Maybe they can focus their efforts to redefine the word in the truthiness encyclopedia, http://www.wikiality.com/Main_Page. Cuz seriously, how can lobbyists get an objective dictionary to stop describing the truth?

I figured I'd get a jump on this before the McDonald's-haters swarm in.
I have no particular love for or beef (ha!) with McDonalds. Some of its employees are dead-end slackers, some are just making a living, and some work hard, try to do a great job, and will succeed and rise in the industry.
That being said, everyone knows, fairly precisely, what is meant by a "McJob". It's a stereotype, bordering on insulting in my book, but it's a word that many people have used for many years. And it's a dictionary's job to record the words people use.
I think McDonald's has every right to wage a PR campaign against the word, but I draw the line at pressuring the OED.
I found that McDonald's actually has a petition website for this purpose (I won't give the link here since I don't support it). But I also read somewhere that the OED is soliciting public input on this issue, but I can't find the right place to do this. I hope someone else can find this out for us, because I would certainly tell the OED to resist the pressure.

I will support their wanting to get rid of 'McJob' if we can get rid of McMansions!!

Why the hell is "McJob" in the dictionary anyway? It's a slang term that should be reserved for the likes of urbandictionary.com or something.

That said, this post was hilarious. McDonald's wants to change the definition to a job that is "stimulating" (see: "greasy"), and "rewarding" (see: "minimum wage"). That is awesome.

Well, the job is rewarding, you've got to admit that. It's just the level of reward is all that is in question.

@The Nature Boy:
Slang is fairly common in dictionaries.

Perhaps McDonalds should focus their attention on changing the work environment that caused this term to enter common usage.

@The Nature Boy: That would be because dictionaries are there to define words used in everyday language, as they are used by ordinary people. McDonalds doesn't like how the word is used but that's their tough luck, and it's ridiculous to start complaining about this.

Maybe if they really did make the jobs stimulating and well-paying, that'd change things. But apparently it's easier to complain.

Yup, they're definitely American.

@The Nature Boy:

Have you ever looked at the Oxford English Dictionary? Just about any slang term which lasts long enough will end up in it.

Also, "McJob" is used in serious popular articles on employment. It isn't like hip-hop slang.

McSucks to have a McJob

Poor Mr. McDonald doesn't like being insulted for all his hard work. Oh right. There's just corporate McLawyers and McLobbyists.

Here's a better question: Why does McDonalds have lobbyists?

I found that McDonald's actually has a petition website for this purpose

Why, so they do. How hugely entertaining.

I just signed the petition in the name of Upton Sinclair, using a dodgeit.com e-mail address, though they don't appear to actually be checking to see if the address is valid.

I cordially invite the rest of you to sign the petition as well, using whichever disposable e-mail address service you like (or an example.whatever address, if they really aren't checking), and the name of whichever famous trade unionist, Communist or Star Wars character takes your fancy.

The Commerce Guild demands that dictionary fascists cease oppressing the courageous feeders of the people!

I think that the Oxford Dictionary has a point. The dictionary should reflect the usage of words through time. Thousands of words are added or removed from dictionaries every single year, if only because our language is forever changing. A good example is the noun and verb Google...which wasn't even in popular use 5 years ago.

The reality is that the dictionary reflects language in its present state, and to do anything differently would inevitably destroy the objectivity and the usefulness of that dictionary. Oxford doesn't make up the definition...it just reflects what people already think.

Ha! Big business has final

Okay, anyone that defends McDonald's in this- have you worked there? I did. No training, other than the propaganda video- I mean employee orientation video. They heavily emphasized being part of a team. But of course, they let me figure out what to do. On my second day, the owner of that franchise came in and reviewed all of us. I heard him discussing my failings with my supervisor, after just starting. There was no place or time to take a break. It had to be taken in public, on a limited amount of McD food. You had to ask to use the bathroom, and I was criticized for going too much. I was also criticized for taking too much time cleaning, which is what I did when there were no customers. On top of all that, you couldn't accept tips. A few people offered me cash, or let me keep the change, but I had to tell them to donate it. (There was a donation box going to some fund, I don't know what it is, but I wish they donated to my having food fund.) After two months of working there, never getting help from managers, and being criticized for taking too many breaks (I had seizures), and failing to get promoted to drive-thru, they pulled me aside for a talk. "We're getting new cash registers in, I don't think you can handle it." I thought about it, prepared to fight for my competence and maybe a promotion. Then I came back to reality. I quit. I turned in my uniform (which I bought, but now someone else gets to use for free), got my last paycheck, and grin knowingly every time I hear "McJob".

