Op-ed: "The Founder" Shares What McDonalds Burgers Are Truly Made Of!
Recently, while flying home from yet another one of those trips that has my cat in a tizzy, I had the opportunity to view a movie that I had, once again, missed in the theatres. Sound familiar? It happens all the time to us busy moms. We see more children's movies than adult flicks -- a reality of motherhood that often has me wondering what life is actually like outside the walls of Disney or Marvel Comics.
Never in my life did I think that another kid-friendly giant, McDonalds, would hand me my answer through
The Founder -- a movie that will forever change the way I see the king of the "Happy Meal". If you haven't seen this movie yet, download it when you have the time to remain glued to the television set or whatever other entertainment device you normally use to watch movies. And keep the kids out of the room. Although, there is much food-for-thought found within, none of it is for them to contemplate. You, however, will have a great deal to think about.
The Founder tells the story of how McDonalds became the fast-food empire it is today, with the primary focus being on Ray Kroc (played by genius actor Michael Keaton) -- the ambitious fellow credited with turning a simple and clever family-friendly restaurant concept into a sophisticated, international meal and real estate conglomerate. Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch, Laura Dern and more round out the stellar cast involved in capturing this jaw-dropping tale that will leave you split between your own emotions, wondering how much of the actual protrayal was accurate, and vowing to use the "lessons learned" in a positive way for the betterment of your kids and mankind.
There is no doubt that I have some moral issues with Ray Kroc's choices but that is probably why I never worked on Wall Street or involved myself in big business. The brief glimpse I had of it in my life was more than enough, although I held my own. I chose not to follow that path because I knew I would not like myself in the end. That's me. Ray Kroc chose otherwise, obviously.
Where he and I resemble each other, however, are our views on "persistence". I've always believed that "holding on" is the key to success. "He who holds on longest, wins!" is a saying of mine. It's tough to do when all arrows point to the door, but life has a way of forcing you to either jump levels through persistence or die. Ray Kroc jumped because he had to. He also had nothing to lose -- a powerful combination that usually results in groundbreaking achievements. It's a lesson, I fear, being lost on many of the youth growing up in the United States today, one of paramount concern to all of us, if you ask me.
In the end, whether you are a regular patron of McDonalds or hold a cross between you and this establishment as you drive on by, The Founder will fit the bill for engaging, thoughtful entertainment. Personally, I believe McDonalds has done a heck of a lot of good for families and communities in their brief history, beyond just serving up burgers. They've "given back" in countless ways and invested a great deal of money to right more wrongs than Ray Kroc could have ever done. I also believe that, had it not been for Ray Kroc, someone else would have figured out how to knab the McDonalds brothers golden idea, as distasteful as this may sound.
It is the way of the world, folks, and sometimes "where the origins of a company may be hard to digest, the results are extremely palatable". I think this is the case here.