The Ethics of Traveling to Poor Countries (YP Discussion Group)
The World Affairs Council, Young Professionals invite you to our fortnightly discussion group:Wednesday, 19 January 2011 | 7:00 p.m.
Madison's Grill, 1109 SE Madison St. (Map)
Tourists in search of an off-the-beaten-path adventure or luxury at prices lower than in Europe turn to poor countries. While the juxtaposition can be meaningful, the social dynamic between tourist and resident can be troubling. Visitors from the rich world enjoy privileges and are excused from observing social custom, as long as they are paying. Hotel and restaurant employees go to incredible lengths to keep rich visitors happy. Is it possible to visit a poor country and avoid the rich master/poor servant relationship? Or is all of this liberal hand-wringing and we should feel good for supporting struggling economies?
Posts
3 comments:
Or what about the ethics of calling a country 'poor'
Stefan (now at New School grad.stud. of Int.Affairs)
Interesting - less than an hour of being home from the discussion group tonight, one of my Cambodian friends posted this article about voluntourism: http://voluntourismgal.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/a-tale-of-three-schools/
The discussion after the entry is also interesting.
I was REALLY interested in the discussion on Ethics of Traveling to Poor Countries, but unfortunately I had class that evening. I would love to have another discussion like this or of similar topic.
Post a Comment