The
following is an excerpt from my field notes during my Urbanization class field
trip which took place early one Sunday morning, January 22nd. We explored Bangkok on foot and plunged into
the depths of disagreement over the current slums in the center of town.
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| Exploring Min Buri slum with our new friends... |
“The greater part of our happiness
or misery depends on our dispositions, and not our circumstances.”
- Martha Washington
As a child growing up in the United
States education system, I had always been taught to be thankful for what I
had, and was then shown pictures of children all over the world who were
miserable, malnourished and uneducated.
I was taught about slums around the world and shown horrible footage of children
playing in massive landfills and scavenging the ground for food. I was told to be thankful for the
opportunities I had been given, and constantly reminded of how lucky, fortunate
and happy I was.
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| Slum community in downtown Bangkok |
While I do not disregard that slum
conditions around the world are horrific, there is something to be said about
the overall level of happiness and values that one can find amidst such
discouraging conditions. In such ghastly
environments, it is difficult to comprehend how people can survive, let alone
be happy. However, after having traveled to slums around the world, most notably in Mexico, Africa and now
Thailand, I am constantly surprised by the cheerfulness and upbeat attitudes of
its residents.
In Bang Kapi I watched children
performing acrobatics in the common center of the building complex – with
mothers and grandmothers looking after young ones. They clapped as their daughters cartwheeled
over thin wire and sang to their toddlers who were stumbling around. In Min Buri, children played on the recently
constructed playground and rode around the village on their tricycles. While they rode past three-walled huts with
leaky roofs and piles of what appeared to be abandoned garbage dump sites, they
genuinely seemed happy.
As an American, I was always taught
that we should “share our wealth” with the rest of the world, helping others to
their ‘fullest potential,’ preaching democracy and spreading capitalism. However, while I agree there are critical
elements that must reach the slums – such as adequate food, water, sanitation,
health and education for its residents, I am not sure if ALL of the “White
Man’s Burden”[1]
should be imparted. I look at my own
country, where families don’t have quality time to spend together because they
are constantly working, and where children don’t have the option to ride around
on a tricycle because they live in an overcrowded, concrete city. The level of happiness is attributed to the
number of expensive designer purses and exotic cars you have, and your
“success” in life is measured by your monetary accomplishments.  |
| The highlight of the transportation was the surprise karaoke button we found on our minibus... |
After our field trip to the Bang Kapi,
Klong Sam Wa and Min Buri communities, I reflected on just how much the
villagers’ values and happiness might chance (for better and worse) with the
introduction of “The West” and foreign aid.
I truly hope that an opportunity is presented to these community
members, to create advancement and prospect, while preserving their happiness,
sincerity, and livelihood. My question
and concern however is, is it possible to bring them medicine, improved
housing, education and technology – without instilling a ‘Westernized value
system?’
[1]
Rudyard Kipling’s poem “The White Man’s Burden,” although argued to have been
originally written in a different context, has been used by United States
imperialists as a characterization for imperialism that justified the policy as
a noble enterprise.
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