McDonalds should shove it up their McAssses.... If their jobs where not the definition of a McJob there wouldn't be an issue.

But the term came from somewhere and that somewhere is the fact that a McDonalds employee is the quintessential example of "a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement"

We are talking about putting hamburgers on a moving conveyor and taking them off to put them in a bun. If you could train shaved monkeys to not fling their poo they could do this job. Hell I wonder if some already arnt the condition of the hamburgers I get at that grease ball join.

"A stimulating job" ????

Think what you want about Midtown Promotions, but that Asian manager guy was right. There's not a job in McDonalds you can't teach a person in 10 minutes. Hell, I learned how to make fries at Chick Filet while standing in line. All they do is dump the frozen fries in a trey, push a button on the frier, and wait for the alarm to go off.

Another thing. To McDonalds and fast food in general's credit, the reason the jobs are so easy and pretty much anyone can do it is so that there's consistency in the taste of the food.

Whatever collective reputation Mac's might have, they're not doing it any good by trying something like this.

Perhaps Burger King will want to change the definition of Whopper next?

Ludicrous. Shakespeare must be rolling. Leave OED alone.

You may wish to let Mr. Fairhurst precisely what you think of this astroturfing horseshit. Use this helpful "contact me" form on his awful Flash-based web site:

http://www.dfairhurst.com/index.cfm?area=contact&sub=true<...

Christ, how can McDonalds corporate not expect this to backfire?

If this McBrings a McEnd to McNaming McEverything (McDreamy... I'm lookin' at you), then I'm all for it!

Change the job, and the definition will change to reflect it.

You know, I worked at McDonald's for many years, and I don't understand all the hate. Sure, it's a nasty and demeaning job at times, but there are lots of positives as well:

1) One of the top employers of teenagers.
2) One of the most common "first jobs."
3) Heavily focused on promotion from within the company; many management training opportunities.
4) When managed properly, values quality, efficiency, customer service, and cleanliness.
5) Through its franchise program, McDonald's claims to have made more millionaires than any other company out there. Knowing how profitable these franchises can be and how long the waiting list is, I believe it.

Incidentally, I got my start as a manager at McDonald's, and I learned a lot about dealing with people in high stress situations through the job. If I had worked in a retail chain through high school and college, chances are good I would not have had the same opportunities as a part time worker. It wasn't a glamor job, but it was a GREAT foundation for my business management career.

@MentalDisconnect, I worked at 10 different locations in Illinois (franchises, not corporate), and I'm going to suggest that what you experienced was not the norm. McDoanld's management training heavily emphasized the need for breaks and for a regimented training system; if the owner operator decided not to put them into place in his locations, it's because of his failure as a business manager and not the structure of the business.

McDonald's gives each store a HUGE "Operations & Procedures" manual that details every part of the operation down to smallest point. Ray Kroc, the father of the corporation, was very insistent that this be the way his franchises were run, and corporate frequently sends people to make sure that the standards are being enforced.

BTW, I don't work for McD's or own stock in them; I just hate seeing a good company get maligned because of the negative stereotypes around it. McD's isn't evil; they're just everywhere. From what I've heard, Taco Bell is the absolute WORST quick service restaurant you can work for, and even it varies depending on location and owner.

Having never worked for McDonald's, I can't comment on the working conditions or the company itself. But drafting up a petition to change a word in the dictionary because you don't like it? That's McStupid.

New words get added to the dictionary based on usage. Huge corporations shouldn't be allowed to buy off encyclopedia and dictionary publishers and get their company shown in a more favorable light just because they used their influence and wealth to do so.

Sorry, McDonalds...your petition should go in the McDumper.

The object, according to David Fairhurst, a senior vice-president of McDonald's, is to change the definition of McJob to "reflect a job that is stimulating, rewarding ... and offers skills that last a lifetime."

