When traveling to a third world country, how does one get over

>>1137928
You have to create a mental wall. No matter what you see or do to try and help: it wont make an ounce of difference.
Accept it. Then ignore it. Enjoy your trip.

I lived in India for a while and have traveled around the Middle-East, Latin America, and the Balkans. I wouldn't say that you have to be made of thicker stuff to visit impoverished places, but you can't be overwhelmingly sensitive, either.

An example that springs to mind is that of a teacher from Chicago I met in Delhi. He'd spent all day going to restaurants and sightseeing with a guy he'd met in the street. Of course, his new friend was a tourist tout who eventually steered him to a booking office. When the teacher realized that he'd spent all day hanging with a con-man, he put his head into his hands, stared at the floor, and started shooting out tears and screams. He actually got up and ran to the door and sprinted down the street back to his hotel.

I knew another guy from Poland who had a lot of sympathy for beggars. He'd take them out to eat, buy them shoes and clothes, and give money to poor workers. A Russian woman living in Delhi warned him, as did I, about being too charitable, but he didn't listen. By the time a week or two went by, he had a cohort of beggars and street urchins who'd follow him everywhere, smiling and reaching out their open palms. Strangely, all the new shoes and shirts he'd buy would be replaced with bare feet and rags the next morning.

I don't know what to tell you. You deal with it or you don't. Maybe give some money to a reputable charity or donate some clothes and books to an NGO. Do a little something to help the people you see without letting yourself get manipulated.

>>1137936

cont.

For what it's worth, a lot of the mothers you see begging with babies aren't actually the mothers of those kids.

My ex-girlfriend is from Delhi and worked for an NGO in a slum. It's a pretty well-known fact that a lot of beggars are part of organized gangs and will actually "rent" babies to take with them when they go out panhandling. In other cases, parents will sit at home and sip down cheap booze while forcing their sons and daughters to go out and collect rupees from cars.

It's a very vile system. Kids are kept out of school by their parents or by beggar mafias and are then further exploited by the local police, who take bribes from them or use them as free labor in their stations.

I guess this might sound tacky, but try to see past this visible suffering to grasp the people behind it all. A lot of what these men and women do is very admirable, even if it makes you feel serious feels. For every beggar or con artist, there's a guy who's out busting his ass 15 hours per day hauling around fat aunties and tourists in a cycle-rickshaw so he can get his kids the fuck out of the Bihari countryside into a school.

The thing is, a lot of these people aren't abjectly miserable. They have their life which looks shitty to you, and is probably shitty to them too, but they make do with what they've got and try to find ways to make it better. Appreciate that, and, if you can, give a little to somebody who can help.

It's funny, you'll find that these people actually look down on YOU and not the other way around. They find how useless you are at everything practical and general lack of experience of any hardship pretty funny. They mostly aren't depressed so why should you be.

I live in third world country, so it is the same.

>>1137947

Made the couple posts above you. I'll also add on that a lot of poor and middle-class Indians in cities think that white people are drug-abusing sexual degenerates with no culture. They really look down their nose at hippie tourists, too, which is ironic, given that hippies are usually trying to connect with the poor or whatever.

I've been to some less well off countries in the past and it's just something you can't really focus on when traveling. There's poverty in western countries as well.

I never give in to beggars or people asking for something. There's no way I alone can help them out. That money would likely be spent on things that won't improve their lives, or as the guy above wrote will go to their parents who use it for booze/drugs or to gangs. This documentary on the Roma gypsies is a good example of that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THInODdvvMQ

If you really think that you want to help out there are many ways. Find a charity that you trust and you know it gives most of the money it earns to the cause it's working for and not for administrative costs. Volunteer your time with charities or NGOs, next time you travel somewhere with more poverty spend a few weeks or months volunteering, just don't give into the voluntouring scam where you pay money to volunteer your time.

>>1137928
Served as a missionary in Tamil Nadu, India for a while. Never really affected me. Made me think I had autism or something. Shook hands with lepers whose "hands" were just nubs. Found it sort of funny, as though they were misshapen and ineffective pincers.

>>1137947
This big time. You cannot judge people by Western standards. They've lived their entire lives in poverty. Chances are they don't go to sleep every night crying.

