McDonald's in NYC: Europeanization?

According to ABC news, a McDonald's that opened in Fall 2009 in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea was the first to "undergo a sleek, European-style makeover similar to what McDonald's has done at thousands of outlets around in France and the United Kingdom." The new McDonald's features Wi-Fi, flat screen TVs, and contemporary European-style furniture. Although the Chelsea fast-food joint has certainly seen a major renovation, the traditional Big Mac and other McDonald's classics are still available.

According to Sturken and Cartwright, "major global corporations such as...McDonald's, with its iconic golden arches, expanded into foreign markets rapidly in the late twentieth century and became symbols of the global dominance of U.S. capitalism" (401-2). What is interesting about the European-style McDonald's in New York is that the entire project is a reverse form of American imperialism.

The authors of the textbook further their discussion on globalization by providing somewhat of a definition: "increased rates of migration, the rise of multinational corporations and the globalization of capital and financial networks, the development of global communications and transportation systems, a consequent sense of the decline of the sovereign nation-state in response to the 'shrinking' of the world through commerce and communication, and the formation of new sorts of local communities not geographically bound (such as Web-based communities)."

Although much of the argument surrounding globalization involves American imperialism, it has become quite clear that America has been experiencing a certain degree of "Europeanization." From a European-style McDonald's (an interesting concept considering that McDonald's originally came from the United States) to the progressive European-style political ideology adhered to by our current Presidential administration, America is no longer the country it used to be. While change is not always a bad thing, what is important is that we ensure that we have the right change. If we don't, we're going to see a lot more of Europe than just a glamorous McDonald's.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9116887