Like, uh, prostitution? Sounds good to me, Mr. Fairhurst.

@Hawk07, I worked at Chick Filet too. Not the most stimulating job I ever had, but it was way better than a McD's job. I would have killed myself if I had a McDoanld job.

@ Secularsage: It always just depends on the location! I worked for Taco Bell for almost two years in college and absolutely loved it. My coworkers and managers were awesome, we regularly hung out outside of work. Where else can you go to a waterpark with your GM? The job itself wasn't the most stimulating, but I did love working the drive-thru (which, during busier periods, can actually be quite challenging, since I had to take orders AND take money).

Basically, if your managers are dicks, it'll suck to work there. True of any job, I daresay.

When the word was first published McDonald's sicced the McLawyers on the Oxford University Press to try and get the word itself removed from the dictionary. I forget the specifics Google it if you want em, but the courts basically told the McLawyers to get the McFlock out of the court room.

Since the McLawyers scare tactics didn't work, I guess it's time for the sweet soothing application of lobbyist money.

Seriously, can we get McStupid added to the dictionary?

Me thinks Ronald is being a McJackass

They're also redefining "McWar" as "McPeace."

They got the idea from a book called "Nineteen-Eighty-McFour."

@Secularsage:

I totally agree with Secularsage.

I used to work for McDonald's; So I am really getting a kick out of most of these replies. Some of you guys are very good at making it sound like you know what you are talking about. But trust me.... You don't. I think you just want to make yourself sound smart, when in reality you don't know what you are talking about. This is how bad info gets passed around. If you don't know about the topic....Don't make yourself sound like you do. Cos some Consumerist posters believe anything they hear.

Like Erskine and Secularsage, I also work at McDonald's. I have been working there for one year (started when I turned 14), and it all depends on who your working with. So far, I have gained a lot of skills, and I understand the working world a lot better. I don't think that McDonald's should be able to change the dictionary, but people need to learn to get past all of the negative stereotypes surrounding the company.

If the term were defining ONLY a job at a McDonald's, then they might have a case.

However, it's a slang term used to refer to any number of generic low-level jobs. Just because it has a 'Mc' in front of it doesn't mean McDonald's has a strangehold on it.

It's pretty simple: we have prescriptive dictionaries, which tell us how we should speak a language, and descriptive dictionaries, which tell us how we actually do speak a language. The OED is an example of the latter; it reflects language usage. If McDonalds doesn't like it, well, they have to change the usage of the word in question - the OED is just a big mirror reflecting the english speaking world.

I'm not making up this prescriptive/descriptive thing: when Websters changed from a prescriptive model to a descriptive model (3rd edition, maybe? I'm not sure which) there was great debate in language and dictionary circles. This is what you learn in library school.

Dictionaries FTW!

Rewarding and stimulating, you say? McDonalds requires all of its managers be reachable 27-7, which obviously requires a cell phone. But McDonalds will not compensate for any work related phone expenses. Your plan, your minutes, your loss. That does not sound very rewarding to me, period. And we all know s**t rolls down hill, so if the managers can't get Corp to care about them, why would the cook be any more 'rewarded'?

McJob, the definition is dead-on and I don't need Websters to spout such a easily comprehendible definition. Kudos to them, for having the balls to print it in liable and offering McD's lawyers a place to stick their complaint letters. Next time beat them with a rubber hose.

@Jasmo: I thought that Oxford was much more resistant to change than Websters is. And that although dictionaries give you an objective description of a word's usage, they also document when society doesn't accept it.

That's not the only thing they're redefining as part of their de-cheapening of the chain. Say goodbye to the Dollar Menu as we know it. Dollar Menu Plus, Dollar Menu and More, etc. It's doublespeak week. :-\ This is all an attempt by McD to change their image, and get it on par with Del Taco, Carl's, Jack and the rest. Last month's Angus burger was just the first step. Prepare yourself for new ad campaigns focusing on the excellent job opportunities, community outreach, the family-oriented aspects of the company, and some pretty shocking (-ly good quality) suppliers that McD uses.

Would the majority of McDonald's employees really say that their job is stimulating, rewarding, and offers skills that last them a lifetime. I have a really hard time believing they do. Sounds more like this is just what the executives want everyone (including themselves) to believe. For those unfortunate to work there as a career (meaning not high school kids) do any of them really get promoted? All I know is I've noticed the same managers at our local McDonald's for years and the employees always look miserable.

