Life Goes On

January 19, 2005 8:24 PM

Life Goes On: Just as curbing rampant capitalism in post-9/11 America is letting the terrorists win, I guess canceling vacations to Indonesia would be to let the tsunami win... [via Geisha asobi blog]
posted by Doohickie (28 comments total)

I have seen pure evil: that guy in the speedo with the huge beer gut. Must... tear out eyes...
posted by psmealey at 8:32 PM on January 19, 2005

This has been discussed before, and it looks bad. But look: if you lived in an area that was dominated by tourism but had been hit by a natural disaster and killed many, many people, would you prefer that tourists stay away "out of respect", or keep bringing in the money that pays your wage?

Also, would people be having this same reaction if the beaches and resorts were, say, somewhere in the developed world? I can only guess, but it seems to me that the reaction would be different because the context wouldn't have the "exploitation" overtone. But, you know, sometimes supposedly liberal sensitivity, especially about disadvantaged people, is really just masked condescension and a smug sense of self-virtue.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 8:34 PM on January 19, 2005

Methinks those images are 'shopped. Am I wrong? The aid workers wearing masks walking among sunbathing tourists? Can that really be?
posted by psmealey at 8:35 PM on January 19, 2005

At least we know they're not Americans, based on the speedos.
posted by thedevildancedlightly at 8:39 PM on January 19, 2005

good call, psmealey- definitely photoshopped.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 8:39 PM on January 19, 2005

Some of the best Photoshopping I've ever seen, though.
posted by abcde at 8:42 PM on January 19, 2005

Instapundit had a good discussion about this. Also see this link from the Instapundit discussion.

One of the points made was that less than a mile away from the devastation in Thailand many resorts & hotels were open - running water, electricity etc. - and were taking a hit economically b/c people were staying away out of "respect".
posted by mlis at 8:42 PM on January 19, 2005

I saw this on jwalk last week and took the image into Photoshop to check out if it was retouched, looking for any kind of seams or ghosting. I honestly doubt it was. On those islands, the beaches are right next to bars and restaurants so it wouldn't surprise me if there were scenes exactly like that.

Without tourism, a lot of Southeast Asian islands would fold up... it's all some have had to live on for generations. People stopped going to Bali after the bombing there, and it tore the island's livelihood to shreds. It's so sad. That said? Speedo... ewww.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:49 PM on January 19, 2005

It's definitely a good point MLIS, that the best thing you can do to help those communities (other than to contribute to the cause of tsunami disaster relief) is to patronize the establishments, HOWEVER, it's more than staying away out of respect. It's human nature to avoid being in a place where that much death and trauma had so recently occurred, let alone the practical issues of going to a place that may or may not be on the verge of a humanitarian or public sanitary crisis.

Having said that, it took less than a month for "Ground Zero" to become a tourist destination (and it was still smouldering in November '01), so these things tend to run their natural course.
posted by psmealey at 8:51 PM on January 19, 2005

Even if I was still there in a hotel nearby on a vacation, I like to think that I would be helping with the cleanup effort. I like to think I would, but you never know.
posted by Doohickie at 8:55 PM on January 19, 2005

Doesn't bother me. All I see is a bunch of people helping the local economy.
posted by bobo123 at 9:08 PM on January 19, 2005

psmealy - you also make good points. I would not take such a "vacation". Tourists at Ground Zero = It was (continues to be) ghastly.
posted by mlis at 9:15 PM on January 19, 2005

it's all some have had to live on for generations. People stopped going to Bali after the bombing there, and it tore the island's livelihood to shreds. It's so sad.
posted by miss lynnster at 8:49 PM PST on January 19

I was recently in Bali and I can definitely confirm this. The main drag, Jl Legian was all but deserted at times - even the hawkers seemed to have lost heart. I stayed in hotels where I was the only guest for days on end. Scores of restaurants, tables set, candles lit, wait staff in sarongs and white shirts at the ready - without a customer in sight.
posted by tellurian at 9:21 PM on January 19, 2005

