Western effect on the third world
By Alex Hierl
It was amazing to me to realize how much we assume and rely on the essence of our possessions. It is fair to say they are integral to the very structure of our society. In a moment of honest reflection, I can say that I love my possessions. I love to buy them, receive them, preserve them, use them and even show them off. But seeing first hand the stark corruption that the exposure of these seemingly simple things can bring to other countries, I now must question our unfailing dedication to these material possessions. The first platform of my observation lies in Bangkok, Thailand.Ã I found myself immersed in a small village on the outskirts of the city, fresh off the plane and chock full of hope and optimism.
Being one of the few white people many of the natives had ever seen or interacted with, I could feel their eyes of wonder on me, burning with adolescent curiosity. Proving only to be hindered by the obvious language barrier, we relied on the constant flow of human compassion and generosity to establish a relationship that evades description. I left with the strong belief that any of those villagers would be willing to sacrifice anything within their realm of limited possibilities. Flash forward one week to the island of Ko Phanang, marked by unfathomable beauty. Unfortunately, this beauty has not gone unnoticed, and the island has become a major destination to the affable tourist. To ensure the comforts of home, a strange replica of a western life had been forced upon the natives in a matter of several years.
The native people appeared to be essentially the same as those in that quiet little village, as I would assume they would be, but a destructive combination of greed and selfishness has plagued their hearts, giving them an unprecedented appetite for money. In some ways, what I saw was a strange spectacle, watching a generation of Thai try to develop years of style, importance and class definition in a raging whirlwind. But it has made them money-hungry, far beyond any purpose of necessity, simply attempting to grab for themselves a slice of the luxuries we all seem to enjoy.
The simple logo of "Diesel" printed across one's chest was an item of envy, as though it represented something far beyond the obviously bootlegged stitching; it was the insignia of a better life, paid for at the expense of their dignity and hearts. Children were no longer simply kids, but rather adorable, deceptive tourist traps, tools in their hunger for more.Ã
A small fear had crept into the back of my mind as I tried to ignore this obvious degradation. This fear lingered until the day I sat watching a boy in his young teens hassle and banter every person unlucky enough to walk his way, all to grab their laundry and their Baht, the Thai currency. Then, out of the curves of the road came an elderly man, sporting sandals, a long white beard, a well used walking stick and the aura that he had been a bystander to the creation of Earth herself.
The man shook his head and clearly but softly muttered to me, "It's us who've screwed 'em up."
I was disgusted. Not by the Thai, but by the way of life so accustomed and developed that we had forced on these unassuming people, tearing from them their past and sending them on an irreversible spiral for the security of our contentment. We had been so concerned in ensuring our own satisfaction that we forgot, or rather chose not to realize, that we were the first to use these people as tools in our hunger for more.
Cultures thrown aside, natural preserves destroyed, beauty, both geographically and of the heart, trampled upon by the blithering drunk and spoiled that roam the streets today as our best representation in this once quaint society.
It does not simply stop there. Countless other first hand accounts can be told from India and China, in their respectively different ways.
A plague of superficiality has torn across the vast expanse of the Asian continent. The rest of us civilized and aware enough to realize this travesty are left muttering under our breath as we regrettably watch this shameless exploitation.
I fear for the future of inhabitants of these countries, as I'm embarrassed by the present state of their focused priorities. I can only wonder what we have left to do to reverse the damage we have caused to unsuspecting and vulnerable societies turning to America for false guidance.
Alex is a sophomore English major.