The Donaldization of Society: Rationalization/McDonaldization, Institutional Cynicism, and the Influence of Charismatic Authority

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Abstract

The Donaldization of society explores the nature and origin of charismatic authority in post-modern American society. It is concerned with the process through which charisma is constructed and attributed to individuals representing a variety of institutional fields, and how it is used to legitimize their intuitive judgments even when they conflict with professional, scientific, and scholarly findings or legal frameworks. This perspective helps scholars understand how the real or perceived failures of rationalized/McDonaldized institutions can lead to institutional cynicism, a sentiment in which the public loses trust in the institutions of society. When social trust is low and social uncertainty abounds, the promises of charismatic leaders to restore society to a mythical and idealized past become more enticing.

While Donald Trump is the archetype for this process, the charismatization of post-modern society did not begin with Trump and he is not the only authority who relies on charisma to achieve his goals. This work analyzes charismatic leadership in a variety of institutional contexts and identifies charismatic leaders who, exploiting feelings of institutional cynicism, push back against rational-legal frameworks for managing uncertainty relying instead on their own intuition to manage their follower’s sense of social and existential uncertainty. For example, individuals like Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Valerie Hani (food babe) challenge the scientific consensus on health and medicine, sheriff Joe Arpaio and a slew of other copycat law enforcement officers challenge the constitutional framework for appropriate law enforcement procedures, and social media personalities like Joe Rogan interrupt rational-legal understandings of media messaging.

Author

• Jason Thomas Surratt, Hawkeye Community College