Staff editorial: A game of chicken

McDonald’s is one of the most successful capitalistic enterprises in history. The golden arches are recognized worldwide and their menu offers everything from burgers to fish to salads and apple pie. The food may not be the best, but it is cheap, quick and dependable.

But to some students, McDonald’s is more of a symbol of greed, cruelty and exploitation.

Two animal-rights groups, VegTerps and peta2, have gotten more than 2,200 signatures petitioning administrators to kick Ronald McDonald and his rabble of Hamburglars off the campus. They argue that the fast-food restaurant is inhumane to chickens, harmful to students and the environment and degrades the reputation of the university. While McDonald’s is far from a shining example of sustainable and fair capitalism, attempting to close this one location by petition is simply silly.

Shutting down one of 31,000 restaurants McDonald’s operates around the world won’t force the company to change a single one of its policies. And why should Mickey D’s be targeted in a food court that also features Taco Bell, which has been accused of mistreating tomato pickers in its supply chain in Florida?

PETA could make a difference if it was able to convince the American and international publics en masse (or even to such a degree that it made sense for McDonald’s bottom line to treat their chickens more humanely), but that is highly unlikely.

Student activism is a good thing, even if its premise is flawed. But McDonald’s isn’t going away anytime soon. If VegTerps and peta2 want to cause change, they should encourage them to change their practices by telling them, not threatening them. The documentary Supersize Me influenced McDonald’s to do away with their extra large value meals and now the restaurant prepares its fries with trans fat-free cooking oil.

The director of the Stamp Student Union, Gretchen Metzelaars, said the fast-food joint could be exiled if an advisory board was convinced students wanted a different restaurant. It may seem 2,200 signatures is approaching a mandate, but it is less than 6 percent of a 37,000-strong student body. Members of the university community are expressing their opinion every day by voting with their wallets. Every time someone buys a hamburger, this person is saying they want McDonald’s to stay.

If McDonald’s has to leave the campus, it shouldn’t be because of an advisory board’s decision, but because the restaurant is unprofitable. In the United States, we have an economy inherently based on choice. We choose what cars we drive, what food we eat and what universities we attend. No one wants chickens to suffer, and no one believes McDonald’s is healthy. But for those who really care, SaladWorks is next door and the co-op is downstairs. Eating at McDonald’s isn’t compulsory.

If students don’t like McDonald’s they should show it by simply taking their business elsewhere, not by depriving others of the freedom of choice.