The Jihad and McWorld, Essay Example

Introduction

In Jihad vs. McWorld, Barber (1992) discusses the impacts of the increased international importance of both tribalism and globalism. He also writes that the technological globalization opposes democracy, as does tribalism. Although these two viewpoints are very different, they each have distinct advantages and disadvantages and ties to different areas of the world. At one time or another, every conflict consists of a mainstream McWorld factor and the resisting Jihad factor who oppose them.

Even within America, this struggle is clear. There are many examples of globalization: linking campuses and companies, continuing communication, interacting with diverse groups on a daily basis. Despite the fact that the cultural exchange is said to better prepare the common citizen for the new challenges of modern employment, it could be said that this interaction also emphasizes a collectivism which does not support the competitive, “dog eat dog” nature of capitalism. (It might be said that tribalism can be competitive- but has more emphasis upon a localized sense of community identity and pride.) The market, resource, and information-technology imperatives of the McWorld culture all support the pooling of resources and transference of popular culture across national lines. When there is disagreement, there is always a group of dissenters, so it can be said that the Lebanonization of these other groups also contributes in its own way to the evolution of society and culture.

Conclusion

Barber was a forward thinker. Almost twenty years ago, in the early stages of internet and software capabilities, he predicted that the impact of these emergent technologies would fuel the desire to recognize a global common ground. Today’s entrenched guerilla warfare in the Middle East would likely not have surprised him either. Regardless, a person only needs to look to the tribalism of early England and Greece to see how quickly tribalism can turn to vulnerability.

References

Barber, B. (March 1992.) Jihad vs. McWorld. The Atlantic Monthly: 53-55, 58-63. Retrieved 27 October 2010 from < http://web.grinnell.edu/courses/pol/s02/pol395-01/Barber%20-%20Jihad%20vs%20McWorld.pdf>