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By Mina Xavier, October 20, 2008 3:03 pm

I received it as a joke a little while ago as an email forward. Because I occasionally work a part time gig in retail, I have access to a mall food court with a McDonald’s fast food kiosk.

I decided to see for myself: Would the same thing happen at my own McDonald’s?

“I would like a half dozen chicken McNuggets, please.”

A pleasant voice and soft smile came back at me.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I’ve only got six, nine or twelve nuggets meals. Which one would you like?”

“So I can’t order a meal with a half dozen nuggets?”

“I am sorry but I can only ring you in for what I’ve got on my menu. Do you still want a McNuggets meal or do you need more time?”

She was genuinely nice. She was patiently trying to accommodate me as best she could.

I could blame the corporate chain for not explaining it to them, or I could blame the school systems for not teaching them weights and measures. Maybe I could blame the parents for not caring whether or not they ever even knew.

I could also stop using the term “them”, and accept the fact that no matter how different I make myself I am still part of an aggregate.

Somehow I ended up knowing something common, and she did not. Regardless of circumstances, she and I are still at the mercy of the same process. I have no greater chance of escaping it than she does.

Someone with better circumstances, better parents, and a better education would probably look down on both of us. And that individual would probably fall prey to the lure of the yuppie vote, while we dug in our worn heels and voted for the other guy.

My point, finally, is this: We cannot pre-package people any more than we can pre-package our national fate. We are trailing most other developed nations in math and science and our grasp on language and basic skills is evaporating fast.

I know that most people relish the separation and actually base their identities on it. The system of pre-packaged choices and the isolation it creates has harmed us for too many generations.

Get out there and vote, as the trendy commercials beg you.
But after that you must stay in the loop.
You must participate in this aggregate.
Our collective survival may depend on it.