SOCIETY

How McDonald’s Holds the Keys to World Harmony

Clown Prince Ronald’s unexpected role in helping to slay the Hamburglars besetting the globe

Ronald says, “Hi, class! Ready for Geopolitics #101?” (Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash)

Of all the favoured bugbears of the political Left, few are held in greater contempt than McDonald’s. Whether the crime is deforestation, GHG emissions, cultural imperialism, child obesity or worker exploitation, the Golden Arches are routinely depicted as the gateway to hell.

But before the corporation is slapped onto Satan’s griddle to be broiled for all eternity, I believe we should consider whether it in fact unwittingly offers a path to revelation and salvation, if only we read its signals the right way.

The world clearly faces a host of problems as we barrel through the 21st century, seemingly hell-bent on destroying our species and planet. There cannot be one silver bullet to end them all. But in several aspects, those golden arches do show the way forward.

Allow me to explain my theory…

The last decade or so has been marked by a resurgence in nationalism, isolationism, mistrust and lack of empathy. The End of History proclaimed by Francis Fukuyama in his 1992 book turned out to be a great cover title, followed by 400 pages of emergency toilet paper. Some use for the…