(3/22, Tue) Is slum tourism ethical? (Host: Rock)

[Kooper]

After some google search, To wash the bad name of laziness, seems to be a very unusual expression. A better one could be To break away from my image as a lazy man or To shed my image as a lazy man. Just my two cents.

References:
http://oxforddictionary.so8848.com/search?word=image
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/downmarket_1
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7396356.stm
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/05/us/ca ... -hero.html

[Iris Wu]

1. Why people take slum tours? Do you think “slum tourism” is patronizing or social enlightenment? Why so?
2. For people who despise the slum tours and claim they(the tours) are voyeuristic and exploitative, and spend time on a beach, enjoy fancy food cuisine and pretend that slums don't exist, do you think that make them more paragon of virtue? Why or why not?
3. What benefits can be obtained by both slum tourists and the dwellers in slums? How can the slum tour operators create win-win situation?

Free questions from Iris don't come without cost, they are much difficult to deal with than the article itself!

Actually, I got the inspiration from Kooper! When encountering new and difficult vocabulary, you got to use them and make the words part of your thinking/writing, otherwise, they are so easy to slip your mind!

And, of course, many thanks to Rock for giving us the opportunity to practice! "A lazy host" was just a joke, who dares to claim that you are more diligent than Rock? Twice a week commuting from Keelung to YoYo for over 10 years and numerous writing on the forum, who can beat that record?

[Rock]

My Queen, I'm flattered.

And that lazy host joke is a good one. I believe real friends can make fun of each other without uneasy feelings. You are my real friend.

[Rock]

After some google search, To wash the bad name of laziness, seems to be a very unusual expression.....

Thank you, Kooper, as always. You are the no.1 good student in Yoyo.

We can talk about it another day, but I want to share my two cents, too. When I was in the graduate school, my teacher of English writing said...

Said what? I will tell you later in the meeting.

[Rock]

Thank you for your help. The questions are done. I've put them in our discussion sheet. If you have more interesting questions, please feel free to share them here, or just take them to our meeting.

[Rock]

It's a pity that, after I've done all the editing, a message just got forwarded by Tashi via Line that our new super star, Janice, provided some insightful questions. Please check them out if you are looking for more inspiration.

Q1. Why do you think more people are interested or willing to take a slum tour?

Q2. Will you hop on the slum tour? What are the reasons behind your decision?

Q3. In case you did decide to embark on the trip (in our case, the virtual tour from the clips), were you taken aback by the brutal environment those people called "home“?
How would you digest the appalling reality in front of you that is so drastically different from your everyday life?
Do you think you would become more grateful towards your life? How long do you think the new found gratitude will last and not be washed out by your hectic daily routine?

Q4. Would you take any further actions to ease the sorrow/guilt from the trip? If so, what would they be?

Q5. Why do you think people associate India with the word "slum"? According to Wikipedia, approximately 21.92% of the people in India live below the poverty line, which means approximately 75% of them can reach out to help their compatriots. Do you think we have the responsibility to help improve the inequality given we are a global village now, why or why not?

Q6. How would you define "ethicalness"? Do you consider yourself an ethical person? Who do you admire the most for his/her ethical point of view and demeanor?

Q7. One day our lives will flash before our eyes. Can we be sure that we've done enough to have the heart to watch the footage of "conscience" or "ethicalness" played in front of us as compared to our other memorabilia?

[Luis Ko]

so many questions.. @@

by the way, for Q7, i don't really get it.. XD

[Tom Lee]

Hi Rock, Sorry that I just read your article this morning, and know that I am a "part-host".

Here is my question:
9. If you were born in a slum, how would you see the world outside your slum?

By the way, you really did a good job to collect the questions!!

[Kooper]

Here is transcript of the video clip. Please help make it accurate.

Slum tourism, the act of visiting the often crowded, unsanitary, dangerous places and the people who inhabit them, is rapidly growing worldwide. A 15-year-old crouching down as she washes dishes in the slum in India says, “I feel awkward that you are seeing me like this. This is not exploitation but it makes me uncomfortable because you are very rich and we are very poor.” While she believes that it’s not exploitation, some argues that it is unequivocally so. Yet others argue slum tourism is beneficial to the impoverished communities.

So which is it? What does slum tourism actually looks like and how is it impacting communities? Slum tourism inherently creates dynamic of an observer and an observed. A sort of disconnect that is nothing new, this type of tourism was present in 19th-century London and New York to satisfy the local elites’ desire to see how the other half lived. What has changed however is the growth of commercialization and unprecedented access to such places. Often foreigners come from other countries and pay fifty dollars or so to a tour guide company, who then provide walking tours of the home shops and the daily lives of slum dwellers.

Tourists today are from farther away and their experience is greatly shaped by the specific tour group they have hired and their particular agenda. Some types of slum touring, where residents are viewed like animals in a zoo are in stark contrast to what others describe as a cultural exchange that can serve as a catalyst for progress. It is not uncommon to see children running up tourists and engaging them in conversation, facilitating connection.

One seemingly practical slum dweller in Kinya, who recognizes tourists have options, says, “We’d rather prefer that the … , or white people, come to see us because they might come and found a school here.” Obviously the hope here is that these experiences will inspire the wealthy to get back. And many do. But even those who don’t may still be contributing.

Economically speaking, the very act of taking the tour can flow money into the community. How much? [It] all depends on the touring company. Some give 50% to 80% of ticket profits to the inhabitants while others may not give back at all. Another reason why it is so difficult to estimate is(?) the impact of slum tourism. But economics aside, some slum touring subjects believe there is a greater cost. As one Kinya resident put it, “Slum tourism is a one-way street. They get photos. We lose a piece of our dignity.” Regardless of where you land on the spectrum, most agree that it is difficult to affect change without awareness. Perhaps the middle ground lies in contextualizing tours and ensuring inhabitants have a voice, both in the message being conveyed and the distribution of funds.

[Rock]

Yeah, Boss Tom, the more, the merrier.
For your question, who knows, maybe I'm already living in a slum? In some super rich men's eyes, we are all living in slums.

[Rock]

Attendee list: Toshi, Allisa (New), Blithe, Ken, Rosie, Oward, Douglas, Shong, Viola(New), Sophie, Andy, Iris, Yvonne, Kooper, Julian, Tommy, Sabrina, Jeder

Thank you all for joining us.