How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
I came across this article that I thought raised several issues. First, the story.
It seems that Chandler, Arizona resident Erin Carr Jordan was at her local McDonald’s with her kids when she took a closer look at the play space in the restaurant. To her surprise, she found it disgusting (and why wouldn’t it be that way? Kids were crawling all over it!) and subsequently complained to the manager. During ensuing visits she found the play space still didn’t meet her standards.
So, what did she do when faced with this potential bubonic plague of a threat to civilization?
- Did she simply decide to not patronize the offending McDonald’s and take her kids to a local park? I mean, there are no germs in a public park, right?
- Did she write a letter to the management, perhaps informing them why she no longer planned to patronize their establishment? Unlike government monopolies, such as the post office or the DMV (and even educational institutions, in some cases), private companies need business to survive and generally respond well to reasonable (key word there) complaints.
Of course not!
Instead, she actually had samples taken, which were then analyzed by a lab. The result? Horrors! All kinds of pathogens were found! She then went on a crusade, complaining to the manager, bothering other parents in the McDonald’s about her findings, and just made such a nuisance of herself that her local McDonald’s actually banned her from their restaurants. Who would have thought that was possible?
I think this story nicely illustrates some real differences in how conservative/libertarians view the world vs lefty progressive types. To wit:
- If you find something in a restaurant you don’t like, why not simply stop doing there? If you’re really gung ho, write a letter saying why you are no longer visiting the premises. Why go on a regulatory crusade?
- Isn’t she interested in finding out how many plagues can be linked back to McDonald’s playgrounds? I have a guess at this number - 0.
- Why isn’t she interested in the pathogen count in public playgrounds? Or at public libraries? Why pick on McDonald’s?
- For that matter, why not do a check for pathogens on kids themselves? Is she not aware how unhygienic they are? They pick their nose and eat it. They eat glue. They drink from dog bowls, for crying out loud. Maybe we should get “at the root causes” and mandate that all kids should be encased, bubble boy like, in plastic?
- Isn’t she slightly worried that if she gets her wish and some new regularity framework is set up, that many restaurants, including McDonald’s, might decide that having a play area is just not worth the bother?
As a conservative/libertarian type I accept that fact that the world is not perfect. However, I know that any attempts to fix that come with costs that must always be weighed. It seems to be that the Erin Carr Jordan’s of the world have their risk/cost meters seriously out of adjustment. What do you think the pathogen count would be if you did a count in her fridge?
What do you think? Would you be at all surprised if I told you that Erin Carr Jordan was a college instructor? Aren’t you kind of impressed that she was banned (I LOVE that part, actually, makes me want to buy a Big Mac in solidarity)? What do you think it reveals about the progressive mindset?
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Oct '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
Studies have been done on this topic. If this woman was aware, she would never go to a Mall or use a public drinking fountain. Not to mention just how nasty filthy a dollar bill is. Wash your hands after handilng money ?
The best course of action is to spend time with your child at school during the cold and flu season. You will end up with a cast iron immune system. Save on flu shots !
Edited on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:19pmMar '11
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
I have two boys, thirteen and nine, and they are gross. Every evening, my wife, whip and chair in hand, chases them into the shower. By the next afternoon they each smell like a sewer.
Just as it should be.
Mar '11
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
I do believe I shall be dining at McDonald's this weekend in support of their policy banning college professors with too much time on their hands.
May '11
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
This professor is obsessed with her childrens' health yet lets them eat at McDonalds.
Edited on Oct 27, 2011 at 2:59pmSep '11
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
Ms. Jordan's enthusiasm is misplaced. I took a class in food safety from the state Dept. of Health back in the spring--at the end of the class (for local not-for-profit organizations that sell food at fairs, festivals, etc.) there was time for questions. Which restaurant in the area did the inspector think was the best?
His instant response: McDonald's. Any McDonald's. Anywhere--if you flew him to the other side of the world he'd be confident that the cleanest restaurant in town would be McDonald's.
I realize we're talking about the play area, not the kitchen--but I venture to guess that the play area at McDonald's is maintained to a higher standard than play areas at other restaurant chains.
Dec '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
Lawyers.
Dec '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
"with a doctorate in developmental psychology"
Wow. So much to comment on here. Let's just say that I've gotten emails that have said "You may already have earned a doctorate in developmental psychology."
She may be a graduate of the University of Cracker Jack.
I think Monty Hall said "You can have a doctorate in developmental psychology or what's in the box."
Take the box.
Jun '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
With five kids, and now seven grandchildren, I've seen my share of fast food joints and their play areas. I hold no brief for McDonalds, but have always found their restaurants to be clean, at least as clean as a place filled with kids can be.
So the good professor finds bacteria. Wow! But isn't bacteria everywhere? Has she compared levels at McDonalds with her children's school rooms? Have there been outbreaks of dread diseases among the children of Chandler AZ?
This shows two elements on the liberal mind at work: do-gooderism (it's not good enough to quit going to McDonalds, it must be reformed) and complete lack of proportion (which results on more and more being done about less and less).
Edited on Oct 27, 2011 at 7:25pmAug '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
This gal definitely is stalking Morgan Spurlock.
Wish her luck.
Oct '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
Stink bugs naturally stink. Liberals naturally interfere in other people's lives. That's life.
Oct '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
There must be a reference to the OWS events there somewhere, could not let that pass. Just the way one thinks....
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
Has she tested the bottom of her purse? I have heard that's the germiest place on earth. Think about where we put those, ladies.
May '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
So many directions to go with this... where to start? My my...
I think it reveals an obsession with the elimination of all risk. Doesn't that lie at the root of progressive egalitarianism?
Dec '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
Yeah, not my purse. My purse is either on a hook or in my lap for that reason. You could eat off the bottom of my purse... er somethin'.
Nov '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
I think I'll write this lady a letter and tell her that John Lennon and Yoko Ono got salmonella from a Doggie Diner tablecloth back in 1971, and that's why the Beatles broke up. If I catch her in the right mood, I bet she'll file a lawsuit.
Dec '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
Being something of a germ-a-phobe, I have a few tips to share.
Floors are just disgusting -- especially in public places, but anywhere your shoes touch. My kids have learned not to use the hand dryers in bathrooms after I read that they suck the air off the floor and deposit all the little nasties on your hands. We "shake, shake, shake and pat, pat, pat." Unless it's in a private home, the only thing which should touch a floor is the bottom of your shoes.
Did you read that study of bachelor pads? Their coffee tables and other surfaces have 20 times (or somethin') the amount of E coli and other junk than a female-occupied residence because they put their feet up on everything!! Shoes off, gents.
Hand-sani is your friend! Once my eldest discovered she had the hygiene gene, we became major dealers, I mean suppliers of course, of hand-sanitizer at her school. We coaxed her off her habit slightly, but the kid never gets sick.
And yes, I let my kids play at McDonald's, but the hand-sani is on the table ready for liberal, in the best sense, application.
May '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
This is too absurd to be true, isn't it?
Oct '11
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
I'm not sure at what point we lost the collective wisdom that life is dirty. Probably around the same point we lost the knowledge that life is also hard and unfair.
Jun '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
We are working with the local Loaves & Fishes to send food home with students who don't have food over the weekends. When I asked about food allergies (we are sending peanut butter), the director said that children who don't have sterile environments are generally healthier than their wealthier fellow students. Amazingly, they almost never have food allergies. It made me pause.
Oct '10
Re: How A Busybody College Instructor Got Herself Banned From McDonald’s
RE, Western Chauvinist.
That pretty much says Third World travel is not for you. Local customs and facilities can be a challenge. When Ya gotta go Ya gotta go.