Page 231 - Sociology and You

Chapter 6 Groups and Formal Organizations 201
What Does it Mean
albeit
even though; although
alluring
attractive or fascinating
calculability
bring about by deliberate intent by controlling quantities
wending
traveling; proceeding on your way
Explain why you would expect service at this McDonald’s restaurant in Guang Zhou, China, except for language, to be the same as the one in your neighborhood. Use sociological terms in your response.
model suggests that many people have come to prefer a world in which there are few surprises.
Control Fourth, control, especially through the substitution of nonhuman for human tech- nology, is exerted over the people who enter the world of McDonald’s. A human technology (a screwdriver, for example) is controlled by peo- ple; a nonhuman technology (the assembly line, for instance) controls people. The people who eat in fast-food restaurants are controlled, albeit (usually) subtly. Lines, limited menus, few op- tions, and uncomfortable seats all lead diners to do what management wishes them to do—eat quickly and leave. Further, the drive-through (in some cases walk-through) window leads diners to leave before they eat.
Source: Adapted from George Ritzer, McDonaldization of Society, rev. ed., Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 1996.
Read and React
1. State what Ritzer means by McDonaldization.
2. Since Ritzer contends that McDonaldization is spreading throughout modern society, he thinks you are affected by it. Describe
a part of your social life, aside from eating at fast-food restaurants, that has been McDonaldized.
3. Describe your feelings about the McDonaldization you are experiencing.
4. Do you think McDonaldization is a rational or an irrational process? That is, does McDonaldization produce results that work for or against an organization’s goal? Defend your answer.