A new PSA debuting this week during The Daily Show on Comedy Central  depicts an overweight corpse sprawled out on a stretcher clutching his hamburger while a doctor (or at least some guy in a white coat) attempts to console a woman (probably his wife) who apparently forgot to mail in his last life insurance premium.

His toes-up position provides a nifty visual at the end of the spot as the McDonald’s golden arches wrap themselves around his dead tootsies while a very serious announcer tells us to “Make It Vegetarian.” 
     

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m all for healthy eating and have no problem at all with vegetarianism. I also am not on the McDonald’s payroll and, as far as I know (who knows what my 401ks or IRAs are doing), don’t own stock in the company.

But I do think it violates Christian concepts of fairness to single out McDonald’s so directly in such a hit piece.  I mean it’s not as if the company invented hamburgers and fatty food. It’s not like every other restaurant sells nothing but broccoli.  

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream isn’t exactly health food but the PC Police Food Division seems much more obsessed with going after McDonald’s (which, for the left, has become a crass symbol American culture around the world) than the iconic frozen desert company linked to politically-correct liberal activism.

Now, I love Ben & Jerry’s (I dream about Cherry Garcia!) and think its great that the company is committed to environmentalism, peace and justice and the economic welfare of its employees. This isn’t about attacking Ben & Jerry’s.

It’s about defending McDonald’s which, as a company, I don’t think deserves to be so self-righteously assaulted on what has become a fairly regular basis.

So, now, a few points in defense of the company.

1. It’s Dollar Menus offer affordable meals to the homeless and other people struggling to stretch every dollar. That’s why when a San Francisco franchise owner recently decided to jack up the price of Dollar Menu items to a still-cheap (but less-affordable to the truly needy) $1.50 there was understandable concern among the area’s homeless population.

2. The company offers great first job opportunities for teenagers (including those from poorer backgrounds) to break into the work force. And, according to the company website, over 50% of their owner-operators started behind counter as well as more than 75% percent of their restaurant managers. 

3. Reasonably Healthy foods are, in fact, available at McDonald’s.  According to HealthCheck Systems, those healthier choices include the Chicken McGrill w/o mayo and its regular hamburger.

4. Ronald McDonald House.  Since 1974 McDonald’s has opened nearly 300 home-away-from-home facilities designed to help families in need of accommodations while seeking out-of-town medical care for sick children. It may not by “green” but helping families with seriously-ill kids is still a good cause in my book.

I’m not saying that McDonald’s is perfect and should never be criticized. I’m just saying that the amount of criticism it has received is inordinate and unfair.

The Defense rests and grabs a hamburger.