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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

#351

Post by stcredzero »

noobermin wrote: post #346
stcredzero wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People finding community of some form is not just a good thing, it's an essential thing to human life. It should always be lauded. However, there is a lot of socioeconomic and sub-cultural in-group/out-group judgement in US society, all of which feels absolutely justified by those doing the judging. http://www.vox.com/2016/4/21/11451378/smug-american-liberali... In reality, it's all exactly the same sort of crap that…

I think a discussion of tone is a worthwhile discussion to have, although I believe you agree that it does not constitute a valid counterargument against[0] any side. I do agree there is an unfortunate smugness amongst many liberals that is unsettling to me, but it's a little different than the "Jim Crow south." Sorry, but AGW, the economic state of Kansas after the tax cuts, the evidence behind the theory of evoluti…

I do agree there is an unfortunate smugness amongst many liberals that is unsettling to me, but it's a little different than the "Jim Crow south."

It's the behavior/mental stance that I'm calling out. Being the victor doesn't entitle one to be a douchebag. Being right doesn't entitle one to be a douchebag. If one subscribes to humanism and to being humane, then it simply doesn't do to view certain people as being less than human. Just because their views are less valid in your opinion, that doesn't make them less valid.

So long as you can make this distinction, you're fine in my book.

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

#352

Post by drewrv »

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…

Living in Seattle, with kids about the same age as yours, I love that my local mcdonalds has an indoor play area. Great for rainy days where the playgrounds are too wet and cold.

There are a couple other places in town to grab a meal and let the kids run around and play indoors, but often they're often more crowded, more expensive, and the food isn't any healthier.

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

#353

Post by palimpsests »

cloakandswagger wrote: post #297
dreamdu5t wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So where should the focal point of your community be? What super-sophisticated place do you socialize at? A bar? Starbucks? The mall? At home in front of the computer?

It's really not hard to find a communal gathering spot a little more high-brow than McDonald's For example, I live in the suburbs of San Francisco. Not far from me there is a delightful and quaint organic bakery, and across from that is a gorgeous park. On weekends after my kids finish lacrosse practice, my wife and I take them there and enjoy some cheap ($9 each) chocolate croissants while they play on their tablets…

I can't tell if this comment is sarcastic or not. $9 croissants? I never thought I would defend McDonald's - comparing that place to an outhouse along with your croissant comment just comes across as being incredibly privileged, and not in a very nice way.

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

#354

Post by DrScump »

tspike wrote: post #345
DrScump wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

What is your objection to mechanically processed meat? Sure, the process doesn't sound appetizing, but it's a way to ensure that all the meat on an animal is used, which IMHO is a good thing. Also, for what it's worth, neither chicken nuggets nor the beef patties at McDonalds are made with mechanically separated meat anymore.

If it meets your definition of "meat", by all means stick with it. Just be aware of what MSM really is.

The beef patties never were (it's illegal -- do you know why?) Their chicken nuggets originally were.

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

#355

Post by Retra »

stcredzero wrote: post #76
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…

People finding community of some form is not just a good thing, it's an essential thing to human life. It should always be lauded. However, there is a lot of socioeconomic and sub-cultural in-group/out-group judgement in US society, all of which feels absolutely justified by those doing the judging. http://www.vox.com/2016/4/21/11451378/smug-american-liberali... In reality, it's all exactly the same sort of crap that…

Yet your entire post is judgmental text applied to some vague out-group...

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

#356

Post by pjlegato »

greedo wrote: post #263
Spooky23 wrote: post #133

Not just in poor neighborhoods. I worked at one in high school... There were all sorts of regulars who'd stop in, especially in the morning. There was one group of WW2 vets who would come in every month.

When I worked for the Golden Arches in the early 80's, there was a daily group of 10 retired guys who ordered coffee, rarely a danish, and sat in a couple of tables for a few hours. They bitched about the weather, about politics, about "those damn kids" and especially when the price of a cup of coffee went up. It was a ritual in their day, and they weren't some downtrodden group; these were guys who had stories of WW…

Many younger people today find it hard to fathom, but the suburbs and fast food car culture were not (entirely) a capitalist plot executed by General Motors and McDonald's to brainwash the populace into unwitting wage-slave servitude.

The WW2 generation built and adopted all that voluntarily, because they like it and think it's a much better way of life than how they lived before the war: in densely packed, dirty cities; unable to remotely afford a car; being obligated to cook for hours every single day before you could even eat a meal, and then often going to bed hungry because there was just not enough food to go around due to the Great Depression.

They moved to the suburbs because they generally view having your very own car to drive places, and being able to pick up dinner on the way home in five minutes, as massive lifestyle improvements rather than impediments.

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

#357

Post by [deleted] »

stcredzero wrote: post #351
noobermin wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a discussion of tone is a worthwhile discussion to have, although I believe you agree that it does not constitute a valid counterargument against[0] any side. I do agree there is an unfortunate smugness amongst many liberals that is unsettling to me, but it's a little different than the "Jim Crow south." Sorry, but AGW, the economic state of Kansas after the tax cuts, the evidence behind the theory of evoluti…

I do agree there is an unfortunate smugness amongst many liberals that is unsettling to me, but it's a little different than the "Jim Crow south." It's the behavior/mental stance that I'm calling out. Being the victor doesn't entitle one to be a douchebag. Being right doesn't entitle one to be a douchebag. If one subscribes to humanism and to being humane, then it simply doesn't do to view certain people as being les…

[deleted]

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

#358

Post by dragonwriter »

pjlegato wrote: post #356
greedo wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I worked for the Golden Arches in the early 80's, there was a daily group of 10 retired guys who ordered coffee, rarely a danish, and sat in a couple of tables for a few hours. They bitched about the weather, about politics, about "those damn kids" and especially when the price of a cup of coffee went up. It was a ritual in their day, and they weren't some downtrodden group; these were guys who had stories of WW…

Many younger people today find it hard to fathom, but the suburbs and fast food car culture were not (entirely) a capitalist plot executed by General Motors and McDonald's to brainwash the populace into unwitting wage-slave servitude. The WW2 generation built and adopted all that voluntarily , because they like it and think it's a much better way of life than how they lived before the war: in densely packed, dirty ci…

> Many younger people today find it hard to fathom, but the suburbs and fast food car culture were not (entirely) a capitalist plot executed by General Motors and McDonald's to brainwash the populace into unwitting wage-slave servitude.

Yeah, a significant part of it was about race rather than capitalism.

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

#359

Post by pjlegato »

Yhippa wrote: post #208
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 don't know if this is sad or not but I remember several birthdays when I was very young at McDonalds and Burger King. They had playgrounds and some fun simple games for us to play. I don't believe they charged us for it other than the food we purchased. I too had some fond memories of those parties.

What's sad is that this culture shames people into questioning whether they ought to depreciate their own precious happy childhood memories, simply because they took place at a now-stigmatized restaurant.

You were a kid then, you had no role in choosing the venue, and you certainly don't bear some kind of moral responsibility for the putative evils of McDonald's as an institution just because you ate a hamburger there when you were six.

Be happy that you got to have fun on a playground with your friends! It is not tainted.

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

#360

Post by Retra »

dimino wrote: post #331
zaphar wrote: post #324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article details exactly what it is that makes McDonalds better: 1. It's clean. 2. It's local. 3. It is welcoming. 4. There is no beauracracy.

Sorry, I meant to imply the larger question, "Why aren't community centers offering this?"

Because it costs money, and people don't typically pay their community centers every time they visit.
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