Ritzer Assignment 8
Ritzer describes rationalization with an example of a system that has been developed by one of the biggest fast food corporations in the world. McDonalds has evolved to create a comfortable and efficient fast-food dining experience that has also shaped society and developed a system in to accommodate today’s family dinner style.
Ritzer breaks down Mcdonaldization into a system of five dimensions. The first dimension is efficieny. In the Mcdonaldization process, the main goal is to take advantage of the modern day family limitations of being able to sit down and have a home cooked meal by creating the most efficient dining experience. (Ritzer 372)
The next dimension is Predictability. In Mcdonaldization, a standard menu and taste has been created to ensure that no matter which Mcdonalds you visit, you will get an almost identical experience with looks, service and taste. This creates comfort and trust so that people continue to visit anywhere they are and can receive that feeling of familiarity. (Ritzer 374)
The third dimension is calculability and quantity. This component in Mcdonaldization, we experience the emphasis on size of a burger or the number of customers that McDonalds has instead of focusing on the quality of the food. This is just another method used to detour people from possibly nutrition and focuses more on supersizing meals and popularity of the restaurant. (Ritzer 375)
The fourth and fifth dimension is substitution of non-human technology and control. In the Mcdonaldiztion process, the key is to have that assembly line like system in order to be quick, efficient and to give that uniform experience at any Mcdonalds location. Some examples of this are the use of machinery to make the food or to train the employees that they do have in a way that makes the experience the same because they are trained to behave in a robot like manner. Saying the same exact thing and using machinery to do most of their work. It is just a matter of pushing buttons rather than thinking. This rational system ultimately creates the control over their workers in order to make them both quickly replaceable or to phase out the need for a human being. Not only controlling the employee but also controlling the customers maneuvering throughout the restaurant or drive thru.
All of these dimensions of rationalism are similar to the theories of Max Weber. Weber’s description of the Spirit of Capitalism explains the process by which capitalist have a system generated to control consumers in the similar fashion as Mcdonalization. Also, in the theory of the Protestant work ethic, we see that the idea of making things by hand or being a craftsman is looked down upon or becomes obsolete. The Protestant work ethic is a more elite way of living such as Mcdonaldization with technology.
