Fast Food Nation Entry 4

     In the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser many claims are made in Chapter 2 "your trusted friend".  It also discuses the similarities between the McDonald and Walt Disney corporation.  Both Ray Kroc and Walt Disney were clean freaks, knew each other growing up, and dropped out of high school to name a few.  However the most important similarity was that they were both "masterful salesmen" ...  "They perfected the art of selling things to children...turning Americas consumers into a demographic group..."(p42)  They also cared more about profits and gains then their employees.  In 1941 Disney animators went on strike and Walt fought back with all types of unconventional ways including allowing private guards to rough up people on the picket line and even relied on organized crime from Chicago to make sure things went his way.  In 1972 Kroc gave a $250,000 donation to president Nixon's reelection campaign.  That same year the fast food industry was trying to get legislation passed known as the "McDonald Bill".  This would allow fast food companies to pay their 16 and 17 year old workers 20% less then minimum wage.  The Nixon administration supported this along with allowing only McDonald's to raise the price of it's quarter pounder while price controls restricted other chains.  Kroc was accused of influence peddling, but denied it.  The McDonald brothers used to just look at the family crowd as their main market.  Kroc changed this strategy and made children there new targeted customers. This started a trend which still goes on today "the aim of most children's advertising is straightforward: get kids to nag their parents and nag them well." (p53) Well played McDonalds, well played!