Neal (posting there as Manuelelo for some reason) makes the reasonable point that it's the frequent long weekenders who cause the damage rather than a worn-out family taking the kids away once a year (a point Cynical Ben has made too), though he also thinks that encountering new cultures makes us empathise more. Really? Neal: I give you the British Empire, and any of the other empires you care to mention. I also reference the British in Spain - tucking into fish and chips, watching Sky, speaking English and STILL hating foreigners…
I may visit Germany in August: I shall be taking the train, and considering the journey as part of my holiday.
8 comments:
Ask Ben about the Manillow/Manuelelo thing, I have no idea.
I'm mainly speaking from personal experience of my own beliefs and those of people I know or have met. Sure, you don't have to go and visit the rainforest to understand that it's important that it's preserved or even decide to only buy FSC timber, but I think if you've experienced it, it can have a profound effect.
I also said that there's lots of people that don't interact with the people and culture when abroad, but there's lots who do. For example, my mate was working as a sound technician, went off an did a bit of travelling in India, when he returned he decided to take a degree in Engineering and Development, and is now working on improving uptake of PV in Africa. Would he have taken that path without going abroad? No. Sure, he's a conscientious kinda bloke so would have probably done something beneficial, but I just think interaction between people of different countries and cultures is in the long run for the good. It can be inspiring and challenge your beliefs.
Of course going back in history you can say that Pizarro coming across the Inca, for example, wasn't a beneficial interaction, to put it mildly. It was inevitable that at some point to old world would meet the new, and germs would kill millions, the following subjugation wasn't though. I've quite often wondered what would have happened if the people of the Americas had already been contacted by people who just wanted to trade so they had time to recover from disease and technology transfer was provided.
Hello Plashing, or should we call you Cynical Vole? I'm with Neal on this one. I agree people should fly less and that the British Empire and the stereotypical British tourist are quite the reverse of anything to be proud of, but to tar all British people with the same brush is a disturbingly reductionist argument. When I worked for Wolves Council we did some consultation on the streets of the city about what our priorities for investment in culture and leisure should be, more than one older, white, working class respondant said, and I quote:
"We should do more to support the cultures of ethnic minorities. I wasn't that happy about it when they first came over here, but there here now and we should make them feel at home."
And with that, I rest my case!
Ooooh - you're all taking me very seriously today. Yes, cultural interaction is a good thing, though people tend to mean Westerners visiting other places: let's get more Mayans holidaying here!
I'm still smarting from the news that you're supporting Australia in the Ashes. I am resisting the temptation to gloat at our victory however, so as not to jinx the remaining fixtures.
Very noble Kate. Got to admire the England performance this time though.
Less noble, more bizzarely and irrationally superstitious! Equally the Aussies; Clarke, Haddin and Johnson (with the bat)did much to help them regain face.
Well you challenged me.
Mayan tourists would be excellent. Maybe in your Trotskyist Utopian world, where everyone's equal so there's no passports or borders. We could get around in airships powered by hydrogen cells or earth stationary orbit monorails.
Yes Neal, that would be absolutely brilliant. No hydrogen cells though. I'd opt for cold fusion or power from orbiting satellites transmitting power via laser/microwaves, as is planned by a few people (http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_solar_000908.html)
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