# Old folks using McDonald's as an old folks' home. What would you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2014, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926 "2014-01-16T02:03:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/161 "2014-01-21T15:03:03Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > It has to do with cultural reasons why that man might have been arrested. If you read the story, his son said he was crossing the street in a group of people but he was the only one stopped. > > I’m wondering if that may have happened for cultural or racist reasons. It says nothing of the sort. One of the man’s sons says “they picked him out”, which is obviously untrue since _they were running a jaywalking sting at that intersection_. Anyway, it _still_ doesn’t have anything to do with this story except that it involves an Asian person. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/162 "2014-01-21T15:55:26Z")
Just to pick up on the cultural thing, here are the notes I collected after reading the thread: Wow, I can’t believe people are still lumping everything into “Asian” culture like it’s one single mess of 3 billion people. Korean culture is not the same as Chinese culture (and “Chinese” culture itself is dozens of individual cultures anyway). No, there’s no cultural thing in Korea that should have these seniors thinking they had rights to loiter all day. Sure, in Korea, they probably wouldn’t have been asked explicitly to leave. But part of the social contract would be that they picked themselves up and eventually left anyway or that somebody very politely asked them to accommodate other guests. That part is no different than here. It’s possible they took umbrage that their age didn’t accord them more respect from the local staff and they’re being stubborn and that they’re overly sensitive at being in a new country. It seems some of these people have only been here a couple years and might not be culturally assimilated at all. As for expectations of staying at home or not, there’s no real expectation that Korean seniors leave the home to socialize or anything. It’s not unusual for seniors to stay at home all day, most days, nor is it unusual to go out regularly and socialize, either. But if it was me, I probably wouldn’t want to be cooped up all day. Why is the community is backing them? It’s probably a lot to do with age. Everybody knows these guys aren’t in the right, but Korea culture is to respect older people, sometimes even if they are being dicks. They’re probably a bit stuck in the corner - having to justify behavior they know is wrong but at the same time not wanting to violate cultural taboos by telling these men to knock it off. If the men were just 1 or 2 decades younger, the reaction would almost certainly be vastly different. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/163 "2014-01-21T16:30:00Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > If seniors fit enough to use the bus want to be bored in this city its their choice, not because they’re old and wah wah wah. Exactly. The lists of free things to do in NYC is never ending. [www.nycgovparks.org](http://www.nycgovparks.org) has a daily calender of events at city parks, and most events are free. Free times at the world’s best museums, zoos, exhibits, the NYPL, you name it are well published. Their Metrocard is their ticket to unlimited action. These people don’t want “something to do”. They want to sit on their rear ends. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/164 "2014-01-21T18:03:37Z")
Apparently there’s been a [Korean Armistice Agreement](http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/mcdonald-flushing-seniors-reach-seating-deal-article-1.1585819). ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/165 "2014-01-21T18:25:16Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Just to pick up on the cultural thing, here are the notes I collected after reading the thread: > > Wow, I can’t believe people are still lumping everything into “Asian” culture like it’s one single mess of 3 billion people. Korean culture is not the same as Chinese culture (and “Chinese” culture itself is dozens of individual cultures anyway). > > No, there’s no cultural thing in Korea that should have these seniors thinking they had rights to loiter all day. Sure, in Korea, they probably wouldn’t have been asked explicitly to leave. But part of the social contract would be that they picked themselves up and eventually left anyway or that somebody very politely asked them to accommodate other guests. That part is no different than here. > > It’s possible they took umbrage that their age didn’t accord them more respect from the local staff and they’re being stubborn and that they’re overly sensitive at being in a new country. It seems some of these people have only been here a couple years and might not be culturally assimilated at all. > > As for expectations of staying at home or not, there’s no real expectation that Korean seniors leave the home to socialize or anything. It’s not unusual for seniors to stay at home all day, most days, nor is it unusual to go out regularly and socialize, either. But if it was me, I probably wouldn’t want to be cooped up all day. > > Why is the community is backing them? It’s probably a lot to do with age. Everybody knows these guys aren’t in the right, but Korea culture is to respect older people, sometimes even if they are being dicks. They’re probably a bit stuck in the corner - having to justify behavior they know is wrong but at the same time not wanting to violate cultural taboos by telling these men to knock it off. If the men were just 1 or 2 decades younger, the reaction would almost certainly be vastly different. So, in short, Korean people tend to afford special respect to the elderly. For cultural reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/166 "2014-01-21T18:33:00Z")
Well, now non-Koreans are telling them to knock it off and being ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/167 "2014-01-21T22:26:33Z")
They’re a bunch of old assholes with entitlement issues. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/168 "2014-01-21T23:46:30Z")