How could you enjoy yourself? I'd like to think I'd volunteer my services during the day, and then get shit-faced in a beachside bar at night to wash away the horror of it all. Wait, that sounds like my typical workday minus the beach.
posted by brheavy at 9:23 PM on January 19, 2005

When I posted this, I wasn't sure what I thought of it. I'm still trying to figure it out.
posted by Doohickie at 9:24 PM on January 19, 2005

Doohickie: It's a quandary.
posted by brheavy at 9:27 PM on January 19, 2005

Wow. That's just so sad to hear, tellurian. I spent a month there in '98. I can't even imagine places like Kuta being empty. I was there during a sketchy time for their economy & politics (I left 2 weeks before the riots in Jakarta) and yet the island was still bustling with visitors.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:27 PM on January 19, 2005

Hey, if I were a fat volunteer coordinating relief efforts, at the end of the day I'd put on the speedo and toss back a few Heinekens.

The people in the pictures could be fat volunteers, is all I'm saying.
posted by bingbangbong at 9:30 PM on January 19, 2005

Yeah, the thought crossed my mind.
posted by Doohickie at 9:32 PM on January 19, 2005

The problem with just "volunteering" is that that aid groups have been saying they need people with specific skills, and I've heard them explain that unskilled volunteers would just be getting in the way.
posted by bobo123 at 9:43 PM on January 19, 2005

Problem solved then. If your fatass is just getting in the way, but you happen to be there, then you may as well support the local establishments and spend your cash. What you could do though is not wear a speedo. What a depressing holiday that would be.
posted by brheavy at 9:55 PM on January 19, 2005

I don't think it's photoshopped. With a good eye and 200mm lens you can capture contrasts like this virtually anywhere.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:55 PM on January 19, 2005

Film footage very similar to these picture was shown on television, at least in my country. People were sunbathing on the beaches in Thailand within days of the tsunami. They interviewed some Dutch bloke with a drink in his hand who said: 'Yeah, well, you gotta live for yourself, don't you?'
posted by prolific at 2:29 AM on January 20, 2005

There is no way to tell if the second-to-last picture and the one before that were taken in an area affected by the tsunami. At least in Thailand, many hawkers and other local beach workers completely cover themselves up (including the face) as protection from the harsh light (never mind the clouds - it will still bite your skin). And many beaches have a daily cleaning service. What is depicted in those two pics looks very familiar and not at all out of place.

/It is hard to tell whether the buildings in the background are ruins or huts..
posted by magullo at 4:55 AM on January 20, 2005

for what it's worth... my parents were in new zealand for 3 weeks right as the tsunami hit. they said all the news there was full of lots of photos and footage (and outrage) about tourists sunbathing as people searched for their dead relatives in the debris 50 feet away.
posted by chr1sb0y at 5:33 AM on January 20, 2005

I don't recognize those images per se, but Thai TV was showing clips of people in and around Phuket trying to enjoy their holiday just days after the Tsunami. In fact, the NYE footage was rather odd with all of the revelers "partying" only miles (or less) away from the destruction and dead bodies.
posted by shoepal at 6:47 AM on January 20, 2005

they said all the news there was full of lots of photos and footage (and outrage) about tourists sunbathing as people searched for their dead relatives in the debris 50 feet away.

What makes that sound untrue is that the stench of dead bodies is incredible. There's no way you could be just relaxing 50 feet away.

The photos in the posts are striking but, like others here, I dont find anything wrong with it. If they cant help in any other way then the tourists can help by spending their money. The dead are dead. Life has to go on for the living.
posted by vacapinta at 10:31 AM on January 20, 2005

What makes that sound untrue is that the stench of dead bodies is incredible. There's no way you could be just relaxing 50 feet away.

This is what initially caused me to question if the images were chopped. Mask-wearing recovery workers feet away from scantily clad beachgoers just didn't look right.
posted by psmealey at 1:16 PM on January 21, 2005