Going to a beach resort in Haiti, leaving money in the impoverished country, is “unethical”. Feasting, overeating and being obese in neigboring Dominican Republic, or anywhere else in the world is ok. Political correctness going overboard.
Blogs and message boards have been full of outrage and disgust at the idea of tourists frolicking in the sun while bodies pile up in Port-au-Prince and quake survivors struggle to stay alive. […]
“… How can you sit there and say, ‘Waiter, bring me a drink’ while I’m on a private beach … knowing that 100 miles away, people are dying,” Jones said.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/21/haiti.tourism.ethics/index.html
Of course, instead of talking, maybe these do-gooders should all embark to Haiti as volunteer helpers and donate all their wages to Haiti development. This would cause a positive impact. Being obese and overeating in Paris, Los Angeles or Kansas is ok. Out of sight, out of mind.
I am so glad CNN talked to a sensible intelligent person, so I don’t need to say more:
Haiti’s plight wouldn’t improve if the cruise ships were diverted to another nearby island and pretended the disaster wasn’t happening, agreed Chris MacDonald, a senior fellow at Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics and a philosophy professor at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also writes The Business Ethics Blog.
“The cruise ships aren’t hurting anyone, in fact they’re doing some good, they’re bringing some help,” MacDonald said.
People who believe it’s disrespectful for tourists to enjoy themselves so close to a disaster zone should realize that the alternative of avoiding the area wouldn’t be more respectful, MacDonald added.
The proximity sets off our gut reactions, but it doesn’t seem to make any real moral difference, he said.
Mullis pointed out that the Dominican Republic — Haiti’s touristy neighbor on the island of Hispaniola — is also close to the disaster but is doing business as usual.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/21/haiti.tourism.ethics/index.html
