Reading #6: Chapter 3—Behind The Counter (pgs 59-75)
Respond to the following questions as you read Fast Food Nation. You do not need to write in complete sentences, but you do need to be clear and complete in your responses. These questions will serve as a basis for class discussion and may be picked up for an unannounced homework grade every few days.
1. (pg 60) Notice in the first paragraph of the chapter that the author chooses to begin with a description of the Chapter’s setting. Why does he start in this manner? How does it frame the rest of the chapter?
2. a.) (pg 60) Schlosser says that “literate and civilized” bookstores are going out of business nationwide. Why is this happening?
b.) This statement implies that there is something inherently not “literate and civilized” about the fast food industry. In what ways are these words inappropriate for the fast food industry?
3. (pg 60-61) What does the word sprawl mean? Why do you believe it is “hardly coincidental” that two towns in the same county look quite similar?
SPACE MOUNTAIN:
1. This section focuses heavily on the changes that Colorado Springs underwent in the 1980s and 1990s. Identify a few specific changes that stuck out to you. What is Schlosser’s point in showing the drastic alterations that the city experienced?
2. (pg 66) Why are fast food visits usually impulsive? Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why or why not?
THROUGHPUT:
1. (pg 68) Schlosser explains that, “No other industry in the United States has a workforce so dominated by adolescents.” Is this a positive or a negative statement? What are the pros to it? And the cons?
2. (pg 70) The fast food industry employs workers from various marginalized populations. List three of these populations. What does this imply about the fast food industry?
3. (pg 71) What is “McDonald’s English”? Why does it exist? What are the practical and hidden purposes for the language?
STROKING:
1. (pg 73) Consider the benefits and drawbacks to an industry that has, as Schlosser notes, a turnover rate of roughly 300 to 400 percent. Address both.
2. (pg 74) What is the purpose of “stroking”? In what ways does it benefit the fast food industry?
Reading #7: Chapter 3—Behind The Counter (pgs 75-88)
Respond to the following questions as you read Fast Food Nation. You do not need to write in complete sentences, but you do need to be clear and complete in your responses. These questions will serve as a basis for class discussion and may be picked up for an unannounced homework grade every few days.
DETECTING LIES:
1. (pg 75) Schlosser explains that “obedience” is the quality that the fast food industry values most in its workers. Make a list of your associations for this term. What do these associations imply about the fast food industry’s priorities?
2. (pg 76-77) What is the purpose of unions? Why are unions important? Why are they detrimental? According to Fast Food Nation, McDonald’s is among the “most anti-union companies” in the world. Why do you think McDonald’s is so anti-union?
PROTECTING YOUTH:
1. (pg 80) Respond to the following statement: “the long hours many American teenagers now spend on the job pose a great risk to their future educational and financial success.” Do you agree or disagree? Do you have a part-time job? If so, what made you get it? If not, why is this the case?
2. (pg 82) When asked to work extra shifts and take on greater responsibility, teenagers who work in the fast food industry agreed to put themselves in harm’s way for their companies. The author explains that, “none of these teenagers had been forced to break the law; on the contrary, they seemed eager to do it.” Why?
INSIDE JOBS:
1. Look back at the section of this chapter called “Inside Jobs.” This portion addresses the rate of theft, crime, and murder affiliated with the fast food industry. What statement most surprised you in this section? Why?