When in Doubt Blame McDonald’s for Being Overweight
Quick Facts:
- McDonald’s has over 31,000 + locations worldwide
- A Quarter Pounder meal with Large fries and a medium Coke has 1,310 calories, 55 grams of fat, and 90mg of cholesterol
- McDonald’s has faced some crazy lawsuits over the years
- McDonald’s at one point was accused of putting beef in their French fries
The $17,500 Bonus for the Brazilian Franchise Manager
The AP reported that a Brazilian court ruled that McDonald’s had to pay $17,500 to an unidentified franchise manager for gaining 65 pounds over 12 years of working at McDonald’s. The man said that he “felt forced” to sample food every day to ensure quality standards. He also said that the company offered free lunches, adding to his calorie intake.
Ok, so it wasn’t exactly a bonus, but when you win money in a lawsuit for gaining weight, it sounds like a bonus. We all know that McDonald’s isn’t exactly the healthiest place to eat in the world and yet everyday there are 47 million people eating at McDonald’s. I’m guilty of eating there once in a while (I love the Sausage and Egg McMuffin Meal), but I’m not overweight because I understand the consequences of eating there regularly.
Super Size Me, a movie that was released back in 2004 gave you a pretty good idea what happens to us if we ate at McDonald’s everyday. I think the movie went a little overboard as every meal over the span of 30 days, if I recall correctly, was McDonald’s. Not exactly a wise move, but it got the point across.
Choose How You Live and don’t blame it On Others
The number of lawsuits that involve people that are either ignorant or downright dumb always surprises me. If you’re overweight, you should be controlling what you eat and what you do in your day to maintain your body. I’m sorry if I sound harsh, but that’s reality. If you’re blaming others for things in your daily life that you can control, there’s definitely something wrong.
In the case of this manager, he didn’t have to eat McDonald’s lunch everyday but he chose to, and that should have been taken into consideration. Ok, he felt that he was forced to sample the food and that makes sense, but it doesn’t mean you have to finish every burger or have 8 meals in a day to ensure quality control. Yes I’m exaggerating, maybe.
The Funny Lawsuits over the Years at McDonald’s
Pretty much at the same time the news of the Brazilian manager came out, NY times reported a Manhattan judge ruled that a group suing McDonald’s for causing childhood obesity couldn’t file a class action law suit. However, the lawsuits could be brought individually meaning if your kid has grown overweight because over McDonald’s you could try to win a lawsuit to pay for his next few meals at McDonald’s.
There have also been lawsuits involving hot coffee, trademark clashes, and a man spilling his milkshake while driving and eating. Pretty much unless your last name is McDonald and your first name is Ronald; you shouldn’t be putting Ronald McDonald on the name of your restaurant. In addition, it’s pretty hard to be using “Mc” for anything nowadays as it may give consumers a false sense that your product is linked to McDonald’s.
I actually think the new coffee at McDonald’s is much better and I used to work at Starbucks. But there’s was an elderly lady that sued McDonald’s because she was burned by drinking hot coffee at McDonald’s. And as for putting a milkshake in-between your legs and grabbing the rest of your meal while actively driving and blaming McDonald’s for causing you to drive in to the opposite lane…smart.
I won’t bore you with facts for or against McDonald’s, that’s not my purpose here and there’s plenty of literature on that topic already. But, what I do want to point out is that this society we live in today is in a sad state. The latest ruling against McDonald’s, despite being in Brazil, shows that we can get away with doing stupid things and blaming others for it, while getting paid handsomely in the process.
McDonald’s map by paulinepauline on Flickr.
