Wednesday, March 21, 2007

McJobs

According to page five of today's MX, McDonalds is upset about the dictionary definition of "McJob", and have asked the Oxford English Dictionary to remove the definition.

The OED defines "McJob" as:

an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, especially one created by the expansion of the service sector


MX reports that McDonalds' executives say that the definition demeans its workers.

Well, here's a thought. Maybe if McDonalds is concerned about its workers being demeaned, maybe they should stop putting them in jobs that demean them?

This is one instance where shooting the messenger simply won't work. Even if the OED caves and removes the word, it isn't going to make a lick of difference. The word was created by the public, and was used for years long before the OED even considered putting it in the dictionary. The OED doesn't invent words, it reports on words that are in use. The words will remain in use even if the OED doesn't include it.

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