<![CDATA[Consumerist: mcjobs]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/consumerist.com.png <![CDATA[Consumerist: mcjobs]]> http://consumerist.com/tag/mcjobs http://consumerist.com/tag/mcjobs <![CDATA[ McDonalds Wants To Literally Redefine "McJob" ]]> McDs%20OED.pngWebster's dictionary defines McJob as, "a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement," a definition that McDonalds' lobbyists are working overtime to overturn.
The company is leading a "word battle" on behalf of the wider service sector. 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."
The Oxford English Dictionary, which specifically notes that McJobs are "unstimulating," claims that they track the popular usage of words, and do not respond to pressure from interest groups. What do you think? Tell us in the comments. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Can McDonald's Alter the Dictionary? [Time]
(Photo: Tom Simpson)

]]> Consumerist-267309 Sat, 09 Jun 2007 11:16:54 EDT Carey Alexander http://consumerist.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=267309&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[ McDonald's McFights McLanguage in McDictionary ]]> Language is power, and Ronald McDonald is getting into a pissing match with the guardians of the English language.

McDonald's Corp. on Tuesday restarted its push to get the word "McJob" removed from dictionaries — and has set its sights on the gold standard of lexicons, the Oxford English Dictionary.

Glad to see the legal department at Mickey D's HQ is working overtime. They might also want to target the OED's definition of the prefix "Mc," which applies "chiefly to nouns to form nouns with the sense 'something that is of mass appeal, a standardized or bland variety.'"

As I type this, I'm wondering if the corporate goons have already found success: McDonald's will be happy to know that Firefox's spell-checker doesn't recognize the word "McJob." Then again, it doesn't recognize "Hamburglar," either. So let's call it a draw. — MARK ASHLEY

McDonald's Targets the English McLanguage [Spiegel Online International]
(Photo: iboy_daniel)

]]> Consumerist-246039 Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:14:38 EDT consumerintern http://consumerist.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=246039&view=rss&microfeed=true