Fast Food Nation Chapter 1

1. By: Whitney Gilmore & Shelby Wathen Fast Food NationChapter 1

2. It provides a backdrop from which the author’s discussion of the fast food nation will begin.

3. The author provides a somewhat nostalgic look into the exciting post-World War II era when the economy was great and big dreams were possible. Schlosser is silent about the race relations in Southern California in this period. He briefly mentions the KKK, he says nothing about the presence of Mexican Americans. He might have used the founding of Taco Bell to discuss how white Americans in this time and place appropriated images of Mexico in very specific ways. Schlosser cites Cary McWilliams when discussing the atmosphere of the 1940s, yet chooses to overlook her study North from Mexico (1949) in which she interrogates the fierce racism Mexican Americans faced. This study suggests a conspiracy of those in power to put Mexican-American youths in jail for a murder they did not commit in the mid-1940s.

4. Yes he did successfully proved points because he uses many examples such as Walt Disney building Disneyland, and Richard and Maurice McDonald building the McDonald’s franchise. These examples show the booming post WWII era by many Americans building new fast food joints and big dreams like Disneyland coming true.

5. We don’t feel he is bias because he mentions the dreams of the WWII era and he mentions the racism of Mexican-Americans in that time. He really doesn’t choose a side.

6. In this chapter, the author talks about the WWII era and the racism problems of that time, so the information isn’t that relevant to this time.