3/23 (Sat.) Slum Tourism (Host: Rock)

[Rock]

Hi, my dear Yoyo members, this is a recycled topic from 7 years ago. And, when I said 7 years ago, I mean exactly 7 years, because last time we talked about it was on 3/22, 2016!! You can check out the link below to see it.
http://yoyo.club.tw/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4101

To honor this insane coincidence, I'd like to keep the questions from that time. I mean, there must be something here, right? 000011110000
Travel Companies Offering ‘Slum Tours’ Raises Ethical Concerns About Making Poverty an ‘Aesthetic’
TripAdvisor is currently drawing tremendous flak online for putting poverty up for sale. The reason: it is offering a walking tour of New Delhi’s slums. Priced between Rs. 1,200-1,800, the tour promises tourists a sneak peek into the lives of slum-dwellers through an elaborate itinerary that concludes with “Tast[ing] a cup of tea and shar[ing] your thoughts with us.”

This isn’t the first time media — in the form of advertisements, influencer posts, or social media coverage — has managed to turn poverty into an “aesthetic.” With Dharavi, a slum in Mumbai, beating even the Taj Mahal — a literal “wonder of the world” — as a more popular tourist destination, it’s no surprise that travel companies want to profit off the interest of the socio-economically privileged in the living conditions of their underprivileged counterparts, by positioning the latter’s struggles, misery, and systemic exploitation as objects of entertainment all in the name of “informing” and “educating” a modern audience. (continue reading with the link below)
https://www.theswaddle.com/travel-compa ... -aesthetic


Questions for discussion

Session One
1. What poor places have you traveled to? Please share what you saw and what you did there.
2. Why do people take slum tours? What can visitors benefit from slum tours?
3. Is slum tours ethical? Do you think it's voyeuristic and exploitative in some way? Why or why not?
4. What are the good things and bad things for the dwellers in the slums get from the tours?

Session Two
5. If an agent is offering a slum tour option, would you join it? What do you expect from a slum tour? Do you think it can be beautiful? Would you talk to people there or try their food or join their work to experience what it really is? Why or why not?
6. Can kids learn anything from slum tours? Would you bring your kids there? What would you do if you took your kids there?
7. Have you learned anything about poverty, economic disparity and slums at school? Should we put these topics into our education?
7.1 Why is poverty and disparity problems seldom taught in school?
8. What would you do if more and more poor people were moving into your neighborhood, and your community is getting like a slum? Would you welcome them, keep a distance, kick them out, or simply run away?



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Agenda:
3:45 ~ 4:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
4:00 ~ 4:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
4:10 ~ 4:50pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
4:50 ~ 5:10pm Summarization (20 mins)
5:10 ~ 5:15pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 10 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
5:15 ~ 5:55pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
6:00 ~ 6:20pm Summarization (20 mins)
6:20 ~ 6:30pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements

Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $100)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘

Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.

[Iris Wu]

If a travel agency claims that slum tours contribute financially to a better life of slum communities, one might question the extent of their commitment to genuinely helping these areas.

Given the commercial nature of the tours, there arises a paradox: if the slums were to significantly improve and lose their 'slum' status, would the agency then face a loss in business, no more slum tours can be offered?

I am just skeptical about whether the agency’s efforts are merely keep the communities in a state that remains commercially good for slum tours, rather than truly elevating the living conditions to no longer qualify as slums.

[Rock]

There is a way to do it. If they encourage people there to be artists, like what they did in Rio, it will always remain a slum.