How Did Mcdonald's Contributed To The Consolidation Of Canadian Culture

In the heart of any nation lies its cultural identity, woven intricately into the fabric of its society. Canada, although a young country, had built a cultural identity around its struggle against the harsh climate; what they aren’t, i.e., American; and the coexistence between the English and the French (Ravelli; Webber, 2021). However, in recent decades, the rise of global fast-food giant McDonald's has created an undeniable shift in the structure of Canadian society. This essay explores the profound impact of McDonald’s and how it led to the erosion of Canadian cultural values: the self-fulfilling prophecy of turning into what they historically have not wanted to be. Most of the Canadian population lives along 150 kilometres of the United

The Loyalists were individuals hailing from the American colonies who remained loyal to the British Crown. When the United States declared independence from Britain, many Loyalists endured persecution, property confiscation, and other forms of retaliation from Patriots (those who supported independence). As a result, thousands of Loyalists fled the newly formed United States, seeking refuge in other British territories, one such territory being Canada. Although Canadian culture is no longer passionately loyal to the Crown, the accompanying elements remain, hence why Canadian culture still places itself in opposition to the United States. Which leads us to the most prolific modern-day symbol of American mores: McDonald's. With its relentless expansion and pervasive influence, it has become a symbol of cultural corporate imperialism and a subversive entity that undermines the values that used to define the working-class grassroots that characterized the nation. This assertion is not simply a condemnation of a large fast-food chain; it is a lament for the loss of Canadian authenticity, replaced by a homogenized globalized culture that places the United States at its

But the warmth is a façade. The narrative presented in the ad ties back to the allure of the capitalistic pseudo-monopolization of the imagination (Jhally, 2000). The story presented is a manipulation of Canadian cultural symbols by the pervasive influence of a multinational corporation. These advertising tactics are of an insidious nature. As stated in Giroux’s ‘Neoliberalism’s War on Democracy’: “Neoliberalism's "best trick' is to persuade individuals, as a matter of common sense, that they should imagine [themselves] as... solitary agent[s] who can and must live the good life promised by capitalist culture." Giroux, 2014 -. They do not simply sell products; they sell ideologies, drawing attention away from the fact that the socioeconomic structure is in the hands of an exorbitantly wealthy elite few. In the case of McDonald's, there is a promotion of a neoliberal culture that only prioritizes community if there is a profit motive. It places convenience over tradition and erases uniqueness under the guise of comfortable familiarity. The once vibrant mosaic of diversity as seen in Canadian culture is overshadowed by the golden arches, symbolizing the encroachment of the American homogeneity over