>>1137943
And on this, a lot of the father's you don't see are addicts or drunks. Much of the money you give the wife goes towards the husband's addition.

>>1137928
You do have to realize that you are not able to save any of them...or help them more than a meal...and the more you understand the cycle of poverty, politically and socially, you kind of stop giving in a nonproductive way.

Most of my travel is europe and the americas, not asia. I've seen hell in Haiti, and poverty but with nice families in all of the Americas. The exception might be the street kids in Rio, who do not have actual homes with family. When I donate to a charity, it's usually Catholic Charities, running organized structures, and not the Red Cross (who monumentally wasted the money given to them in more than one natural disaster).

I don't give to beggars, though I like to...it creates problems. Sometimes I'll pass a wrapped bit of food, pack of cookies or something like that, whole fruit.

>>1137928

You'll get used to it inshallah

>>1137928
>When traveling to a third world country, how does one get over seeing poverty all around?

By staying in a 5-star hotel usually. I've seen a lot of poverty, even back home on the other side of town but I'm not the most empathetic person in the world. Whenever my gf brings the topic up I just nod and say "Yeah, that's terrible." but I give no fucks.

>>1137928
Are you the parent of all those people? No, it's not your fault some idiots decided to get women pregnant in a poor overpopulated area.

Its not your fault that they are in poverty, but keep in mind that its mostly not their own fault either.
Treat them with respect but accept that nothing you do while there will change anything at all.

>>1137928
Why is it your problem? Is the offspring of a penniless, homeless alcoholic who decides to spread her legs and make something she can't possibly take care of your problem?

>>1138308
Empathy? What's that?

Yeah, you need to be of thicker skin, full of autism, or go into more of a philosophical mode.

You could also learn how to give something back. Become a doctor and dedicate time to the poor blighters, or if you have excess funds, get yourself ONE pet project.

Don't do the generic amerifat mistake of shoving christianity down their throats though. That shit should lead to insta-death.

You have to realize that individual charity is not going to raise up their conditions. A total infrastructural overhaul is the only thing that can help and the political will to engage in such a sweeping program does not exist. It is tragic, but the world is a basically tragic place.

My attitude has always been it's their country, their problem, they need to sort it out (in most cases by not reproducing).

Damn, reading some of the shit on here makes me sad. I'm sure some of you are trolling, but damn.

I think it's a cop out to say that individual charity is useless if you don't fix the system. Ever had someone do something nice for you when you're having a shit day?

But I also do think it's important to note that western society equates a simple life with a poor one. My poor as fuck cousins in Philippines are probably happier than the average Canadian that I've met... They just have a lot less money.

To be honest, you sort of just have to have a bit of a wall up. Sure, they could be scammers but giving the scanmer who might legitimately be hungry is still better than holding my head up high and saying that feeding a starving person just feeds the broken system they have.

The saddest shit I've ever seen was in Cambodia. I was having dinner with my friend and some kids came to beg. They couldn't have been older than 8. We told them no because of all the crap going on there. They decide to just pop a squat over by the curb and a couple of minutes they're inhaling from a brown bag and getting high as shit. Eyes rolling back and one of the friends have to catch them as he falls backwards from being so high. And there I was eating my fucking delicious dinner because I was privileged enough to travel...

>>1138350
i can see the shame in your eyes from the next door and I can hear your quiet weeping over your AIDS

>>1138400
I don't really know what sort of message you're trying to convey here.

Charities are just as corrupt and for profit as the most evil of corporations that get slandered in the papers all the time. There's a breast cancer charity here in Canada that takes 78% of all donations towards administrative costs. Only 22% goes towards funding research.

I think the most important charities are small locally run ones which feed, clothe and shelter poor individuals in that area or region. The people working in those usually have immediate connections to their neighbourhood or city or region so are less likely to pocket the money than a faceless charity that just broadly helps out.

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Sorry, but poverty is part of travel. If you cannot see poverty you do not deserve to see the world.
Whenever I visit a country with a HDI (Human Development Index) below 0.8 I have a set of rules. If these rules are not met I do not tell people I visited that country. Here are my rules

1. I will not stay at a hotel where the staff are paid above the international minimum wage. If I taste my complimentary chocolate and it hasn't started to melt I leave. This is because, in a real hotel, the maids don't get air conditioning due to being in poverty, and they are therefore sweaty and should cause the chocolate to melt.

