The Theory of McDonaldization and the Uses of Sidewalks - Essay Example

McDonaldization is characterized by high-level efficiency (the use of assembly lines), calculability (quantity over quality), predictability (the experience for customer and worker is the same every time they use the service), control through the substitution of technology for people (machines that remove the guesswork), and the “irrationality of rationality” (such as the inefficiency of waiting in line to be served).

One of the fundamental concepts of McDonaldization is spatial expansion, otherwise known as globalization. From its beginnings as a fairly limited phenomenon, McDonaldization has begun to pervade every aspect of our existence, and even though it does not fit the model of globalization outlined by theorists, it is most definitely a global process. Mcdonald's restaurants themselves can be found all over the world, and many other countries have introduced their variants of fast food restaurants, including France, India, and Lebanon. More importantly, the qualities of the McDonald's brand as outlined above are being adopted by institutions and systems throughout the world that are unrelated to the fast food industry.

The globalization of these concepts can be attributed to several factors, the most obvious being the profit motive. The growing worldwide fascination with American culture, together with changes occurring in American society, and the lack of an alternative to McDonaldization, are also important factors.

There is little to stand in the way of the globalization of either the Mcdonald's franchise or the Mcdonald's culture. One of the biggest impediments is that many developing countries either have little to offer McDonaldized systems or simply lack the funds needed to implement such changes. Local culture is also an important factor, in that McDonaldization is unlikely to be capable of changing an entire culture, and also that McDonaldized systems will likely have to adapt somewhat to the customs of local cultures. Jane Jacobs’ essay entitled The Uses of Sidewalks: Safety discusses how a community of people in any given area contributes to the safety of that area through activities they may or may not carry out on the streets. Jacobs argues that a street or area is not intrinsically safe or dangerous because of its location, but because of the attitudes and habits of the people who live there.

According to Jacobs, the public peace of city streets is kept not by police or other authorities, but by “an intricate…network of voluntary controls and standards among the people themselves, and enforced by the people themselves”. In places where such a network does not exist, the keeping of order is left to the police, and such places are not safe because citizens are not policing themselves.

Jacobs cites three main qualities a street must have to be safe. First, there should be a “clear demarcation between what is public space and what is private space” This means, for example, that private business between individuals is not carried out on the street or in stores, and that private homes are not left open for the public to enter. Second, there should be “eyes upon the street”, that is, the buildings of the street must be oriented so that their windows face the street. Lastly, the sidewalks should be continuously inhabited, both to increase the number of people on the street watching the street and to encourage people in adjoining buildings to watch the street. This is because people do not enjoy watching an empty street –the street needs to remain populated to encourage people to continue to watch it.

These are particularly important concepts in cities because, in large cities where word of mouth and public reputation does not spread very far, inhabitants rely on what are more or fewer strangers to keep the streets safe.

Successful streets achieve all these things by giving people a reason to use them in a way that does not emphasize the watching itself. That is, the streets should have stores and other public places that encourage people to use both the sidewalks and the stores. The safest streets have stores that are attractive to users at all times of the day or night so that people are watching late at night or early in the morning as well as during the day. Read More