Maybe McDonalds can offer a Bulogi Mac. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/169 "2014-01-22T00:26:12Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > So, in short, Korean people tend to afford special respect to the elderly. For cultural reasons. To a point, as in many East Asian cultures and, to a different extent around the world. In this case, the local community is taking things further than normal. There’s almost certainly a lot of “us vs them” mentality going on with Koreans trying to protect their own, rather than purely respecting their elders. You wouldn’t get this level of pigheaded stubbornness in Korea itself or among Koreans who have been here longer in areas with a lower overall Korean presence who had a chance to be more assimilated. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Maybe McDonalds can offer a Bulogi Mac. They do, in Korea and Japan. > [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > They’re a bunch of old assholes with entitlement issues. Pretty much. ---
**Author:** ![weemart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@weemart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weemart)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/170 "2014-01-22T00:37:56Z")
20 mins to finish food in a restaurant? ---
**Author:** ![weemart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@weemart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weemart)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/171 "2014-01-22T00:42:43Z")
And if I buy a tea/coffee/soft drink in a restaurant that says I get free refills I expect them to refill my cup all day long no matter how long I stay there. So long as I leave at closing time I’ve done nothing to breach the contract they’re offering. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/172 "2014-01-22T01:35:55Z")
Hilarious. I’d like to see you sue McDonald’s for “breach of contract” when they kick you out after you buy one coffee and then loiter for the next 10 hours. No, really. I think you should try this. ---
**Author:** ![weemart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@weemart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weemart)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/173 "2014-01-22T01:42:40Z")
If they’re offering free refills after I buy 1 cup then expect me to finish all my free refills in 20 mins then who’s breaching their contract? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/174 "2014-01-22T01:45:52Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > They’re a bunch of old assholes with entitlement issues. Absolutely. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Maybe McDonalds can offer a Bulogi Mac. I want one of those! > [@weemart](#): > > 20 mins to finish food in a restaurant? I think people are focusing too much on the 20 minutes figure - if you’re not an entitled old asshole who camps there all day, every day, they’re not going to kick you out if you take 25 minutes to finish your burger and coke. The idea is that in general, they don’t want people using a tiny little McDonald’s location as their living room. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/175 "2014-01-22T01:52:46Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I think people are focusing too much on the 20 minutes figure - if you’re not an entitled old asshole who camps there all day, every day, they’re not going to kick you out if you take 25 minutes to finish your burger and coke. The idea is that in general, they don’t want people using a tiny little McDonald’s location as their living room. So there are different rules for different people? I’m not comfortable with restaurants deciding that the desirables can linger, while the undesirables get kicked out. I’m fine with restaurants having rules about how long people can stay, but I think those rules should be applied consistantly. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/176 "2014-01-22T02:12:31Z")
> [@weemart](#): > > If they’re offering free refills after I buy 1 cup then expect me to finish all my free refills in 20 mins then who’s breaching their contract? I guess only their lawyer can answer that! Let us know what he says. ---
**Author:** ![weemart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@weemart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weemart)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/177 "2014-01-22T02:15:46Z")
I don’t go to McDonald’s lol. Just saying what I believe the terms of their contract are. I think if someone took it up with them they’d win. The person would win. Not McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/178 "2014-01-22T02:25:23Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > So there are different rules for different people? I’m not comfortable with restaurants deciding that the desirables can linger, while the undesirables get kicked out. > > I’m fine with restaurants having rules about how long people can stay, but I think those rules should be applied consistantly. And here is the attitude that creates that 20 minute limit in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/179 "2014-01-22T02:25:29Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > So there are different rules for different people? I’m not comfortable with restaurants deciding that the desirables can linger, while the undesirables get kicked out. > > I’m fine with restaurants having rules about how long people can stay, but I think those rules should be applied consistantly. A reasonable person stays a reasonable time to eat their food and then leaves; these customers are not being reasonable, which is why McDonald’s is having to resort to strictly enforcing a 20 minute limit. You try doing what these entitled old assholes do at a small local restaurant, and see how long it is until you get a 20 minute time limit enforced on you, too. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926/180 "2014-01-22T02:29:55Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > You try doing what these entitled old assholes do at a small local restaurant, and see how long it is until you get a 20 minute time limit enforced on you, too. If this were a group of teenagers hanging out in McDonalds all day, buying one coffee or one order of fries and then staying hours, monopolizing the tables so other customers leave without buying anything, I’ve no doubt \*\*sven \*\*and other supporters in this thread would have no problem whatsoever with McDonald’s telling them to leave. But because they are old, and Korean, in some people’s minds that gives them a free pass to be assholes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-folks-using-mcdonalds-as-an-old-folks-home-what-would-you-do/678926.md?page=10)