I'm Such A Sap

I may look tough, but inside I have a marshmallow heart.

The latest McDonald's Hong Kong commercial depicts a mentally-challenged individual who gets up in the morning and goes to his job at the restaurant. He does his work with pride and a big smile: he clears tables, interacts with patrons, and even replaces a drink accidentally dropped by a customer.

It's a 100% pure feel-good nod toward social responsibility, and it works. On me at least.

Now the cynic on my shoulder wants to scream Manipulation!, Exploitation!, and yell: "But they pay these workers next to nothing!" And the reality is that many Hong Kongers treat cleaners with indifference; disabled or not, they may as well be invisible.

But if McDonald's does one thing well, it's that it creates opportunities for people to work and to feel like part of a team. And if a result of such a warm and fuzzy ad is that a few minds are opened (in a society that by and large still discriminates against the folks with disabilities) then Hong Kong will become a better place.

If recognising that means I'm a sap, then so be it.

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