McDonald’s Petitions Oxford English Dictionary over “McJobs”

McDonald’s, purveyor of hamburgers and fries the world over, has a bone to pick with the good people at the Oxford English Dictionary. The people of the Ronald McDonald Republic don’t like the definition of “McJobs,” which the OED says, is “an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, especially one created by the expansion of the service sector” McDonald’s is actually petitioning for a change in definition. Sorry, guys, but that isn’t how dictionaries work.

David Fairhurst, a senior vice-president of the company and organizer of the redefinition campaign, said, “It is a totally outdated picture of work in today’s service sector.” He added, “It’s time the dictionary definition of McJob was changed to reflect a job that is stimulating, rewarding and offers opportunities for career progression and skills that last a lifetime.” He then cited a bunch of numbers the company produced alleging that working at Mickey D’s is loaded with opportunity.

Now, the company has a vested interest in convincing the world that it is a good place to work, as does every other business enterprise on the planet. So, suppose one takes the company’s word at face value, and one accepts the statistics as true. So what?

‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.’

‘The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you CAN make words mean so many different things.’