Is Mcdonaldization Inevitable? George Ritzers, Mcdonaldization of Society, is a critical analysis of the impact on social structural change on human interaction and identity. According to Ritzer,Mcdonaldization is the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant arecoming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as rest of the world(Ritzer, 1). Ritzer focuses on four foundations of Mcdonaldization: efficiency, calculability,predictability, and control. These are the commandments of any rationalized corporation. However, they are not carried out from the point of view of the consumer. Efficiency, forexample, may entail the placing of great inconveniences upon a consumer for the sake ofefficient management. Calculability may involve hiding certain information from theconsumer. Predictability and control may involve a company's ability to predict and controlconsumer behavior, not the consumer's ability to predict what kind of product or control whatkind of service he gets. Ritzer calls such breakdowns "the irrationality of rationalization." Ritzer points out the irrationality of rationality, as all of the supposed benefits ofMcdonaldized systems backfire: waiting in long lines, suspect quality, little or no customerservice, little or no customer service, the illusion of large quantities for low prices, andseverely limited selection of choice. Throughout Mcdonaldization of Society, Ritzer describes Mcdonaldization as largelynegative and often destructive. While Mcdonaldization is rapidly taking over Americansociety and spreading to the rest of the globe, it is not something unjustly imposed on theAmerican people. The consumerist culture of America has groomed the public to seekefficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. These principles grow in importance andvalue in contemporary America. Even when given the choice to avoid a Mcdonaldizedestablishment or product, people will flock to...
