What do you think of McDonald's opening up in the Louvre?
The fast food giant will have a store in the famous Paris museum. Are you offended or Lovin it?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by david on -
I don’t believe that having a McDonald’s opening in the Louvre is degrading to the museum at all. Although some may think that such a common place restaurant does not belong in a place dedicated to works of art, there is nothing that decreases the worth of the museum in the restaurant.
The first question I ask to those who say having the restaurant is in the Louvre is degrading is, why do you believe so? Because it’s anti-culture? Because it belongs in other places such as strip malls or on the sides of a freeway?
If you were to look back on our recent human history, as much as you’d want to deny it, McDonald’s would definitely be included. It was once the largest fast food chain in the world (now surpassed by a group of restaurants in a corporation called Yum!). It currently serves approximately 47 million customers daily and is the largest hamburger food chain in the world. With this prominent position in our world, one has to accept that it is a part of our human history and if we share the same definition of culture (characteristic features of every day existence), McDonald’s would undoubtedly be a part of our human culture.
Now with that being said, how would one say that McDonald’s is anti-culture when it is a major part of our every day lives? I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few hundred years, the Golden Arches were in some museum proclaiming the impact they had on humankind.
Then we have ask why does it belong in a strip mall or on a side of a freeway rather than a highly esteemed museum? One gets the connotation from the phrase “it belongs in a strip mall or on the side of a freeway” that McDonald’s is a common place restaurant and has no place to do in a sophisticated area. If that’s so, then are we stating that the Louvre is too important to have commoners (who probably eat at a McDonald’s at least once a month) in its halls? If we are then we’re merely stating that the commoners who are (by definition) the most common in our world are not worthy of entering into the presence of these works of art.
Then who are these works of art reserved for? Rich and pompous presidents? Perhaps people of great importance. Or maybe only those who can continuously afford meals at restaurants that are much more luxurious and esteemed than our common McDonald’s.
If that’s one’s perception of whom art should be reserved for, then I believe that he or she has sadly mistaken the purpose of art, which I believe is to enhance the taste of fine arts in mere commoners.
With all that being said, how can one state that having a McDonald’s in a museum is degrading to the museum? Especially when the creators of the works of art would probably have eaten something just as common when they were alive.
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Permalink Reply by Aurel' on -
I live in Paris and even though I don't spend all my free time in museums, I like it that when I go, it's this special place that is not like everywhere else. And it's a shame that the Louvre is turning into this big mall, with soon to open a mc donald's and an Apple store. It's about to become a place where you can buy stuff and is, secondarily, a museum. Not to mention noisy kids everywhere... Yuk ...
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