you gotta hand it to the franchise system. mcdonalds extracts rents on the franchise owner's location while keeping them in a captive market for all the corporate inputs, marketing materials, and ever trickling upgrades and demands a certain level of revenue + tribute, but assumes none of the corporate liability for the franchisee exploiting and degrading their workers.

and they totally have these petite bourgeois mini-tyrants believing, not only, that they own something worth owning, but that they're being civic-minded and conscious toward their community.

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 31 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Franchises are basically feudalism. Lords pledge themselves to King McDonalds and are provided a permit, they can then run their fiefs mostly how they want but have to carry out the King's laws verbatim or else. They owe regular tribute and will be called upon for various commitments (wars/special deals).

[–] Horse@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

We're in fuckin ~~1320~~ 2004 motherfucker. You are a ~~serf~~ worker. removed, you live in ~~Alsace~~ Arkansas. You are a ~~peasant~~ fry cook. You need to give your fuckin' ~~lord~~ general manager the ~~grain~~ mcdouble....

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 15 points 2 months ago

Interesting point. The employee commitments are proletarian, but the franchisee commitments are feudal.

[–] LENINSGHOSTFACEKILLA@hexbear.net 14 points 2 months ago

the insidiousness of the franchise system is truly otherworldly and once you see it, you can't go back