Wristbands

It has been many years since I have been inside a McDonald's, so I have no idea what they do these days.  (Aside: Oh, the rumor that they are experimenting with their own stir-fried beef rice noodle has been officially denied)  The Seechuen blog has this entry for Hong Kong (May 28, 2005):

[translation]  I made a rare visit for breakfast at McDonald's.  As I ordered, the lady asked me politely: "Would you like to pay more to get a wristband?"  So this was their thirtieth anniversary and they were offering commemorative handbands.  I instinctively shook my head.  While I was waiting for my order, I looked at the words on those bands.  Oh, they were so enlightening and meaningful.  Here are a few that I particularly remember:

"Age is just a number" (Comment: Yes, calorie and cholesterol counts are just numbers too)

"Risk taker" (Comment: A habitual McDonald's patron is a risk taker)

"Never say never" (Comment: Hey, ma'am, would you work for less than twenty HK dollars an hour?  Never say never!)

"Imagine" (Comment: Imagine there's no McDonald's ... imagine no possessions ... no need for greed or hunger ...)

An old person like me will never understand why wearing colorful plastic bands on the wrist is fashionable.  I can only admire the public relations by the large corporations whereby they can win on both moral and financial grounds.  This time, McDonald's is raising money for UNICEF, so no one can doubt the correctness.

Again, here I will have to confess that I have not been paying any attention to this fashion trend.  However, I know that every single BBS has published the following photo of entertainer Cecilia Cheung promoting her new recording.  In this photo, she was wearing a wrist band.  Does she know what the words mean?  She attended secondary school in Australia.

Reference: Manufacturer of “Make Poverty History” wristbands suspected to exploit worker.  CSR Asia.