June152010
"This is just one act in an ongoing dramatic production, one small part of a larger campaign of psychological warfare. The target? A two-and-a-half-year-old girl. The stakes are high. As I see it, nothing less than the heart, mind, soul and physical health of my adored only child. I am determined that the Evil Empire shall not have her, and to that end I am prepared to use what Malcolm X called “any means necessary”.
McDonald’s has been very shrewd about kids. Say what you will about Ronald and friends, they know their market – and who drives it. They haven’t shrunk from targeting young minds – in fact, their entire gazillion-dollar promotional budget seems aimed squarely at toddlers. They know that one small child, crying in the back seat of the car of two overworked, overstressed parents, will more often than not determine the choice of restaurants. They know exactly when and how to start building brand identification and loyalty with brightly coloured clowns and smoothly tied-in toys. From funding impoverished school districts to the instalment of playgrounds, McDonald’s has not shrunk from fucking with young minds in any way it can.
But I want my little girl to see fast-food culture as I do. As the enemy.
"
— Anthony Bourdain, “My War on Fast Food” (Via)
