Volunteering abroad is stupid

[Valmy]

No idea.  I just saw that you weren't advocating the only moral position (letting the Africans genocide each other) and got angry.

Do not worry, I am not doing anything to help people abroad I was only saying what I would do if I wanted to

[Berkut]

Here is one in India. She will make these Indian females equal and treated with respect, and hopefully she does not get raped by a frat guy when she returns home.

Does she realize that those kids probably think she is a dumbass?

[Solmyr]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_wSy_UwmIk

[Caliga]

Does she realize that those kids probably think she is a dumbass?

Nope, because she's too busy "helping" them.  White man's burden

[Caliga]

Oh, I have an ancedote to offer up: my parents have college friends whose daughter went to some shithole part of Africa to do stuff like this, and ended up being raped and almost murdered.

[Malthus]

While I appreciate the typical Languish cynicism - none finer  - perhaps what you guys are missing here is that part of the point of such volunteerism isn't simply to offer the (perhaps negligible) physical help of a know-nothing idealistic young Westerner, but to educate said Westerner about the place he or she is being sent, to give them an insight into how other folks live there, and perhaps inspire them to further empathy for the situation these people face?

You don't get any of that from simply cutting a cheque. And while in the short run, earning some cash and cutting a cheque may very well be a better use of these kids' time in terms of efficuency of aid, in the long run, having some actual experience of (and empathy for) these people may be a better investment - as its most crass, it will ensure more cheques in the future.

[Phillip V]

Oh, I have an ancedote to offer up: my parents have college friends whose daughter went to some shithole part of Africa to do stuff like this, and ended up being raped and almost murdered.

It is not uncommon. I have read that female Peace Corps get raped each year with little post-support or prosecution of their attackers.

And why wouldn't it be? Unprotected Western women (or any women) in 3rd world (or even 1st world) countries seem like easy targets. I tell young women who want to join the military or volunteer abroad that if they are truly passionate about their beliefs, they need to be ready to be raped and/or die for their cause.

[Valmy]

While I appreciate the typical Languish cynicism - none finer  - perhaps what you guys are missing here is that part of the point of such volunteerism isn't simply to offer the (perhaps negligible) physical help of a know-nothing idealistic young Westerner, but to educate said Westerner about the place he or she is being sent, to give them an insight into how other folks live there, and perhaps inspire them to further empathy for the situation these people face?

You don't get any of that from simply cutting a cheque. And while in the short run, earning some cash and cutting a cheque may very well be a better use of these kids' time in terms of efficuency of aid, in the long run, having some actual experience of (and empathy for) these people may be a better investment - as its most crass, it will ensure more cheques in the future.

I just figure if you are going to take the time and money to help people abroad you should find people who know the country and how things work there and has a good idea about what is actually needed.  Going over there to gawk at the poors for my own personal enrichment seems a little...erm...wrong somehow.

[Maximus]

While I appreciate the typical Languish cynicism - none finer  - perhaps what you guys are missing here is that part of the point of such volunteerism isn't simply to offer the (perhaps negligible) physical help of a know-nothing idealistic young Westerner, but to educate said Westerner about the place he or she is being sent, to give them an insight into how other folks live there, and perhaps inspire them to further empathy for the situation these people face?

Yea, this is how I've always seen it, at least with the college related stuff.

[garbon]

While I appreciate the typical Languish cynicism - none finer  - perhaps what you guys are missing here is that part of the point of such volunteerism isn't simply to offer the (perhaps negligible) physical help of a know-nothing idealistic young Westerner, but to educate said Westerner about the place he or she is being sent, to give them an insight into how other folks live there, and perhaps inspire them to further empathy for the situation these people face?

You don't get any of that from simply cutting a cheque. And while in the short run, earning some cash and cutting a cheque may very well be a better use of these kids' time in terms of efficuency of aid, in the long run, having some actual experience of (and empathy for) these people may be a better investment - as its most crass, it will ensure more cheques in the future.

I just figure if you are going to take the time and money to help people abroad you should find people who know the country and how things work there and has a good idea about what is actually needed.  Going over there to gawk at the poors for my own personal enrichment seems a little...erm...wrong somehow.

[Caliga]

It is not uncommon. I have read that female Peace Corps get raped each year with little post-support or prosecution of their attackers.

IIRC she was in the Peace Corps, yeah.  Hot, too.

[Phillip V]

While I appreciate the typical Languish cynicism - none finer  - perhaps what you guys are missing here is that part of the point of such volunteerism isn't simply to offer the (perhaps negligible) physical help of a know-nothing idealistic young Westerner, but to educate said Westerner about the place he or she is being sent, to give them an insight into how other folks live there, and perhaps inspire them to further empathy for the situation these people face?

You don't get any of that from simply cutting a cheque. And while in the short run, earning some cash and cutting a cheque may very well be a better use of these kids' time in terms of efficuency of aid, in the long run, having some actual experience of (and empathy for) these people may be a better investment - as its most crass, it will ensure more cheques in the future.

That's what I tell women. Talking and messaging isn't enough. We need to get physically intimate in order to truly know each other.

[Malthus]

While I appreciate the typical Languish cynicism - none finer  - perhaps what you guys are missing here is that part of the point of such volunteerism isn't simply to offer the (perhaps negligible) physical help of a know-nothing idealistic young Westerner, but to educate said Westerner about the place he or she is being sent, to give them an insight into how other folks live there, and perhaps inspire them to further empathy for the situation these people face?

You don't get any of that from simply cutting a cheque. And while in the short run, earning some cash and cutting a cheque may very well be a better use of these kids' time in terms of efficuency of aid, in the long run, having some actual experience of (and empathy for) these people may be a better investment - as its most crass, it will ensure more cheques in the future.

I just figure if you are going to take the time and money to help people abroad you should find people who know the country and how things work there and has a good idea about what is actually needed.  Going over there to gawk at the poors for my own personal enrichment seems a little...erm...wrong somehow.

The point isn't, in large part, the immediate benefit of the kid's labour - though that is nice.

The point is to engage the kid's empathy, so that rather than just "gawking at the poors", they approach their position in a somewhat different light - presumably making an ongoing difference.

If this is the case, an increase in immediate efficiency is of course welcome, but a lack of it isn't fatal.

[11B4V]

These young kids could join the Army or Marines. They help out poor countries. Build schools, wells, infrastructure and so fourth. They can learn a tech trade depending on what MOS they join. Army and Marines are basically like the Peace Corps with the added bonus of the weapons.

[garbon]