2. If I do not have at least 400 fingers held out to me by beggars during my stay I do not classify it as a true visit. Of course I have some exceptions, for example a hand with 4 fingers is a sign of greater poverty so I count it as 6 fingers. If a child only has 3 fingers I assume it is from having fingers chopped off by exploitative rich owners, so that is not real poverty and I don't count it

3. If the exchange rate for my dollars is not at least 20 of their currency I do not spend any money as they are not in poverty and don't need it

4. If I visit McDonalds and a Big Mac is more expensive than in the US I only eat at McDonalds for the entire trip. This is because I can eat without giving money to countries that don't experience poverty and thusly don't have authentic food cultures.

Poverty is travel.

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>>1138444
> Of course I have some exceptions, for example a hand with 4 fingers is a sign of greater poverty so I count it as 6 fingers

Also if you really feel bad then go to small vendors and buy food or water and pass them out to beggars. A little girl hounded me in India for 5 minutes about getting some money then at the end pointed to my half empty water bottle and asked for it. Like, shit, she may be part of a beggar organization but she's still a little girl who just wants some water. Same with fruits, give money to the kids and they're like "oh gee whatever" but give them a sweet fruit and they'll actually look kind of happy.

>>1138309
Something that will get you taken advantage of.

>>1138409
Individual charity = shit like buying a meal for people and stuff like that. I wasn't talking about charitable organizations.

But on the topic of what you're saying...why don't they deserve administrative costs. It's weird because the people "fighting the good fight" seem to always be the most underpaid. Obviously, I understand that it's a shame so much gets lost in overhead, but I find it weird that we expect people doing good to do it for free. If the CEO of a fucking environmental organization wants to have a fancy dinner every now and then, I say he fucking deserves it.

give money

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>>1138350

>>1138350
I bet your like StReEt mEaT, don't you? It breaks my heart to see these girls, literally crying wearing dog collars and chained to coffee table while some fat hairy Brit fucks them up the bum.

>>1138405
kek I'm sure he will

>>1138444
I hope for your own sake that you are just trolling.

>>1138350
I'd call you a sick fuck but reading your post gave me a chub so yeah.

>>1138405
HIV is about herpes tier these days, and if he catches that's even more incentive to fuck 3rd world whores

>>1138632
>HIV is about herpes tier these days

Granted, herpes in general is overfeared and overblown as far as being a big deal if you have it, and HIV treatment has gotten much better, but are you fucking kidding me.

>disease that carries MASSIVE social stigma
>will kill you if you don't get treatment, generally in a slow, painful way

>some skin irritation in an awkward place that won't kill you

Yeah they're the same alright.

>>1138633
As he is a 1st worlder medication will not be hard to come by, now the 3rd worlders he passes it too.....but then again, there are ting like PrEP that goes along way to prevent you from contracting HIV in the first place. A lot of the dudes you see in third world porn take it, Speaking of which ....
>>1138584
>I bet your like StReEt mEaT, don't you? It breaks my heart to see these girls, literally crying wearing dog collars and chained to coffee table while some fat hairy Brit fucks them up the bum.

You should feel know more sorry for them than the girls in Facial Abuse, Bound Gangbangs, or any other fetish Western porn. They aren't forced or coerced, they made a choice to do that. SMA is filmed in Bangkok. Women in Thailand have a choice, there are plenty of manufacturing and farming jobs. They don't have the same religious disdain for prostitution as they do in the West, so many females rather do it than tedious manual labor or shit tier service jobs. In addition, ever notice how most of the women on SMA are a step down from Creampie Thais, Asia Sex Diary, and others? Because they scrape the bottom of the barrel for women willing to do that depraved shit. I guess you can feel sorry for the women in that regard.

>>1138561
What the fuck are you on about? You're saying that CEOs should be using donation money to have fancy dinners?

Sure, it's not a problem if they earn a good wage but if a charity takes 70% of what's donated towards their own pockets and not towards whatever cause they're working for I'm sure as fuck not donating to them. A charity needs to be well run and that also means tight money management so as most of the donations make it towards the cause.

