Wednesday, October 07, 2009

McDonald's in the Louvre


On the other side of the world, in Paris, France, some people are outraged by the new McDonald’s opening at the Louvre. Apparently, the staff and some other disgruntled fast-food haters wrote a petition letter to the administration begging them not to open a Starbucks a year ago. The petition was rejected and the administration decided to open the Starbucks anyway. It seems as if people are reacting just as strongly, if not more strongly than they did for the Starbucks opening, and the museum still refuses to budge on the issue. There will be le McDonald's in le Louvre, whether you like it or not!

The best part in this article are the user comments. You really get a good sense of the public’s split opinion regarding this issue. Some are accepting the recent move, approaching it with a more defeatist attitude, reminding us that there is already dismal food at the Carousel dining hall in the museum. Others are outraged by what they think is the States’ impending cultural domination, a blatant attack on French cultural sensitivities.

Similar things are happening to museums and cultural heritage sites all over the world. China had the same issues with Starbucks placing a shop in the Forbidden City.

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