The article "The Problem With Little White Girls, Boys and Voluntourism", brought up an essential point: if you are sincerely trying to fix a problem in the world, sometimes the best thing to do is not being directly involved in the solution. Though traveling to poor countries and attempting to build infrastructure may make somebody feel helpful and altruistic, that person's feelings are irrelevant in terms of what actually gets done. And it's not enough to just want to help. A truly committed volunteer has to understand what things that they do will actually be helpful, rather than appearing helpful in their own eyes or the eyes of their friends back at home.
I definitely agree with the author about this. Unfortunately, some volunteer aid trips serve nothing more than to perpetuate the "white savior" complex - giving the white volunteers pleasure at the supposed good that they have done in the world, but not actually solving any problems.
As a privileged white person, I think that it is important for all of us to be acutely aware of our privilege. It is certainly possible for us to do productive service and make the world a better place, but our well-intended sympathies for others are not enough. We have to step back, determine the best way to actually make a difference, and strive to be a productive force in the world.
Michelle, I agree with your statement that sometimes the best thing to do is not being directly involved in the solution. I think that people need to realize that if they want to make a difference, start locally. They should help others in their community instead of flying to Asia or Africa to "volunteer". I completely agree with your blog post.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I like the way you write. I like the way you use your vocabulary to effortlessly sew your straight forward and clear ideas together. I'm impressed. I liked what you said about how your feelings don't effect what actually gets done because pent up feelings don't affect the reality. It's the quality and timbre of the actions acted out in the dance of eternity. However, I didn't like when you simply stated "a privileged white person" because what is your privilege? Education, money, happiness, fitness, sadness, love, hate. I mean it's not only your use of that term that peeves me, but I feel that with your intellect and seeming emotional stability, you are not limited to the vague, bland and quite frankly disgusting term "privilege". Overall, beautiful blog and I look forward to reading more. :)
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