McDonald's to Battle Oxford Dictionary Over "McJobs"

If you look up the word McJob in the Oxford English Dictionary, you will find this definition: "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, esp. one created by the expansion of the service sector." For most people this won't be a problem. After all most people have had experience with McJobs at some point or another.

McDonald's Corp., heading of the vast McDonald's food chain does have a problem with the definition. According to a report from the Associated Press, McDonald's Corp. is planning to launch a campaign against the most heralded dictionary in the English language to force Oxford to either remove the definition or change it.

The AP quotes McDonald's spokesperson Walt Riker as saying "Dictionaries are supposed to be paragons of accuracy. And in this case, they got it completely wrong. It's a complete disservice and incredibly demeaning to a terrific work force and a company that's been a jobs and opportunity machine for 50 years."

Oxford says the word McJobs has been in use since at least 1986. However the term was not popularized until the publication of Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, written by Douglas Coupland. Coupland included a definition for McJob in the margins of the text, which he defined as "a low-pay, low-prestige, low-dignity, low benefit, no-future job in the service sector. Frequently considered a satisfying career choice by people who have never held one."

The first dictionary to come under the scrutiny of McDonald's Corp. for its definition of McJob was Miriam-Webster. Miriam-Webster first included the word in 2003 for the book's 11^th edition. They defined the word as "a low-paying job that requires little skill and provides little opportunity for advancement." McDonald's protested the edition but Miriam-Webster, who are based in Springfield, Massachusetts, ignored them and McJob remained in the Miriam-Webster dictionary.

Amanda Pierce, a spokesperson for McDonald's UK operations, is reported by the AP as stating the company will begin its campaign in May of this year, although she did not give specifics. The goal is to redefine what in her words is an "out-of-date" definition.

What has become known as the Oxford English Dictionary first began in 1857 when the London Philological Society deemed all then-existing English language dictionaries to be deficient and set upon a project creating a dictionary that would categorize English as a whole, using a historical perspective. Most consider the Oxford English Dictionary to be the highest standard of English dictionaries; many wonder how successful McDonald's will be in taking it on to redefine McJobs.