McDonald's is a great place for young people to work. They were my first real job and also where I first had sex. I was 16 and my manager was 20. We had sex after I was there for a few weeks, and then a few days later, I had sex with a coworker. I didnt' have my job much longer, and I was actually crushed that my manager wanted nothing more to do with me after three days of sex. But just think, if I had not worked there, I might have had to wait until I was 17 or 18 to get laid. And that's pathetic.

Plus I stole a great plant from the front area for my first apartment. So I don't think you guys are considering all the angles.

Finally, even if Ronald McDonald personally rewrote the entire dictionary with a salt-free french fry, people/customers/exworkers/kids/media would STILL call a shit job a "McJob." So stop wasting your time, McDonald's shills in the thread above.

Let's all keep in mind this is the same company that, at the peak of the Reagan era, pushed a PR campaign which claimed their product was "health food."
Webster's, as well as the rest of planet Earth, begged to differ.

@Secularsage: No job should be "demeaning." Maybe OED should add that word to their definition.

EtherrealStrife, those campaigns have started. They're running one where the VP of Something does this little trip through time back to when she started as yer basic uniformed counter worker. I was wondering why McD's was advertising about how wonderful it is to work there, since it always seemed to me to be the last place that needs to recruit. Now I get it.

Of course McDs wants to change the meaning of the word. The fact of the matter is that jobs at McDs ARE "McJobs." They treat their people terribly, pay them below living wages and do not offer health insurance to the vast majority of people. The job is not pleasant or stimulating (unless one considers cleaning toilets and squirting mustard "stimulating).

McDs gets around their crappy treatment of employees by arguing that their jobs are "not meant to be wage-earner jobs." They seek employees who wish to work part time (up to 39.99 hours per week in most states) on non-fixed schedules. For people who only want to work a few hours a week, this isn't a big deal. But because employers COMPETE for people like this, McDs can't get enough "part time" employees. So this forces McDs to work some people full time - or nearly full time. However, they STILL do not give full time employees benefits.

These conditions just about define the conditions of employee exploitation - non-living wages, no health insurance and schedule changes at the whim of the employer.

I worked at McDs through the 80s and "worked my way up" to store manager. Their managers are not even paid a decent wage. I remember well how McDs discouraged employee unions. As managers, we were instructed to keep union organizers away from employees. We were instructed to say something like, "I am the representative for my employees."

The negative connotation of "McJob" will disappear when "McJobs" disappear. A I see it, in about the time that pigs grow wings.

How difficult is it to automate all processes in Mac Donalds. I think it can be done profitably with technology we have today, in 2007. In other words, Mc Donalds could make a profit by automatizing all sales, cooking and maintainance actions in their restaurants. I gather so far that hasn't happened because of several reasons; the risk of errors and the loss of prestige when Mac doesn't have paid staff. But in a few years that will happen. The first fastfood restaurant who decides to jump ship and save a zillion dollars a year by automating will outcompete compeition; the rest will follow within a year. I am positive this will have happened in the rich countries before 2018.

Dead-end job indeed. Imagine a few millon fast food chain people being laid off. Where are they gonna find new employment?

McWords:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McWords

Hey, I'd like to put the term "McGurgles" in the dictionary. I always feel a little ill after eating at Mickey D's

"Rewarding and stimulating, you say? McDonalds requires all of its managers be reachable 27-7, which obviously requires a cell phone. But McDonalds will not compensate for any work related phone expenses. Your plan, your minutes, your loss. That does not sound very rewarding to me, period. And we all know s**t rolls down hill, so if the managers can't get Corp to care about them, why would the cook be any more 'rewarded'?"

That's simply not true.

Most of these commenters have been very unfair to McDonalds. The people who never worked at McDonalds can just shut up. And the people who did and hated it, might I suggest that you had a bad experience, or were perhaps uncooperative? McDonalds Corporation demands excellence from its employees, and rewards them well with promotions, vacations, sabbaticals, etc. It is much less demanding of the franchisees.

It is really disappointing to see you people being so smug and snarky.