News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Humane Technology. Parent comment

Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by Chathamization on Sunday February 04, 2018 @03:18PM (#16304664)
I wonder how much the push back against McDonald's is class based. It's not healthy, but the same can be said for a lot of the food we eat. A lot of fast casual burgers, which seem to hold a higher position in the public perception, have more calories. Of course, overall health is more complicated than just calories, but it's worth pointing out since that's one of the main complaints against McDonald's (including in the article you linked to). Cereal has declined in popularity, but it doesn't seem to have had quite the same negative stigma, even though a lot of it is simply processed flour and sugar (which was then marketed as being "part of this balanced breakfast"); neither do brands like Starbucks or Coke.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by fny on Sunday February 04, 2018 @05:53PM (#16305440)
There's a good amount of sociological research on this topic, which not only agrees with your claim but also posits the obesity war is just a away for the middle and upper class (who are also overweight, at times even more so that the poor[0]) to push a moral agenda on the poor that emphasizes self-control issues of others while ignoring those of their own.[1]

[0]: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db51.htm [1]: A fascinating read on the history and current affairs of the topic: "Eating Right in America: The Cultural Politics of Food and Health"

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by kinkrtyavimoodh on Sunday February 04, 2018 @07:17PM (#16305720)
This is very true. In India McD has a more prestige positioning (not extremely but it's a luxury for the lower class, a treat for most middle class families, and a non-shameful food destination for the upper-middle class, and no one shits on McD food as being particularly bad for you.

It's put up there with the food you will get from other similar joints (KFC, Dominos, Papa Johns etc.)—not a bastion of good eating but nothing particularly inimical.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by nicoburns on Sunday February 04, 2018 @08:46PM (#16306061)
I find the comparison with KFC, etc as odd. From my european perspective, all of these places are seen as producing unhealthy food (not to mention destroying important ecosystems such as rainforests to produce cheap meat) McDonalds is the target of campaigns only because of it's prominence and brand recognition.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by NicoJuicy on Monday February 05, 2018 @02:47AM (#16307273)
In India you will have to find people who want to eat meat, to what I've heard.

I think that's more related than "luxury food"

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by vertex-four on Monday February 05, 2018 @04:10AM (#16307598)
McDonald's in India has a much larger focus on vegetarian and chicken burgers[0], avoiding the beef that's a problem for a significant portion (but not all by far) of the population.

http://www.mcdonaldsindia.net/burgers.aspx

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by WalterBright on Sunday February 04, 2018 @11:50PM (#16306675)
> It's not healthy

I get a quarter pounder, a side salad, and cup of water. It's a decent, healthy meal.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by KhanMahGretsch on Monday February 05, 2018 @09:21PM (#16313984)
>It's a decent, healthy meal.

Especially when the alternative involves a caloric-deficit. While fast food like McDonalds is nutritionally sub-optimal, it cannot be understated how effectively they deliver much-needed calories at an affordable price. Even though this is accomplished with dubious subsidies and ethically-challenged animal farming practices, superior options are few when it comes to filling your belly with a few hard-won dollars.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by platz on Sunday February 04, 2018 @06:28PM (#16305563)
Is an egg-mcmuffin with no cheese and no hash-brown really that bad for you? It's literally an egg on bread.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by sjg007 on Sunday February 04, 2018 @10:31PM (#16306408)
No it’s not that bad for you.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by gukov on Monday February 05, 2018 @12:54AM (#16306895)
How many people only order an egg on bread at McDonald's?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by platz on Monday February 05, 2018 @01:34AM (#16307038)
I also get a coffee (black).
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by brahj123 on Sunday February 04, 2018 @11:21PM (#16306581)
it's not real egg and the processed bread-resembling muffin isn't very nutritious either
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by throwa_way_ on Sunday February 04, 2018 @11:40PM (#16306636)
How exactly does McDonalds make eggs that aren't real eggs> I don't believe that.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by starpilot on Monday February 05, 2018 @02:20AM (#16307169)
There are carton "eggs" that you pour. The McMuffin really is made from fresh cracked eggs, though. I think they are delicious.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by thousandautumns on Monday February 05, 2018 @01:25PM (#16310775)
What's wrong with carton eggs? How are they not real eggs?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by redblacktree on Monday February 05, 2018 @12:58PM (#16310564)
Just curious. What do you think those are made from?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by starpilot on Monday February 05, 2018 @01:25PM (#16310778)
I wasn't trying to imply whipped eggs from a carton aren't eggs.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by rhizome on Monday February 05, 2018 @02:27AM (#16307191)
Do you really think they'd be allowed to call it an Egg McMuffin if it didn't have real eggs? It would be a pretty clear-cut case of false advertising.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by simplemts on Monday February 05, 2018 @03:43AM (#16307495)
Do you read the ingredients of anything you eat/drink? This happens all the time. Read ingredients of "Apple Juice" or "Orange Juice" and it will often say upon inspection "Contains 12% juice" or something of the like.

