Yesterday I told off Ronald McDonald at Earth Day fair

[maggrwaggr]

I didn't mean to. It was the weirdest thing.

Took the kids over to a park here in Santa Monica where there's a big Earth Day fair. Booths and tents and music and food, all of it earth-day oriented.

Then I see Ronald McDonald walking through the crowd, with some sort of flunkie assistant person. He's drawing a crowd. I think nothing of it.

Next thing I know, I'm checking out a booth of kid's books, and he's right next to me, with people around him, and he addresses me directly. I was pushing my bike because I'd ridden over there and he says something like "see you're getting some nice exercise there. That's good!"

I was really wishing he hadn't talked to me, was wondering how to respond, when I realized "wait a minute. Ronald McDonald at an Earth Day fair? What the FUCK? And who is Ronald McDonald to talk about EXERCISE?"

So I just look at him and say, kind of baffled, "what are you doing here?" And he says something, I can't remember exactly what and I really start realizing it's Ronald Fucking McDonald at an EARTH DAY celebration and that just PISSES ME OFF.

So I said "how much are they paying you to be here?" and he and the flunkie say "nothing. Just all the french fries we can eat". I say " yeah right" and he says something else that's pretty inane and I just responded with "This is Earth Day. You guys don't belong here. You should be out cutting down some more rain forest so you can raise more Brazilian beef cattle for your crappy gut-bombs" or something to that affect.

Anyway, they got quiet and their smiles were gone and they sort of slunk away. I last saw them walking through the parking lot. I never saw them again.

Anyway I thought it was just weird, but kind of funny. I told off Ronald McDonald. Bizarro-world. Thought I'd share the story.

[AndyP]

1. haha

You go wit cho bad self.

[boobooday]

2. Really, I think you were just doing what had to be done

bwaaaaaaaahahahahahaha

:toast:

I bet somehow their french fries didn't taste so good after that . . .

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[No2W2004]

3. In the words of Nelson Muntz,

HA HA!


That was like Smokey the Bear being at a logger's convention.

:toast:

[maggrwaggr]

5. Yeah. it didn't sink in at first

until he started talking directly to me. Then I thought "Ronald Mcdonald. Earth Day. What's wrong with this picture?"

[LizW]

4. Ronald McDonald is creepy

He's like the "Pat" of clowns. I know he's supposed to be male, but why does he have that bouffant Patsy Cline hairdo?

Clowns in general creep me out. Once at my son's school fair, the school librarian, who is a friend of mine, was dressed in full clown garb and make-up. She came up and started talking to me, and I could hardly carry on a conversation with her, I was so weirded out.

Another time, at a local charity event, there were two of the nastiest old men dressed up as clowns. They hadn't bothered to shave and their grizzled old whiskers were sticking through the greasepaint. They both had these long, dirty fingernails. They were making balloon animals for kids, and I was just grossed out. Even my kids thought they were creepy.

Anyway, good on you, maggr, for telling off Ronald McDonald. By rights he should be hugely obese with a blood pressure cuff on his arm. That would be truth in advertising!

[Mrs. Overall]

6. This is just hilarious!

You ought to expand your story a little bit and submit it somewhere for publication--it's really humorous and to the point.
I just read it aloud for my spouse and we couldn't stop laughing at the incongruity of Ronald and Earth Day.

[maggrwaggr]

7. glad you enjoyed it.

I thought amongst all the torture/rape-room/dead-soldier threads an amusing anecdote might be welcome.

[rumguy]

13. it would make a good short story...

[jmags]

8. Besides the fact it's rude to be an ass to someone

who has nothing to do with the policies of the company, McDonalds is consistently rated one of the most socially responsible companies - especially when it comes to the environment. While they are not perfect, most environmentalist groups who have worked with the company over the past 15 years have praised them for the reform they have taken upon themselves to be more environmental friendly.
And the whole rainforest/brazillian beef thing is not even McDonalds, it is just attributed to them since they are the leader of the fast food industry.

But hey, forget that, you should feel great for making someone else feel worse, even though they are at the lowest part of the ladder.

Congrats!

[maggrwaggr]

10. Gotta love the diversity of views at DU

thanks for the spanking.

I am not a confrontational person, nor am I one who commonly goes about being rude to others.

However, I don't care who the fuck you are, if you're hired to go represent McDonalds at an Earth Day celebration, you should turn the gig down.

I hope he went back to whoever hired him and told him what happened.

Furthermore, I'd be very interested if you could prove your points with any backup info such as links.

[jmags]

14. I get annoyed when people take out their problems

on those who are in no position to do anything about it.

The poor sob was working for free fries for Christ' Sake. He's probably not in any position to decide where and for whom he works for...keep that in mind next time.

