Two Unusual Items From News That McDonald’s CEO Has Lost Weight

And One is Unusual in an Extremely Good Way

There is no question that a steady diet of McDonald’s (or Burger King or Hardees or any other fast food burger joint) meat sandwiches is highly detrimental to ones health.  The documentary “Supersize Me” illustrated the problems in rather stark and vulgar and downright scary details.

So there was news value here in this story about the CEO of McDonald’s.

 McDonald Corp.'s CEO Don Thompson revealed at an analyst conference this week that he shed about 20 pounds in the past year by getting his "butt up" and "working out again." But he said he hasn't changed his habit of eating at McDonald's "every, single day."

So the first unusual item is that someone can eat at McDonald’s every day and still lose weight.  Of course, this means a lot of salads, a lot of chicken, no French fries and just the occasional burger. And absolutely, positively no Coca Cola.   But apparently the weight loss thing can be done, or at least one person can do it.

Here is the second unusual thing about the news, which requires a photo of the CEO, Mr. Thompson.

The point, Mr. Thompson is an African American.  The unusual thing, this is simply ignored in the story, it is never mentioned.  This is a good thing, in fact it is a very good thing.  No, full equality has not arrived in the United States, and will not for many years to come, probably decades.  But the fact that the CEO of McDonald’s is an African American and that this fact does not need to be commented on, or mentioned in a news story about him is great progress indeed.