Fast Food Nation Analysis
In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser is attempting to revolutionize how Americans eat by exposing the flaws of the fast food industry. He writes about how the commercialized industry of fast food has changed how Americans live. Throughout the novel Schlosser emphasizes the point that the fast food industry is a corrupting force that impacts nearly every aspect in America such as people’s health, the economy and society. The novel starts off by giving background on the history of fast food chains and how it evolved over the years. Carl N. Karcher was one of the founding fathers of the fast food industry along with the McDonald’s brothers. During the post WWII era McDonalds became so popular that entrepreneurs from all over the nation felt the
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This has become one of the most important keys to their success. Fast food jobs were mostly part-time, provided little training and came with no benefits. In Chapter 3, Schlosser writes, “The fast food industry pays the minimum wage to a higher proportion of its workers than any other American industry. Consequently, a low minimum wage has long been a crucial part of the fast food industry’s business plan. Between 1968 and 1990, the years when the fast food chains expanded at their fastest rate, the real value of the U.S. minimum wage fell by almost 40 percent…While the real value of the wages paid to restaurant workers has declined for the past three decades, the earnings of restaurant company executives have risen considerably.” The fast food industry continues to flourish while corrupting their employees. This plays a major part in our society because immigrants are always in the bottom when it comes to social class, not because they don’t work hard but because they’re given unfair wages. Fast Food Nation addresses two themes of geography, movement and human environmental interaction. Movement is emphasized by how fast the fast food industry is evolving, not only in America but also overseas. Fast food chains successfully spread because entrepreneurs from the U.S. to foreign countries worldwide franchised these businesses. Human environmental interaction is portrayed by immigrant workers working at fast food chains for minimum wage while trying to adapt to their new
This has become one of the most important keys to their success. Fast food jobs were mostly part-time, provided little training and came with no benefits. In Chapter 3, Schlosser writes, “The fast food industry pays the minimum wage to a higher proportion of its workers than any other American industry. Consequently, a low minimum wage has long been a crucial part of the fast food industry’s business plan. Between 1968 and 1990, the years when the fast food chains expanded at their fastest rate, the real value of the U.S. minimum wage fell by almost 40 percent…While the real value of the wages paid to restaurant workers has declined for the past three decades, the earnings of restaurant company executives have risen considerably.” The fast food industry continues to flourish while corrupting their employees. This plays a major part in our society because immigrants are always in the bottom when it comes to social class, not because they don’t work hard but because they’re given unfair wages. Fast Food Nation addresses two themes of geography, movement and human environmental interaction. Movement is emphasized by how fast the fast food industry is evolving, not only in America but also overseas. Fast food chains successfully spread because entrepreneurs from the U.S. to foreign countries worldwide franchised these businesses. Human environmental interaction is portrayed by immigrant workers working at fast food chains for minimum wage while trying to adapt to their new