Reflection 3 - Audrey Beedle

Audrey Beedle

COMM 211 – Reflection 3

            The reading and class discussion on Jihad vs. McWorld covered the conflict between the “Jihad World” whose main priority is self identity and preservation, and the “McWorld” whose main priority is profit and globalization.  It is clearly a multi-faceted problem without a simple resolution.  In turn, it creates a dialectical relationship between the western world and the developing world, although it is not limited to categorized by territorial borders.  I find the most problematic issue to be with the extremists on either end of the spectrum.  This is where violence usually occurs from the Jihad world and where assimilation is forced from the McWorld.  It is a combination of the two, working together where we can find peaceful coexistence.

            This conflict relates to intercultural communication, in the sense that it requires intercultural competency to solve conflicts with cultures/nations different than your own.  These extremists are some of the most inter-culturally incompetent people in the world, who do not understand any ideas that conflict with their own, thus there is a lack of tolerance and an influx of violence, discrimination, and ignorance.  As a native-born American and part of what is referred to as the “Western World” or perhaps the McWorld, it is very difficult to understand what it would be like to be living in a developing country and trying to preserve your native culture and practices in a changing and globalizing world.  I am fully aware of the western influence on the rest of the world, and how it can be extremely harmful to other societies and seem to have sense of forced assimilation.  On the other hand, these developing countries who are trying to resist globalization are more than willing to accept any economic benefits that may come with this relationship with the western world, making it unclear where the line should be drawn and how much influence they are “ok” with receiving from more developed countries.  I thin it is only natural for traditional cultures to eventually change and modernize, with the rest of the world.  This constant conflict between self-identity preservation and the spread of modernization through globalization is getting worse and worse, as we can see with the various accounts of Jihad violence in the current news.  I hope that one day the world can come to a peaceful coexistence and understanding of each culture and this can only be achieved through intercultural competence.