where both parents are likely to work, or wherethere may be only a single parent, efficiently satisfying the hunger and many other needs isattractive (Ritzer,9). For example, if grabbing a doughnut and coffee from Dunkin Donutsin the morning is the price to pay to sleep that extra hour in the morning, most Americanswould support Mcdonaldization. Mcdonaldization is a result of a productive society. Infree market society, companies are looking to maximize profits and managers are looking tomaximize sales. Employers want efficiency and predictability from their workers. They wantto be able to control their employees. With so much of the day spent at work and commuting,the only way people can get everything done everyday is to rely on time saving methods. With increasing productivity and development comes an increasingly rationalized system. Regardless of who benefits or to what extent, the universal result is homogenization. Rationalized systems have a pronounced tendency to squash individual tastes, niche markets,small-scale enterprise and personalized customer service. Differences are leveled, wrinklessmoothed, knots cut off -- convenience at the expense of character. An overwhelmingsameness develops, along with a decrease in responsiveness. The system that seeks to mimica machine becomes a machine, incapable of making exceptions or taking risks. I believe thatthe greatest loss is that most people know of no other society than the rationalized society andtherefore cannot even hope to deviate from it. For good or for bad, our social destiny is tolive in such prepackaged settings. ...