In regards to the links, I will keep this thread bookmarked and will post some links later. I'm procrastinating from studying for finals enough as it is, if I start googling...fugghedabowdit.

[toddzilla]

12. read "toxic sludge is good for you"

to find out how corporations have co-opted the environmental movement in order to appear to be helping the cause.

i find it very, very hard to believe that mickey d's is anything but horrible for the environment.


i do know that the kroc family just donated a huge amount of money to the salvation army, or red cross or something.. it was in the widow's will..

[DUreader]

22. Got any links about the great mcd's enviro-record?

[bearfartinthewoods]

25. here's something

http://www.mcspotlight.org/issues/environment/index.html

[kispoko]

9. lmfao!

lofl, i had to even save that one for comedic purposes alone, but the message is dead on.....

hehehehehe

[rumguy]

11. Maybe Ronnie is held against his will by the McDonld's corp.

and he is forced to go to these public events and do the commercials, etc...

Maybe they captured him long ago and he's been a prisoner all these years.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

15. HA! Much needed guffaw, a Michael Moore moment thrust on you.

I agree that you've gotta slap down corporation's PR where you can.

At an outdoor stage of the Montreal Jazz Fest, there was a guy in a Grim Reaper costume handing out anti-tobacco literature because a cigarette company was the main sponsor of the event.

I went up to him to congratulate him for his gutsy approach against a major killer. He said he had been mostly hassled and run off the block but kept coming back. I told him he was a brave and principled dude for his efforts and he was very appreciative of the support.

Not much later, I was running sound at Maine Fest near Portland. Multi-stage 5-day event with music, arts, crafts, food. Very hand-made hippie and green/wholistic/enviro-friendly scene.

When I closed my stage the first night, I stuck my head into the tent next door which hadn't opened up yet. The corporate sponsor of that tent had a big banner up behind the stage from Phillip Morris tobacco! I couldn't believe it so I took a magic marker and scrawled 'YOUR CHILDREN'S TOBACCO COMPANY' all over the banner. It was removed for the rest of the festival's run and I overheard organizers discussing being more careful about choosing their sponsors. Very satisfying act of vandalism even though it was in stealth.

[Gore1FL]

16. That is different from Ann Coulter's approach.

[KittyWampus]

17. McDonalds- Eat A Chem Pattie, It's Good For You

Glad you chewed out the clown!

:)

[Toucano]

18. That's a wonderful story. n/t

[IrateCitizen]

19. Earth Day, Inc. -- brought to you by McDonald's, Texaco and ExxonMobil

I don't know that I entirely endorse your overly confrontational manner (it's not like the guy dressed up as Ronald is setting McDonald's policy), but I am personally disgusted by the manner in which Earth Day has been co-opted by corporate sponsors. Most of those sponsors are paying money to get their names associated with Earth Day for nothing more than "greenwashing" their destructive policies.

[KansDem]

20. Keep up the good fight!

I haven't eaten at a McDonald's since the mid-1970s for the reasons you mentioned in your thread (and others).

I have on my "to read" list "Confessions of a Corporate Clown"
by Geoffrey Giuliano

...currently working on a book titled Confessions of a Corporate Clown. He made $50,000 a year, had a private chef, limo service, and an office with a personal secretary during his tenure as Ronald McDonald.
http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/4954/21.HTM

more info about Mr. Giuliano:
http://www.meat.org/geoffrey.htm
:toast:

[MallRat]

21. If Ronald actually ATE at McDonald's...

Check out www.supersizeme.com for other good stuff.

-MR

[slackmaster]

23. All clowns are bad

At my neighborhood pub we have a tradition for Monday afternoons: Serial Killer Movie Day. It seems every psychotic mass-murderer either was a clown or liked clowns or had some relationship to clowns.

- John Wayne Gacy was a clown.

- Ted Bundy liked Red Skelton, who was a clown.

- Ryan Gaerrity (fictional character played by Tommy Lee Jones in Blown Away) used a little clown in the bomb he put in the Jeep near the end of the flick.

Maybe not all clowns are serial killers, but they're all suspects.

BTW - The original Ronald McDonald was actor King Moody a.k.a. Robert King Moody, who played Siegfried's assistant Starker in the 1960s TV comedy series Get Smart.

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/get-smart.htm

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0600500/

[Donkeyboy75]

24. Although he spoke to you first,

I don't really see the point of insulting the guy for McDonald's policies. Dressing up as a clown pretty much indicates this guy is low man on the totem pole. I think the Bush economy has forced some individuals into taking "jobs" they normally wouldn't have dreamed of.

I'm not chiding you, though. The guy shouldn't have said anything in the first place.