gained more libertarians, it gave up some of its boardroom elitism. The result here was that the right's base b…

>It used to be that the left was anti-authoritarian and the right was authoritarian. Libertarians were extremely anti-authoritarian. What has evolved, however, was that "soft" libertarianism got co-opted by the right. The left also co-opted libertarians, but not to the degree the right did.

Since the "right" as we know it remains, as ever, in favor of banning gay marriage, recreational marijuana, and alcohol sales on certain days of the week, I'm very skeptical that this story happened as described.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#272

Post by [deleted] »

hackuser wrote: post #211

What's interesting is that the Guardian and HN feel the need to appraise us of what happens in low-income communities. On one hand, it's realistic - most people reading the Guardian or HN don't know (despite the fact that both are nearly as accessible in low-income communities as wealthy ones, at least via phones). On the other, what does it say that the readers have to learn about it in a newspaper or Internet forum…

[deleted]

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#273

Post by pbhjpbhj »

ryanmonroe wrote: post #181
treehau5 wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There are some issues with McDonalds, but it is a pleasant user experience. That's interesting, given that McDonalds purposefully designs it's restaurants to get customers in and out as quick as possible. The chairs are hard, uncomfortable plastic, the music is annoying, and the dining room is always set to some arctic temperature.

Depends on the location. Many McDonald's have quite comfortable seating, like this http://www.giotile.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/McDonalds-... .

What area/country is that in?

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#274

Post by Kalium »

mjevans wrote: post #264
_Codemonkeyism wrote: post #119

What astonishes me, is how often poor people go eating in a restaurant (e.g. breakfast in the first paragraph) when making breakfast at home (or lunch) is so much cheaper (as a fun exercise we often calculate the prices of our home lunch). Although I have a nice income, 80% of the time I bring my own food to work because restaurants are too expensive in my opinion to regularly use them. As a side note: I have the sus…

Adding to this; there is also economy of scale. Restaurants can buy in much larger quantity and receive a discount for doing so. It is more /resource/ efficient for restaurants to make meals as they disburse labor and ingredients over many households in one day, instead of a single household's resources and labor trying to use perishable items before they expire. The main issue that comes to my mind is of the more pe…

What kind of cost-effective not-for-profit "freshly made things" store do you imagine?

Bear in mind that most restaurants and similar food-production outlets are practically not-for-profits or "for very limited profits". As are most grocery stores.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#275

Post by Pxtl »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #270
Pxtl wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. If there were more eateries that made as much effort to be kid-friendly as McDonald's (and I'm not talking about the food, I'm talking about the toys and the playplace) I'd get out more. It's actually quite frustrating because my kids and I are vegetarians and while the wrap suits me just fine, my kids get stuck with their mediocre grilled cheese sandwiches (vegetarian children are still children - they think th…

Isn't the whole thing with fastfood that you can take it anywhere - so grab some and go to the community playground?

I mostly take the kids to McDonalds when the weather's bad, personally. The play place is a good way to get out of the house and do something energetic despite the rain or snow.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#276

Post by eli_gottlieb »

dreamdu5t wrote: post #243
jernfrost wrote: post #157

Bizarre how the article seems to present this as a hopeful and positive thing about McDonalds. To me it is just another indicator of how broken American society is. A fast food place serving terrible and unhealthy food is becoming a gathering place for poor people who are probably the ones most in need of a healthier and better lifestyle. It is also a sad reminder of how society has gone so utterly wrong when the che…

What makes it a cultural wasteland, exactly? Where are people supposed to be socializing, if not the place they like to eat? Mass production is what enables McDonald's to provide good food at super cheap prices. Probably the best food value for your money in the entire USA. McDonald's food isn't unhealthy as part of a balanced diet. It's no less healthy than chipotle if you're getting a soda. I don't eat there but Mc…

>Where are people supposed to be socializing, if not the place they like to eat?

In a lot of places, there are publicly-supported community centers equipped with kitchenettes. Even in America, there are often churches, school buildings, or (dare I say it) community centers equipped to function as community centers.

The fact that Americans think "no public place for general socialization" is the default is part of what makes Americans (and the Anglo world in-general) a little weird.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#277

Post by DrScump »

ececconi wrote: post #265
brianwawok wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you looked at the ingredient labels? They are still crap. Salad is Iceberg lettuce, may as well eat cardboard. Salad dressings are high sugar highly processed fat free crap. Wraps are made with HFCS and a bunch of preservatives. (Not saying most fast food is better, but McDonalds is about a 10/10 on the crap-o-meter).

You're wrong. The salad is a mixture of kale, romaine lettuce, and other ingredients. Looks like you haven't looked at the ingredient labels. Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad: Ingredients: Romaine Lettuce, Baby Spinach, Carrots, Baby Kale, Lollo Rossa Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Red Oak Lettuce, Red Tango Lettuce, Red Romaine Lettuce, Red Butter Lettuce. Ingredients May Vary. Source: http://www.mcdonalds.com/content/us…

  Ingredients May Vary
I should hope so. Chicken is not listed there, in any form!

Speaking of which, a general note: never, ever buy anything with Mechanically Processed poultry or pork... or at least read about exactly what that means first.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#278

Post by surge »

brianwawok wrote: post #111
smokey_the_bear wrote: post #6

McDonalds is the only restaurant I enjoy eating at with my 2 and 3 year olds. Every other restaurant is a slog to get through the meal. Honestly I'd eat there more often if it weren't for the social stigma of it. (I live in Berkeley). I am pretty sure the cheeseburger, apple slices, and chocolate milk are not much worse, and probably better, than the typical fare on a slapped together kids meal. When I was a kid, my…

> I am pretty sure the cheeseburger, apple slices, and chocolate milk are not much worse, and probably better, than the typical fare on a slapped together kids meal. Sounds like a false dichotomy. Why not prepare actual healthy food, and not 'slapped together kids meal' ?

That's on a normal day, not going out.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#279

Post by 794CD01 »

rhizome wrote: post #150
Retric wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can find deeply troubling things about all cultures. White, black, brown, rich, poor, middle class, young, old, doctors, brick layers, or welfare recipients. Atheists, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists all have beliefs that seem wrong to people both inside and outside of those groups. Pretending groups are somehow above criticism is more about manners than fact. PS: I have watched several people be…

That some have and others have not become more racist after moving to DC means it's primarily about the people involved. If it can't be generalized on "moving to DC," then the distinctions have to be evaluated on finer data.

Your criticism isn't internally consistent. For the sake of argument, let's say that racism is quantifiable. It probably isn't, but saying people get more or less racist pretty much implied that it is, so just run with it for a second. Say that after moving to DC, everyone's racism level gradually moves towards 75. That obviously means it's about DC, not the people. But some people started at 30 and some people started at 90. So some people get less racist and some get more racist.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#280

Post by Kalium »

ArtDev wrote: post #191

After getting mild food poisoning from a McDonalds, I would not return. Bad experience aside, the food is gross, unhealthy and not as cheap as a local restaurant that serves real food. However, foreign McDonalds are very very different. I would visit one of those again, sure. The quality is a world away different.

I don't know about your city, but where I am I would struggle to find "a local restaurant that serves real food" for even 50% more than McD's. Probably 100%, if I'm going to limit it to within a block or two of where a McD's is. In a lot of places, chain restaurants are the cheapest and most reliable way to get something edible.
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