I say you are getting used to it, OP.
I had to work in Pakistan for 3 months, my friend, in Karachi/Lahore/Islamabad, that is.
I mean, really, I stopped giving a fuck, it's hard to explain to someone who's never been in let's say Rawalpindi or Lahore old town, with flies and shit everywhere, chaotic driving, tons of beggars...And you attract attention, trust me.

>>1138737
I'm saying that we're so much less forgiving to people who do shit that actually matters. Would any of you guys take their job making shit money to help the world? Probably not. I stopped doing social work because I couldn't make a comfoetable living on it. I'm no better than anyone else. But at least I understand why so much things get expensed when you literally can't be paying out of pocket for everyday things 'cause your salary is shit.

You're taking your own example of 70% and using it against me, which isn't what I'm talking about. It's weird because people expect these administrative costs to disappear because it's a charity. It still needs HR, it still needs accountants, it still needs staff, it still has everyday expenses. The only different is that people expect them to be perfect (aka not human).

>>1138584
Hell yes I love Asian Street Meat, that and Facial Abuse are about the only things I can beat it to these days. Those tears, that forced smile...

Wellp here we go again

>>1138827
Have you seen the old Kahn Tusion stuff? Maybe before your time, depending on your age.

Not been to many, if not any, third world country. Nepal's probably the only one. Went to Myanmar as well, but think that's not even a third world country.

There's much to learn from poor people. Never felt any guilt though. We might have money, they have a community, a real family and in a way are doing the things that matter in life most. At least, that's how I see it. I've seen the glue sniffing orphans at Kathmandu, but hey, that's life. I'm lucky, they're not. But they're not destined to become a drug addict, I think there were only twenty of those boys in the tourist district. Plenty of orphans were not on drugs.

And of course there's the lepra beggars. Never gave them any money either. Don't be extremely rude to them either, just leave them be.

Was in Myanmar and a friend of mine went out drinking some coffee with a older english woman, who was a international teacher for like thirty years in SEA. She gave a tip of like 10
USD on a cofffe not even worth 1 USD. We previously had a conversation with a local manager. He told us he made about 35 a month. This girl was getting a tip of a third of his wage in a single work. She didn't do anything special.
I read about the situation in Cuba. Where, because of the communist society, everyone makes crap money. But only as a cab driver, you can earn heaps of money out of tips. So doctors and lawyers were forced out of their work to do some side-job taxiing to get more money. That's not what I call progress...

Maybe it's because I'm Dutch that I am so niggardly, but I hate to pay more than locals and will always try not to do so.

It's not their fault that they're born that way, but it is their fault if they breed. You also see nasty looking homeless and beggars in le rich developed western cities too, so I don't know why you think india is special.

>>1137928
I just look around and think about how they got themselves into the mess that they're in. If you give them money they will become dependent on it and expect it in the future. Last time I checked being poor doesn't mean trashing your own land, raping your women, forcing incest, scamming and robbing your neighbors, etc.
>inb4 some faggot comes crying "muhh colonialism"

>>1139900
This ain't /pol/, if you want to bitch about that sort of thing, maybe try over there.

>>1139946
How does that post have anything to do with /pol/? Most Liberals would scream and cry "Colonialism!!!!" whenever someone says that a brown country got themselves into their own mess.

>>1139787
Myanmar is absolutely third world m8 you havin a laugh?

>>1137975
>And on this, a lot of the father's you don't see are addicts or drunks. Much of the money you give the wife goes towards the husband's addition.
This. Or the pimp. That isn't even their kid with the palm out. It's a loaner. Hand that kid some candy or food and watch he mother get flipping pissed off it isn't money, rather than a normal response of them getting delicious calories so they can grow up nourished. It doesn't happen, just a bit of anger you didn't do what they wanted, cold hard cash.

I'm going to say that you do need to be made of stronger stuff OP. Realize that even at home, most of what you see abroad does exist, but more behind closed doors. We don't as many in utero birth defects that aren't aborted, or in the first place. You get less fetal alcohol syndrome when there is education, less cerebral palsy without unsafe home births, more child medical care of vision issues, craniofacial issues and gait issues, simple stuff fixed with early intervention, but really horrible stuff still happens.

>>1138737
fuck off putting words in his mouth, he didnt suggest for one second that did he, fucking retard

>>1138444
W-what you are t-trolling aren't you?