In Jihad against McWorld, Benjamin Barber proposes two opposite extremes of ideology, Jihad and McWorld. Jihad consists of religious fundamentalists trying to impose their views on everyone else. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the capitalist-based McWorld. Each of these ideologies challenges the path of democracy. In their differences they are similar. McWorld tries to sell products; Jihad tries to sell their beliefs and ideas. The first part of Jihad vs. McWorld introduces McWorld, his way of thinking and the impact on democracy. Democracy should serve the public interest. The multinationals of McWorld have one thing at heart: profit. Every decision is based on an economic point of view. The McWorld question is what the monetary gain will be, not what is best for the public. In McWorld everything was commoditized. If you can't make a profit, you don't need to. In McWorld we live in a pseudo democracy. Under McWorld, democracy is redefined as consumer choices, thousands of products to choose from. The term citizen is replaced with consumer. The goal of every business is to make money. Barber says, “Selling American products is selling America.” I agree with this. It's not just a product that is sold, it's a symbol. I experienced this when I worked in a pharmacy. A customer can choose between the Discount Drugmart brand of a medicine or a branded medicine. The store brand is less expensive but contains the same ingredients as the brand-name product. Many times the store brand is actually made by the same company simply put in a different box and an inactive ingredient is changed, yet customers will still purchase the more expensive product. The consumer doesn't buy ibuprofen, he buys Advil. Not only do they pay for the medicine, but they also pay for the company to advertise their product, thereby influencing the consumer to purchase more of their product. Cultural status is related to the car you drive, the clothes you wear, and the size of your television. In McWorld people are defined by their material possessions, not morals. McWorld feeds on advertising. According to Barber, "The story of McWorld's rise is the story of the explosive growth of the advertising industry over the same period.