Tardy to the party, but loving the thread so far. Here goes my contribution:
I have a pal who does a lot of “rich white girl travels to lots of poor places filled with people darker than her in the name of charity” traveling. Every place she goes is allegedly part of some ecotourist/foreign aid thing (and total bullshit if you scratch the surface).
Said person would never, EVER actually go work in a soup kitchen up in the Bronx, or stock a food pantry, or even just give money–like half the cost of a 20-day guided jaunt through Africa–to something right here at home. Hell, I can’t even get her out on the N train to have authentic “ethnic eats” from ANY nation here in Queens…then again, its probably for the better as I then won’t have to listen to how much better the food was when she really went to Country X.
Venn diagram of people who do Rich White Charity Tourism and people who would actually deign to be in the same room as disadvantaged people from their home country=zero overlap.
And before you ask…what have I done for the Downtrodden of the Universe lately? Well, being as I’m not trying to turn a buck or whore myself out to advertising at their expense, I don’t see it as germane. If you must know, when I have $ for charity, it goes to the New York Public Library and food banks right here at home. And I sure as fuck don’t make a field trip or a spectacle out of the lives of those who benefit from those bodies.
