Writer’s Journal #13

3/3/03

Benjamin R. Barber, Jihad vs. McWorld, 3-20, Introduction

Gloria Steinem, “Sex, Lies, and Advertising,”  Course Reader 23-31.

1. In the introduction to Jihad vs. McWorld, Barber outlines the basic argument for his book.  He triangulates (relates in a three-way fashion) the relationship among the concepts of Jihad, Global capitalism (McWorld), and civic democracy.  On the back of this sheet, sketch an annotated diagram of how you understand these relationships working.  Your annotations should be detailed.

2. (Steinem) Given the way editorial copy is influenced by advertising in “women’s magazines,” what conclusions might you draw about other types of journalism in the U.S.?  Cite at least 3 examples in your response.

3. After reading Steinem and Barber, how might you synthesize the ideas presented in Steinem’s article and in Barber’s description of McWorld?  Recall that synthesis means creating a new idea out of old ideas by finding a relationship among the old ideas and relating them to each other.  Hence, another way to ask the question would be:  what do Barber’s description of McWorld and the ideas in Steinem’s article have in common?