McDonald’s Targets the English McLanguage

Language shapes our thoughts – and corporations rely on brand names to distinguish themselves in the marketplace. McDonald’s is the world’s largest fast-food corporation, operating in more than 100 companies – and the “Mc” brand name quickly came to represent fast and easy meals. But more than 20 years ago, “The Washington Post” coined the word “Mc Job” to represent the unskilled, unexciting, low-wage employment so plentiful in the rapidly growing service industry. Chafed about major arbiters for the English language including “Mc Job” in their pages, McDonald’s corporate representatives have announced a campaign to get the word removed from dictionaries. Editors for “The Oxford English Dictionary” and “Merriam-Webster” point out to “Der Spiegel” that they carefully monitor changes in language and base all decisions on evidence. Therefore, to prove that the word and its definitions are “outdated,” McDonald’s must find a way to convince the public that the bulk of its jobs pay well and offer career advancement in a complicated world that values problem-solving and technological skills. – YaleGlobal