self proclaimed leftists with entire graduate degrees on twitter not understanding that tourism in places like latin america and the caribbean is a form of neocolonialism even in places where the national economy is dependent on it. just because the government is making money off of ur lil excursions and hotel stays doesn’t mean regular citizens are, especially in your fave ‘tropical getaway spots’. the fact that sandals wanted to build an entire resort in tobago where my family lives might sound great for the economy or whatever until you realize that they would’ve closed off several acres of land and made it inaccessible to non-tourists which is fucking insane thing to even propose on such a small island. like i’m sorry but do you really think my family is grateful when you crackers come to visit during the winter?? do you really think your presence adds value to their lives?? when the govt invests money in ports but not paving the fucking roads anywhere that’s not downtown/vacation home territory?? you white losers need to put down ur marx for like half a sec and pick up a small place by jamaica kincaid. like lol if you wanna be a tourist be a tourist but don’t fucking act like anyone who refers to it as a contemporary form of colonialism is doing too much. ESPECIALLY when this sentiment is legit coming directly from the people living in the getaways you love to visit. i genuinely don’t understand how y’all can grasp the “there is no ethical consumption under capitalism” shit but can’t understand this.
tourists visit a place where the livelihoods of the 5% of the population they actually interact with are dependent on how well they’re able to kiss their asses and make them feel like they’re the most important people in the world and somehow they genuinely believe that this translates to all of the locals actually liking, respecting, and needing them.
