I think that the main argument that Kincheloe is trying to make is that McDonald’s is a master at public relations and cultural power, that sells itself as both family and America, while one could make an argument that it is in fact neither. Also they’re recruiting that kids as consumers.

McDonald’s reflect’s US culture in that it glorifies both family and consumer culture, and thinks that the marriage of those two are perfectly natural. It’s also very anti-intellectual, which was definitely an aspect of the American Culture at the time of publication, but I’m less sure it’s such a big issue now. McDonald’s also changes with the times, just like American culture! It started out as a deeply misogynistic place, with Ray Kroc himself expressing views that women were just window dressing, and the only female character in it’s line up being a cheerleader. Further down the line, as American culture shifted towards respecting the rights of women, so, slowly, did McDonalds.

This relates to Appalachian culture in a slightly different way than all that however. It’s more about MASS culture, and the gradual erasure of difference under one happy capitalist banner. McDonalds colonized the Appalachian region, and it’s mass marketing and concrete presence is the tangible flip side to the kind seen on tv. It came in and erased local businesses, and with it, local culture, pulling Appalachia ever so slightly into mainstream America.