The question is older than Machiavelli, author of “The Prince,” a work that in 1513 immortalized the phrase
“the end justifies the means
. ”
The allusion comes from two situations that a priori had nothing to do with each other, but their
simultaneous occurrence
must have influenced the brain to associate them.
Thus, half a millennium after it was published, the famous expression of the Italian writer inspired a rather prosaic question:
what unites
the Mundo Marino Foundation with the Ronald McDonald House.
The first element that raised the question was
the orca Kshamenk
, rescued 30 years ago by the conservation foundation that also manages the
popular theme and educational park
in San Clemente del Tuyú.
The second sign that consolidated the idea of a
link
was the circumstantial contact with Rodney Jordan, global director of operations of the Ronald McDonald House, an institution that in 50 years of life
assisted millions of families on the planet
and in Argentina totals 330 thousand. beneficiaries.
In both initiatives, one environmental and the other community, the
clearly laudable
philanthropic side coexists with another that casts a shadow, given the communion with practices that
environmentalists and doctors advise against
.
The orca Kshamenk in the Mundo Marino facilities, where she has lived almost since birth.
The architecture that is not so “holy” to drive humanitarian purposes has been naturalized, however, by
crowds
that openly enjoy the pirouettes of trained cetaceans or Big Macs for charity.
This story, which draws on these
contrasts
, began to take shape weeks ago when a Telenoche report questioned whether the famous orca from Mundo Marino continued to be - at this point in the game -
one of the attractions
of the aquatic show that is a magnet. for the tourism.
Clarín
then appealed to the foundation created by the Méndez family, whose spokespersons explained that Kshamenk
remains in captivity
because today he could no longer
survive
in the open sea, given that his entire existence took place in a pool.
The response from the public is notable: every year
400,000 visitors
attend , many of whom - according to surveys - repeat the plan up to three times.
96.3 percent
also rate the experience as positive or very positive.
Regarding the objections that focus on the
use of animals
to put together a circus act, Mundo Marino responded twenty days later and in writing: “We are always in the process of
updating the contents
of these presentations, as has been done for years.
Every tool, always,
is susceptible to improvement
.”
Staff from the Mundo Marino Foundation participate in the rescue of animals on the Coast.
Photo: Marine World
And they added: “We are currently working to gradually generate
other types of complementary experiences
to the educational presentations.
It is a transition
process
in which we must bring together the well-being of the animals, the expectations of visitors and our financial capacity.”
The latter is key: Mundo Marino is assumed as an organization that finances the
rescue of marine fauna
with its own resources in pursuit of biodiversity.
And to pay for this good work - often broadcast in newspapers and TV channels - requires the sale of tickets that give access to the
most controversial facet
of the combo.
While this back and forth with the successful Buenos Aires foundation was happening, chance would have it that a message arrived whose sender sought to combine an
interview with Rodney Jordan
, who for a few hours would visit Buenos Aires within the framework of the fiftieth anniversary of the Ronald McDonald House.
The meeting was scheduled at the Buenos Aires headquarters that the institution has in Almagro, a few blocks from the
Italian Hospital
, a health center that enjoys
exclusivity
with the home - three other homes in the Interior have alliances with public hospitals - and whose social service derives pediatric patients.
The appointment offered
Clarín's
interest in highlighting the work that the yellow, red and white clown house (like the chain's logo) dedicates to
children with serious illnesses
, while continuing to problematize that the main support for this virtuous task is a company that built a
gastronomic empire
on the back of a controversial menu.
Rodney Jordan, global leader of Ronald House, visited Argentina.
Photo: Ronald McDonald House
That is, a horse that bites its tail based on an
uncomfortable duality
, which even led to the brand deciding a few years ago to retire the character Ronald McDonald, after having long used the clown's charms to seduce the most diverse bellies.
Jordan, a graduate in English Literature and an expert in corporate communications, held various positions at McDonald's before taking global control of Ronald House.
This omnipresence made him a priori a
privileged actor
to answer what anyone could see as a struggle of
opposing semantics
: that of the desired reparation and that of the eventual damage.
For the first time in our country, this 45-year-old man expressed his first impressions upon arriving in Argentina: delight in
“the fusion of cultures
,” especially embodied in
“the buildings and the food
. ”
Then, the dialogue focused on the work of the Ronald McDonald House, with a horizon that goes beyond continuing to receive
families
who must travel many kilometers
so that their children can be cared for in Buenos Aires: “The needs are
increasingly complex
and are growing, so we are seeing what is the way to serve
more and better
.”
A work of art called "McJesus", displayed in a museum in Israel in 2019. Photo: AP
Jordan was referring to scaling up, for example, with the operation of a
mobile pediatric unit
and support for families when
they return home
: “Many live in poverty and it is important that they take food baskets and help them find work, fix their houses or go on vacation to rest after medical treatment.”
Between 25 and 30 percent of the funds to accomplish that task
come from McDonald's
.
The rest, from other companies and individuals.
The
sponsorship
of the hamburger giant, House spokespersons admit off-mic, sometimes works against them: “There is a tendency to believe that we do not need other donations.”
-Is it a problem that the Ronald McDonald House is immediately identified with McDonald's?
-No!
-Jordan exclaimed when he was halfway through the talk-.
McDonald's was there from the beginning.
We now have more than 380 Houses in more than 60 countries.
There is no Ronald McDonald House without McDonald's.
It is a very important ally.
But there is no organization that helps people and receives all its funds from a single ally.
-In other words, there would be no reason or strategic intention to separate from McDonald's.
-Many NGOs would envy having an ally like McDonald's, because it is a good organization, a strong project.
-How do you see this close link between a fast food chain whose long-term health effects are questioned and a charity house whose purpose is for children to be cured?
-Both McDonald's and Casa Ronald focus on families and a shared history.
We are serving families with many needs, 50 percent below the poverty line.
It is better to focus on what we are helping that population.
For those who have questions or doubts, I recommend talking to those millions of families.
-And what answer can we give to those millions, or to many others interested in the subject, about -to put it figuratively- the “sin of origin”?
-The families want this alliance to continue.
I represent Ronald McDonald House, and if you like a corporate response you should ask McDonald's.
The current logo of the Ronald McDonald House, which in Argentina assisted more than 300 thousand families.
The conversation with Jordan languished, with the frustration that the final concern
was not echoed
.
Returning to
Clarín
's editorial staff , he emphasized the feeling that certain contradictions that are now
being challenged
did not do so 50 years ago, when the Ronald McDonald House (and the Mundo Marino Foundation, almost of the same age) were forging
their destiny
.
A destiny that, judging by the statements of the referents expressed here, may
or may not bet
a share of reputation on revisionism.
Cultural transformations are long processes.
It is difficult to see in real time whether the multiple
awarenesses
that the planet has been adopting have any kind of impact on the resource generation of projects promoted as
altruistic
.
The suspicion is that if this economic fuel were nourished from other sources, the aspiration rather than appearing in the media would be the Nobel Peace Prize.
P.S.