Saving the world
The cartoon is probably by a Republican, but it made me think of all those people (like Cameron Diaz) that visit a new country and don't bother to learn anything about its history or political issues.
Not that I am up to date on what happened in this situation, but my guess is that she was filming her "Caring is bitchin!" TV show for MTV. If that's the case, then the incident is both incredibly hilarious and mortifying given all of the discussion lately in the media and popular culture about the environment, sustainability, and making a difference. I should be heartened, but instead my response is to be suspicious. Good Magazine (which has an ad on its back cover from Ralph Lauren about their new stores that will be devoted to volunteerism?!) has this big article about 'Greenwashing.' Greenwashing is the practice of a company using environmental or social causes as a public relations tool -- especially when they have a shoddy track record on either front. The article has a great quote about how it essentially reduces environmental/social/political engagement to a choice/action made by its customers. Instead of an organization examining its underlying business practices, the larger practices of the sector that it's in or the business community as a whole. Maybe my suspicion of this trend towards do gooderism has to do with the suspicion that its like the post 9/11 "America Open for Business" bullshit. In that situation, shopping was meant to be the average citizen's contribution rather than than engaging in honest introspection and making actual sacrifices. I mostly think this about the larger trend because Good (and I know that magazines need advertisers to support their publications) also features ads for Edun and Nau -- spending $100+ on a new shirt that was made with environmentally sustainable materials and manufacturing practices strikes me as being as about as long range and effective a solution as buying carbon offsets. It may be a better process, but it's still confusing shopping/spending money/consumption with actual engagement.
Speaking of my feeling suspicious towards do gooders, I saw the whole "Vanity Fair" Africa issue in the airport and it made my stomach turn. Mostly the quote by Jeffrey Sachs about how celebrities are going to save Africa, such as "Madonna is single handedly going to bring Malawi from the brink." Besides the barf worthiness of that quote (Madonna doesn't do anything that doesn't benefit Madonna first and foremost I'd wager), it sets up the whole business again of the White Man's Burden in saving the poor savages from themselves. I wonder what Paul Theroux would have to say about this? World Hum says it best:
For those who look at Africa and see only poverty, I say that your view of the world is narrow and sad. For those who want to assuage their guilt by giving money to some charity, I say to read a couple books—Michael Maren’s Road to Hell and Paul Theroux’s Dark Star Safari—and look closely at the law of unintended consequences. See: Bob Geldof and the Derg. Better yet, visit the continent yourself. Talk to people. Take the bus. Travel around. You’ll be surprised what you’ll learn.
Yeah, Africa has problems. Some big ones. And I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know quite how they will be solved. But they won’t be solved by foreign pop stars throwing money around. Rather, I suspect they will be solved by Kenyans and Nigerians and Zambians who see the problems in all their dimensions and find ways to cut them at the roots, instead of trimming back the branches.
