Ray Kroc: McDonalds Founder & Impact on Society

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, and his impact on society, including cultural recognition and employment statistics. Participants share anecdotes, opinions on fast food culture, and comparisons with other companies and figures.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that one in eight Americans has worked for McDonald's, reflecting its significant role in the job market.
  • There is a claim that the golden arches are more recognized globally than the Christian cross, prompting discussions about cultural symbols.
  • One participant recalls a film showing children recognizing Ronald McDonald more easily than historical figures, leading to humorous reflections on cultural icons.
  • Another participant argues that business leaders like Ray Kroc have had a more substantial influence on society than politicians, which is met with mixed reactions.
  • Some participants share their thoughts on fast food advertising, particularly the surrealistic quality of recent Burger King commercials.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the nature of statistics, particularly regarding health statistics and their implications.
  • Participants discuss the perceived value and stability of companies like Google compared to traditional businesses, with concerns about market bubbles and asset tangibility.
  • Some express skepticism about the accuracy of statistics related to health and employment, questioning how such data is gathered.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of opinions on the influence of McDonald's and the nature of business in society. There is no clear consensus on the significance of Kroc's impact or the comparisons made between McDonald's and other companies.

Contextual Notes

Discussions include speculative remarks about the future of companies and the reliability of statistics, with some participants questioning the methods used to gather such data.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in cultural studies, business influence on society, and the fast food industry's role in employment may find this discussion relevant.

Ivan Seeking
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I was just watching a show on the biography channel about Ray Kroc - the founder of the McDonalds Corporation. A couple of program enders caught my attention:

One in eight Americans has worked for McDonalds

Throughout the world, the golden arches are a more recognized symbol than the Christian cross.
 
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Ivan Seeking said:
One in eight Americans has worked for McDonalds

I guess it's inevitable :rolleyes:

Why should i fight it

*picks up an application*
 
Did you see the film "Supersized", Ivan? I remember they showed the focus group children pictures of George Washington, Jesus Christ, and Ronald McDonald. Guess who was the most easily recognized?
 
Math Is Hard said:
Did you see the film "Supersized", Ivan? I remember they showed the focus group children pictures of George Washington, Jesus Christ, and Ronald McDonald. Guess who was the most easily recognized?

Well Ronald McDonald DID help defeat the British... gosh...

I'm pondering whether or not I should go honor our first president by getting a McRib.
 
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Yeah, and when I nominated Ray Kroc for most influential man of the 20th century, they laughed at me. I'm telling you guys, business leaders are and have been more important than politicians for a while now.
 
I didn't laugh. In fact, if you hadn't suggested him, I would have.
 
Pengwuino said:
I guess it's inevitable :rolleyes:
Why should i fight it
*picks up an application*

I've always thought of you more as a BK guy.

BTW, has anyone noticed the new BK commercials with the King? They have this surrealistic quality about them that his quite funny I think.

I love good commercials. :smile:
 
Ivan Seeking said:
I've always thought of you more as a BK guy.
BTW, has anyone noticed the new BK commercials with the King? They have this surrealistic quality about them that his quite funny I think.
I love good commercials. :smile:

I think they are quite funny. The more surreal the better I think.
Cheers,
Ryan
 
Math Is Hard said:
Did you see the film "Supersized", Ivan? I remember they showed the focus group children pictures of George Washington, Jesus Christ, and Ronald McDonald. Guess who was the most easily recognized?

I don't mean to nitpick, but who took that picture of Jesus Christ?

:)

Zz.
 
  • #10
ZapperZ said:
I don't mean to nitpick, but who took that picture of Jesus Christ?:)
Zz.
The guy with the camera obviously!:smile:
 
  • #11
DammiT said:
The guy with the camera obviously!:smile:

From the poor quality, I bet it was done using a camera phone!

:)

Zz.
 
  • #12
A statistic I saw on a poster in the student union today:

"1/4 of UK HIV sufferers don't know they have it"
Ok, how do they know that? Unless maybe our doctors are just mean, horrible people- "You do have a disease, but no I won't tell you what it is!"
 
  • #13
matthyaouw said:
A statistic I saw on a poster in the student union today:
"1/4 of UK HIV sufferers don't know they have it"
Ok, how do they know that? Unless maybe our doctors are just mean, horrible people- "You do have a disease, but no I won't tell you what it is!"
Even more strange that they use the word "sufferers". These poor people are walking around suffering with absolutely no idea why.
 
  • #14
*picks up an application*
good for you, about time you started paying taxes.. you student heh
 
  • #15
Anttech said:
good for you, about time you started paying taxes.. you student heh

Oh well like they say, there's only 2 things gauranteed in life. Taxes and Mcdonalds work experience.
 
  • #16
matthyaouw said:
A
"1/4 of UK HIV sufferers don't know they have it"
Ok, how do they know that? Unless maybe our doctors are just mean, horrible people- "You do have a disease, but no I won't tell you what it is!"

How does that even work? How can that be even statistically done?

You can't just grab a sample of people and think "ok this guy has aids ... but this guy doesn't know it". It seems like the only way they could do that is grab a bunch of people off the street, test them all for aids and find out how many people knew and how many didn't. Kinda mean to just go around pricking people :P
 
  • #17
The company [Google] began as a project of two Stanford grad students, Larry Page or Sergei Bryn. Today it's worth $120 billion, more than Ford, General Motors, Disney, Amazon, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal combined, thanks to a stock that has risen from $85 to over $400 since it went public in August of 2004. [continued]
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/cyberspace/july-dec05/google_11-30.html
 
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  • #18
yeh but they don't have any tanglible assets.. the bubble could burst as they say
 
  • #19
Anttech said:
yeh but they don't have any tanglible assets.. the bubble could burst as they say

Still, "staggering" is the word that comes to mind.
 
  • #20
Pengwuino said:
Oh well like they say, there's only 2 things gauranteed in life. Taxes and Mcdonalds work experience.
I've never worked at a McDonald's (I did work at a Homer Filby's, which was supposed to the sequel to Borden Burger, or whatever it was called).

So, there's only two possibilities - your statement is wrong or this envelope from my employer that I'm holding contains bad...
 
  • #21
Still, "staggering" is the word that comes to mind.
Yeh I totally aggree...
 
  • #22
Anttech said:
yeh but they don't have any tanglible assets.. the bubble could burst as they say
Oh the bubble will burst, painfully I'm sure. Something else will come along. It wasn't that long ago that I did all my searches with alta vista and had never heard of google.
 
  • #23
The interview linked covers some of the reasons why Google slaughtered the competition.
 
  • #24
The interview linked covers some of the reasons why Google slaughtered the competition.
They have a very astute management team..

Oh the bubble will burst, painfully I'm sure. Something else will come along. It wasn't that long ago that I did all my searches with alta vista and had never heard of google.
I used to use dogpile back in the day, still do sometimes
 
  • #25
I don't like dogpile, strictly for personal reasons.
 
  • #26
Ivan Seeking said:
Blah blha blah about how McDonald's is bigger than Disney and amazon.com..
McDonald's is bigger because they are better. They have franchises around the world. We all know this, though amazon.com is a world wide web company, not as many people have access to the internet as McDonald's. Disney, though having several amusements parks around the world, do not cater to as many people as McDonald's. We all know this, and no it is not pitiful.
 
  • #27
That was about Google, not McDonalds. Also, don't misquote other members.
 
  • #28
YEAH, like Ivan said "get your quote's correct"
 
  • #29
I went to bed after writing that last post thinking, man, that is the funniest post I've ever written. and it appears I was incorrect.
 

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