Yeah... your Egg McMuffin probably has SOME egg in it, but that's about it.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by vertex-four on Monday February 05, 2018 @04:20AM (#16307641)
There was a promotional document a couple of years ago which describes each type of egg they do.[0] The egg mcmuffin is actually the best, as it's entirely just an egg, cracked and cooked from scratch right there.

[0] http://static6.uk.businessinsider.com/image/54c920c1dd08950d...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by platz on Monday February 05, 2018 @10:30AM (#16309330)
Ok, so the worst thing I can find about the egg McMuffin is that it is prepared with 'liquid margerine' which appears to contain some trans fats in the form of 'partially hydrogenated soybean oil'. My understanding is anything that is partially hydrogenated is trans fats.

Apparently it is has 1/3 of you daily allowance of sodium as well.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by vertex-four on Monday February 05, 2018 @10:47AM (#16309461)
On the other hand, if you're eating at McDonald's, I suspect the presence of trans fats in the oil isn't something you're super worried about - it's not like it's junk food loaded up with things you can barely pronounce, specifically designed to make up 75% of your recommended allowance of calories while containing as little meat/veg as possible.

McDonald's, as long as you approach the menu reasonably, is honestly probably one of the better fast food options - not something you should be eating every day, but once every couple of weeks probably isn't going to kill you any faster than anything else you do.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by rhizome on Monday February 05, 2018 @01:22PM (#16310748)
Find me anything with fake egg that passes itself off as Egg Something. Cadbury doesn't count, it has to be an egg substitute.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by brango on Monday February 05, 2018 @03:07AM (#16307349)
The food industry plays all sorts of games. Ever seen what's actually in "pork" sausages or "chicken" nuggets?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by rhizome on Monday February 05, 2018 @03:45AM (#16307503)
Do you know how narrow the definition of "mayonnaise" is (in the US)? They don't mess around.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by walshemj on Sunday February 04, 2018 @04:01PM (#16304908)
I though that too "oh no look at those chavs" at MacDonald's Supersize me also did not see what happened to you if you eat a full xmass dinner every day for a month did it.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by stryk on Sunday February 04, 2018 @04:52PM (#16305139)
It might be a mistake asking this, but what the heck is a 'chav' ?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by metavrsl on Sunday February 04, 2018 @05:03PM (#16305202)
It’s an English word for rougher lower class young men. People look down on them, it’s partially a class thing and partially how they dress and how they’re just boisterous. Don’t know what the equivalent word in the USA is but in Australia we say Bogan which is similar.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by Impossible on Sunday February 04, 2018 @05:12PM (#16305245)
Equivalent words for lower class people in the USA often have a racial slur component involved so you don't see them used in the same context. I thought the word "bro" might be close but bro has a upper or middle class connotation, being derived from frat brother, rather than lower class.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by dTal on Sunday February 04, 2018 @07:42PM (#16305826)
Chavs certainly don't have to be men. Also I'm pretty sure the youth requirement has atrophied now, and it's more of a direct class-epithet.

I don't think there's a race-neutral equivalent in American English, but "white trash" captures much of the spirit.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by stryk on Sunday February 04, 2018 @05:25PM (#16305305)
Interesting. I was under the impression that 'bogan' was sort of the Aussie equivalent to the classic American "hillbilly" -- and there's a slight (and depending on how it's used, sometimes not-so-slight) negative connotation to it here in the US as well.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by tomlock on Sunday February 04, 2018 @06:19PM (#16305528)
Kinda sorta! It's definitely class and geographically based in Australia, and definitely negative.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by davidjsevans on Monday February 05, 2018 @02:21AM (#16307172)
The Australian equivalent is a "lad". As in "eshays adlay".
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by DoreenMichele on Sunday February 04, 2018 @11:37PM (#16306628)
Bogan seems to be roughly equivalent to hick from what I gather.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by gt_ on Sunday February 04, 2018 @05:17PM (#16305261)
There is no American counterpart for euro chavs, and it’s too late for that now. Euro chav fashion has been very influential in America over the last decade. A lot of Americans think chavs were hip as a result.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by electricslpnsld on Sunday February 04, 2018 @07:00PM (#16305660)
> Euro chav fashion has been very influential in America over the last decade. A lot of Americans think chavs were hip as a result.

I don't think I've ever seen a hipster rocking the chav look.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by gt_ on Sunday February 04, 2018 @09:24PM (#16306204)
To be fair, I lived in Portland from 2013-2017. But I don’t think it was a ever a staple as much as a statement.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by willbw on Sunday February 04, 2018 @05:32PM (#16305338)
It's an English term for a young, obnoxious lower class person wearing tacky clothes.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by walshemj on Sunday February 04, 2018 @06:45PM (#16305617)
Apart from when they got into Burberry - which the marketing tem refer to (with a shudder) as "The Time"
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by gedy on Sunday February 04, 2018 @09:06PM (#16306143)
"Council Housed And Violent" (unless that's a backronym)
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Early Facebook and Google Employees Form a Center for Hum... by rhizome on Monday February 05, 2018 @02:28AM (#16307195)
It's the British version of white trash.
[ Parent | on HN ]