The UK arm of McDonald’s is petitioning the Oxford English Dictionary to falsify the definition of the term “McJob”, the BBC reports:
Fast-food giant McDonald’s has launched a petition to get the dictionary definition of a McJob changed.
The Oxford English Dictionary currently describes a McJob as “an unstimulating low-paid job with few prospects”. [BBC]
Note that McDonald’s isn’t disputing the accuracy of the OED’s definition of the term “Mcjob” as used by English speakers today. Instead McDonald’s is demanding that the dictionary fabricate a definition for the word because they don’t like the pejorative connotations it has in reality:
“The current definition is extremely insulting to the 67,000 people who work for us within the UK,” said McDonald’s senior vice president David Fairhurst.
“It is also insulting for everyone else who works in the wider restaurant and tourism sectors. [BBC]
Yes, there are other insulting words in the dictionary like “revisionist,” “Orwellian,” and “bully.” Maybe we should redefine those terms so that McDonald’s executives don’t feel insulted when they look them up.
