It's hard for a westerner to imagine what is to be poor in third world (coined by Nehru as a call to abstain from the joining cold war) country. They can at-least begin to understand only if they see and feel it simultaneously (telepathic "Mirror Neurons" anybody?). Eric Weiner presents a dichotomous view on "Slum Tourism" but in my view is a spectacular thing. It's going to cause "moral" ripple effects albeit constrained since the irony is only people who tour third world countries are the ones who already seamlessly embrace pluralism and have a basic understanding on the deviations of the "wealth" spectrum.
"The crucial question, Mr. Goodwin and other experts say, is not whether slum tours should exist but how they are conducted. Do they limit the excursions to small groups, interacting respectfully with residents? Or do they travel in buses, snapping photos from the windows as if on safari?
Many tour organizers are sensitive to charges of exploitation. Some encourage — and in at least one case require — participants to play an active role in helping residents. A church group in Mazatlán, Mexico, runs tours of the local garbage dump, where scavengers earn a living picking through trash, some of it from nearby luxury resorts. The group doesn’t charge anything but asks participants to help make sandwiches and fill bottles with filtered water. The tours have proven so popular that during high season the church group has to turn people away. “We see ourselves as a bridge to connect the tourists to the real world,” said Fred Collom, the minister who runs the tours.
By most accounts, slum tourism began in Brazil 16 years ago, when a young man named Marcelo Armstrong took a few tourists into Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro’s largest favela, or shantytown. His company, Favela Tour, grew and spawned half a dozen imitators. Today, on any given day in Rio, dozens of tourists hop in minivans, then motorcycles and venture into places even Brazil’s police dare not tread. Organizers insist the tours are safe, though they routinely check security conditions. "
"Chuck Geyer, of Reston, Va., arrived for a tour in Mumbai armed with hand sanitizer and the expectation of human misery incarnate. He left with a changed mind. Instead of being solicited by beggars, Mr. Geyer found himself the recipient of gifts: fruit, and dye to smear on his hands and face, as people celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi. “I was shocked at how friendly and gracious these people were,” Mr. Geyer said.
Proponents of slum tourism say that’s the point: to change the reputation of the slums one tourist at a time. Tour organizers say they provide employment for local guides and a chance to sell souvenirs. Chris Way has vowed to put 80 percent of his profits back into the Dharavi slum.
The catch, though, is that Mr. Way’s company has yet to earn a profit on the tours, for which he charges 300 rupees (around $7.50). After receiving flak from the Indian press (“a fair criticism,” Mr. Way concedes), he used his own money to open a community center in the slum. It offers English classes, and Mr. Way himself mentors a chess club. Many of those running favela tours in Brazil also channel a portion of their profits into the slums. Luiz Fantozzi contributes to a school and day-care center.
But slum tourism isn’t just about charity, its proponents say; it also fosters an entrepreneurial spirit. “At first, the tourists were besieged by beggars, but not anymore,” said Kevin Outterson, a law professor from Boston who has taken several favela tours. Mr. Fantozzi has taught people, Mr. Outterson said, “that you’re not going to get anything from my people by begging, but if you make something, people are going to buy it.”
Even critics of slum tourism concede it allows a few dollars to trickle into the shantytowns, but say that’s no substitute for development programs."
I am not just "felling" that slum tourism feels right, Jonathan Haidt author of one of my favorite book, "Happiness Hypothesis", got his epiphany on morals when he went to India not as a tourist but as a house guest in Orissa and stayed there for months. It opens up for a multifarious view of which most of us never experience living in a self-constraint comfortable bubble. Earth is a spectacular place, spending the off-days riding "cruises" or getting a "tan" is a sheer waste of occipital lope's potential and lets not even talk about the prefrontal cortex.
Having said that, one of the dirty secrets of these slums and even behind the middle class teak doors is unveiled by this powerful talk by Sunitha Krishnan on TED (Thanks, for the heads-up). There are no words to describe these preposterous lack of empathy when it comes to child prostitution. I am not sure if neuroscience has studies on pedophiles but the fact is these men are not even pedophiles, they are "common" men with an insatiable appetite. It's impossible to dig out all these horrendous creatures from the billions that inherit this planet but I intentionally flirt with neuroscience (being fully aware of some of the dire consequences), hoping someday we can put an end to all this.
One key to all these suffering is poverty, one of the fascinating (loathe to use that word in this context) talk by Sendhil Mullainathan - "Irony of Poverty",makes it even worse.
Tyler Cowen's review of the new book, "The Persistence of Poverty" has nudged me to read this book next. In-fact this book feeds my confirmation bias and more on that after I finish the book.
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