Article

2005-01-07 Afghanistan/South Asia

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by tu3031 2005-01-07 10:53:12 AM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Most certainly, the NGO's and UN entities have camp followers - entrepreneurs who know they have a ready market - especially in disaster relief situations. How else can a sophisticate of superior morality and legitimacy expect to get his Minimum Daily Requirements of... [insert luxury items here]? Certainly not out there amongst the little [off-white, brown, black, yellow, chartreuse: pick one] people. Pshaw.

Posted by .com 2005-01-07 11:19:23 AM|| 2005-01-07 11:19:23 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 I had a feeling last week, looking at how things were going, that this would turn into something over-the-top, like the flowers piled on the sidewalk after Princess Diana died.

Posted by HV 2005-01-07 11:32:29 AM|| 2005-01-07 11:32:29 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 I don't see any downside to this. So what if they travel to 5 star hotels and try to wash their sins away in the local bars? They are helping the local economy...who cares what their motives are.

Posted by 2b 2005-01-07 11:36:52 AM|| 2005-01-07 11:36:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 I did some volunteer work in Asia a couple years back, and I felt like I was on an episode of "Survivor." A mix of a few Americans (from California, if that gives you an idea), English, and Europeans, the whole effort and atmosphere seemed competitive: who can do the most volunteering? Who, at the very end, will be named "The Ultimate Volunteer?" I just kept to myself, did what I could, and bit my tongue when I listened to them talk about their additional monetary donations and how much good they were doing for these "poor people." Kinda takes away the spirit of volunteering, doesn't it?

Posted by nada 2005-01-07 11:46:15 AM|| 2005-01-07 11:46:15 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Tsunami "rubbernecking?"

Posted by John Q. Citizen 2005-01-07 12:46:11 PM|| 2005-01-07 12:46:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 nada - I presume you got a good kick out of the Tom Hank flic called "Volunteers"? I though the John Candy character was a scream, heh.

As for the Real World, I have seen what you describe - those "little brown people" were so cute... I wanted to hurl - and got my first glimpse of the Liberal. It was another 20 yrs before I fully realized the condescension and arrogance quotient required to be a member in good standing of the Elitist Class.

Posted by .com 2005-01-07 1:04:41 PM|| 2005-01-07 1:04:41 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 .com --

I must have repressed a lot of bad memories, because your comments brought a few back. Example: While I was distributing medicine to a child, the loudest, Left Coast American woman said, "Let me do it," and literally pulled it out of my hand, gave a couple of kids a little bit, and proceeded to walk away and talked about "how wonderful" it felt "giving back." I just walked away and helped pick up some trash. Her friend was an old lady who gave me an earful on how much she hated George W. Bush, but thought Dennis Kucinich was the best thing ever. How would you like to be stuck in a tiny,
moving vehicle with that bending your ear?

Posted by nada 2005-01-07 1:22:02 PM|| 2005-01-07 1:22:02 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Where was that, nada? Which organization were you affiliated with?

Posted by lex 2005-01-07 2:46:18 PM|| 2005-01-07 2:46:18 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 nada - I commiserate. And I echo lex's question. My experience was as a pure volunteer when hanging out in Thailand on vacation - back in '95 or '96.

Posted by .com 2005-01-07 2:53:54 PM|| 2005-01-07 2:53:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 .com, lex --

I went to volunteer at an elephant sanctuary in Chiang Mai. The people who ran it were (are) extraordinary folks. It was the people who "helped" who were the ones who got my blood pressure up. I saw the sanctuary on National Geographic about five years ago now. "Vanishing Giants" was the name of the show. They do a lot more than just help the elephants, too. Google "Jumbo Express" and it should take you to "Thaifocus."

Posted by nada 2005-01-07 11:48:03 PM|| 2005-01-07 11:48:03 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 I think I know the one you mean! I lived in Chaing Mai for 9 months last year... Is it on Doi Suthep? I have a tourist map, so I shouldn't be bothering you with that, lol!

Hell, there were bumper stickers for it in half the tuktuks (the blue locals) I rode in, lol!

Good for you, nada. I hope the zipperheads didn't totally ruin it for you. The Thais prolly helped out there - I love those folks, generally speaking, and Chiang Mai isn't as screwed up as Bangkok regards people trying to scam you. Chiang Mai almost captured me as a perm resident / semi-retiree. I was this close to staying for good on the OA Visa program.

Good on ya, nada!

Posted by .com 2005-01-08 12:03:24 AM|| 2005-01-08 12:03:24 AM|| Front Page Top

04:12 diaspora every 79 years
00:15 Mike Sylwester
00:03 .com
23:57 .com
23:55 .com
23:48 nada
23:47 SR71
23:45 AJackson
23:41 .com
23:39 AJackson
23:39 trailing wife
23:37 Shipman
23:35 trailing wife
23:34 gromky
23:16 Pappy
23:15 Atomic Conspiracy
23:13 Dave D.
23:13 Silentbrick
23:02 .com
22:59 Dave D.
22:57 .com
22:52 SwissTex
22:50 2b
22:45 Barbara Skolaut