Cornered

Came across this in a friend's blog:

“We’ve previously established that a good part of the allure of the Expat Aid Worker (EAW) lifestyle is the bragging rights afforded by far flung humanitarian adventures. But bragging rights imply an audience. Facebook helps bridge that gap, but only superficially. A blog platform allows the experienced EAW to more fully expound upon his or her sensitivity and savvy in the face of cross-cultural predicaments, boast about enduring exotic tropical disease and illustrate a profound depth of insight on international development theories.” -From the blog, Stuff Expat Aid Workers Like

Cornered.

Thanks to Bria for that.

The High Cost of Low Prices

My very limited understanding of economics suggests to me that one of the predominating questions of wealth deals with the idea of mutual exclusion. The question here is- are human beings capable of producing a net profit? Or are we dealing with a balance sheet type of scale in which the wealth of one side is precisely the prerequisite for the disparity of the other? We witness the return of the zero-sum game. This time, however, it's not just personal goals at stake, it's the future of the entire developing world.

Looking outside my window here in Guatemala City, there is a formidably sized billboard for the golden arches reigning down it's trip-le bacon burger-ness on the Avenida Periferico. (The keys to the kingdom? They got locked inside the kingdom.) I knew I was in the right place when the first thing he said was don't buy it. I got off the plane, slept, woke, was bludgeoned by Spanish. First thing in the morning, I was ushered into a meeting of local pastors and NGO's in which the country representative for MCC gave a lecture about the necessity of buying local. I was comforted with irritation.

Example par excellence- fried chicken. We had fried chicken for lunch today. In our neighborhood, there is Guatemalan fried chicken and there is American fried chicken. Which one do you think is cheaper? Given the incredibly cheap cost of labor here, it seems plausible that a comparable product would sell for significantly less. But no- the American fried chicken is almost 20% cheaper. Why? Because the American companies have so much money that they can afford to invest millions of dollars into improving the efficiency of their mass production. Your chicken is processed in Guatemala? Ours is processed in India! Yours is cheap? Ours is cheaper! But only where it needs to be! Bring the chicken to the people, the American people, this is when we start talking in dollars.

It is incredible to witness the remarkable speed with which the system of Western affluence has followed me into the developing world. Greed has a remarkable resilience, and there is no end to which the system is perpetually adapting itself to the wants of the masses. It's called market research. There are people in America asking, "What things do Guatemalans want?" or even worse, "What are the things which Guatemalans cannot go without?" There's going to be expats here- these people know. The rich are everywhere. So what do they do? Build a gigantic, overtly elaborate American mall right in the middle of the city that they know 98% of the population could never afford to shop at.

There's going to be dissenters. So what do they do? Buy up all the newspapers. Or, as in the cases of Bishops Oscar Romero and Juan Gerardi, assassinate them outright in the midst of a judicial system that many believe prosecutes less than 50% of its crimes.

What are the answers for Guatemala? I'll waste a year to find out. Then maybe together we can construct a relative and humanistic dispensation tailored to the complexity of the situation. We'll watch it burn, of course, then try again.

Empty Expectation

This past week I spent in Akron, PA for an orientation at the headquarters of Mennonite Central Committee. Gathered here with me were about 70 other participants of my program from the U.S. and Canada as well as about 70 participants of a partner program called I.V.E.P. Participants of the Serving and Learning Together program are those from the U.S. and Canada going to international locations all over the world. Those in the International Volunteer Exchange Program are international volunteers coming to the U.S and Canada. For one week, young adults from 30 different countries and 5 continents lived together on this campus on the outskirts of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. There's something to be said for that. The thing is- you're either coming or going, so.

A lot of speaking in order to essentially say that you're expectations will not. Around the world or next door, no matter. I want to get in that plane, and I want the pilot to turn to his co-pilot, and I want him to say, "Where would you like to go today, Earl?" and believe me when I say that I am just about as prepared for Guam as Guatemala. Maybe Earl needs a vacation. But Bob and Earl- they have authority in these matters. So wherever Earl said, I would go. And I'd believe him when he told me that he could get us there.

We've talked about goals. I'd like to stay alive. It's not a requirement, though, for the universe. Guatemala City in elections month. Total Lockdown. Government corruption. Assassinations. Permanently culture-shocked ex-pats. University districts. Mudslide barrios.

I feel like I'm obligated to fill in the blank space with best guesses and educated assessments. All the while they're filling in the gaps with this Christian merrymaking, a sure dangerous disillusioning facade. Or not so sure.

But what judgments to make? The country is green and the people are brown. Failsafe right?

So then where am I going? Amidst a lack of distinguishing characteristics- anywhere and everywhere and nowhere, all at the same time.

A List of Competing Goods

If two competing goods come to a head, the first question you ask yourself is if you're playing a zero-sum game. When two goals hint to you that their accomplishment might be inhibited by nothing other than the other, you start to think in terms of a matter of degree. Do obstacles exist that may keep keep me from achieving both goals, instead forcing me to choose one over the other? Tempting is compromise- going halfsies. But what you might actually want is 75%/75%. But 75 plus 75 is 150%. So you kind-of let down the expectation incrementally, maybe 10% at a time, until you fall below the half-goal 100, at which point you realize that you will achieve neither your goals, in which case the complete abandonment of one becomes more advantageous.

Two roads diverged in a wood, but why? Was there a necessary reason for their divergence? Why not be instead two sides of the same road? Wanting to walk down both, will you achieve neither?