The Next Web

It’s true. McDonalds has a website for black people

By Zee
August 24, 2009
• Tweet This
• Tip Techmeme
• Submit to Hackernews

Share


Comments

While browsing Digg this morning, I came upon a link titled “McDonalds has a website for black people”. My immediate thought, “eye catching title that some clever Digg user used to attract peoples attention, it can’t really be true.” I did however click through, and before my very eyes I saw:

Screen shot 2009-08-24 at 15.00.05

What’s your initial reaction?

My initial reaction was to search Mcdonalds.com to make sure that there was actually an affiliation and this wasn’t some prank by a competitor or some random Digg user. Sure enough, a link exists.

Look, I’m not black, so maybe I have no right to be offended. But this does offend me. It offends me because it shoots straight at the heart of cultural diversity, something which by now, we should all be celebrating because its part of every single country on this planet.

To create a site supposedly to celebrate African American culture and call it something like 365Black?? I’m lost for words.

Pardon my french, but lets not bullshit around, this is of course merely a way to target racial minorities. Companies do it the world over. But couldn’t the website have just been a diversity website saying they support all different kinds of cultures, races, charities and organizations?

McDonalds have got this so badly wrong it’s not even funny. For once, a Digg user put it perfectly, how would the world react to a 365White?

Tags: ,  

  • Being that McDonalds offers some of the least healthy food on the planet, liken this to the way malt liquor companies and cigarette makers used to market specific brands to African Americans.
  • Nancy S
    Creative marketing is what brings in business. I been across the US twice in the last two years and believe me when I say demographics plays into the McDonald theme. Depending on where you travel will determine whether or not there are Asians, Blacks, Whites, Iranians, etc. in their restaurants; either working there or as customers. Although I am Caucasian, more and more I see Middle Easterners owning and operating McDonald Restaurants. McDonald's has always offered great school incentives for its employees. They have always been a very diverse company. I don't know why it would surprise anyone that someone has put a link on their website. In fact, I would venture to say that if you had a legitimate web link that you wanted to put there that would extend their resources for a diverse company; they woulkd probably seriously consider your link.
  • Wow. That's all i can say is wow.
  • ha ha ha
    How is this different from Black Entertainment Television (BET) that was established in the 90s?

    I bet it was created by enterprising black people, maybe even those behind BET?
  • I'm certainly no expert but this seems like a 'positive discrimination' or 'Affirmative action' thing. usually those kind of initiatives are reserved to give minorities equal opportunities or access to jobs, education or facilities. Is this an employment opportunity website and did black people have a hard time getting jobs at McDonals before? Hmm, seems unlikely.
  • Ridiculous. And I don't mean McDonald's-- I mean your assessment of the site. This site has existed for roughly six years, and the 365Black was initially a response to the idea of "Black History Month." If there is a reason to be offended, it should be that the site never really fulfilled any kind of black history educational mission and became a billboard for McDonalds job opportunities.
  • Well there's 365Gay.com but it's owned by an LGBT media company .... Maybe that's where McDonald's got its idea for 365Black?
  • So Mickey D's is making sure that African Americans don't miss out on goodies like cancer and diabetes. Targeting ANYONE to buy their unhealthy crap should be a crime.
  • I think perhaps where Zee was going was that he found the site patronising to black people. I myself don't find anything wrong with attempting to reach different ethnic groups, and I don't find anything insulting about the name or nature of the site. But it's the nature of these sorts of things that everyone reacts differently, which is in itself a good thing. I'm lovin' it.
  • dscdfcdcf
    When will people start talking about genetics, not race?
  • Rick
    Typically American. The Sony ad featuring a black woman vs a white woman was supposedly racist (although the rest of the world didn't see it), but systematic racial segregation is okay.

    As someone from a mixed race family I find this unbelievably offensive, but then again I also find racially profiled 'black' magazines offensive.
  • nev
    I saw something similar on Apple's website, which has since been taken down. Luckily, I took a screenshot of "Black Power Emoticon Icons".
    At the time I thought, What if this had said, "White Power Emoticons" with some skinhead-looking face?

    http://www.mozzaic.co.uk/AppleBlack.png
  • Doodie
    Good post. 365Black is ridiculous. I think this is one of those things that we're all going to look back on and say "I can't believe they thought like that!"

    I just wrote something up about it as well.
    http://doodiepants.com/2009/08/25/mcdonalds-web...
  • Madmadman01
    365white would cause negative associations with white power and white supremacy. 365black is silly, but it definitely does not invoke such negative thoughts. My personal reaction (I'm white) is "well, they tried to do smth nice but did it in a sorta stupid way".
  • lola
    LOL @ 365White. Let's not try to play role reversal here, because it doesn't work. This is a white country, you don't have to specifically target your own "majority". It's just not the same thing.

    Before I continue let me just say that this McDonald's website and the whole targeting of black Americans in every damned commercial is just silly and embarrassing.

    BET...created because black people were not allowed to be portrayed on television in roles other than fat ugly mammies and being played by whites in black face. Jet magazine...created because whites were certainly not putting black people in their mainstream magazines. I could go on and on. The people who try the whole role reversal bullshit are missing the mark and don't understand the origin of specifically black companies or businesses.
blog comments powered by Disqus
 


TwitterCounter