Steves: Travel enriches our global perspective
Apr 29th, 2004 | 12:44 PM
#81
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Re: <i>It is also revealing that one allegedly so concerned with global poverty eagerly and relentlessly encourages Americans to spend thousands of dollars on European travel. In the mind of Rick Steves', we are despicable because we are selfish, yet he has an obvious vested interest in promoting behavior that would qualify in the minds of some as a selfish indulgence in luxury in a world with so many "have-nots." </i>
Steve, for some reason I don't quite understand, you seem to see a concern with global poverty and promoting European travel as an either/or proposition. Why? Why do you see promoting European travel as incompatible with concern for global poverty? Is everyone concerned about global poverty a hypocrite if they take a trip to Europe, or live in a nice house, or drive a nice car or don't live in poverty themselves? Maybe many people who are concerned about global poverty do both: take trips to Europe <i>and</i> donate money to charities which help poor people in other countries (or in the U.S.)
Steve, for some reason I don't quite understand, you seem to see a concern with global poverty and promoting European travel as an either/or proposition. Why? Why do you see promoting European travel as incompatible with concern for global poverty? Is everyone concerned about global poverty a hypocrite if they take a trip to Europe, or live in a nice house, or drive a nice car or don't live in poverty themselves? Maybe many people who are concerned about global poverty do both: take trips to Europe <i>and</i> donate money to charities which help poor people in other countries (or in the U.S.)
Apr 29th, 2004 | 09:18 PM
#82
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Capo, the short answer to each of your questions is "no."
Rick Steves is a hypocrite because he profits by promoting affluent behavior in a society that he condemns as shamelessly and callously affluent.
He believes that, through a combination of ruthless foreign policy, aggressive military intervention, and selfish loans under the auspices of the World Bank and IMF, we are the root cause of global poverty. He may believe that our nation has generated its wealth at the expense of the rest of the world, but he obviously has not hesitated to claim his share.
What irritates me the most about the man, however, is his enthusiasm for portraying his fellow citizens in a consistently negative light simply to promote his utopian view of Europe. If he can encourage more people to adopt the "America Bad, Europe Good" mindset, it certainly wouldn't hurt his business. His disparaging descriptions of the US are almost poetic.
He presents an intellectually immature rambling case that is founded on a pinch of legitimate observation and several pounds of half-truths, distortions and blatant misinformation. Some examples were addressed in my earlier posts.
Anyone interested in this subject should visit his website and read the article (it is in the "Press Releases" section). It may make some people grind their teeth.
He flatly implies, for example, that Americans are dumb and selfish. We are dumb because he cannot conceive of any other explanation for our voting patterns. We are selfish because our government offers less foreign aid (as a portion of GDP) than any western European nation (this ignores the fact that Americans give most of their foreign aid privately - at nearly twice the rate of government aid).
He cannot even bring himself to credit the US for the positive things that we have accomplished. He prefers, for example, to view the lunar landings as a "human triumph" rather than an American accomplishment - I must be so rabidly patriotic that I forgot all about the Russian cosmonaut that was onboard Apollo 11.
He recounts a litany of inspirational incidents, one after another, in Berlin, Afghanistan, Paris, Switzerland, Holland, etc. It is interesting that he apparently never has profound experiences in the US.
Rick Steves claims that travel enriches our global perspective, yet, in his case, it seems only to have inspired him to replace one set of stereotypes with another. He no longer looks down on "dark kids" jumping for tossed coins, he now looks down on his fellow citizens.
If that's what passes for enlightenment, I prefer to stay in the dark.
Rick Steves is a hypocrite because he profits by promoting affluent behavior in a society that he condemns as shamelessly and callously affluent.
He believes that, through a combination of ruthless foreign policy, aggressive military intervention, and selfish loans under the auspices of the World Bank and IMF, we are the root cause of global poverty. He may believe that our nation has generated its wealth at the expense of the rest of the world, but he obviously has not hesitated to claim his share.
What irritates me the most about the man, however, is his enthusiasm for portraying his fellow citizens in a consistently negative light simply to promote his utopian view of Europe. If he can encourage more people to adopt the "America Bad, Europe Good" mindset, it certainly wouldn't hurt his business. His disparaging descriptions of the US are almost poetic.
He presents an intellectually immature rambling case that is founded on a pinch of legitimate observation and several pounds of half-truths, distortions and blatant misinformation. Some examples were addressed in my earlier posts.
Anyone interested in this subject should visit his website and read the article (it is in the "Press Releases" section). It may make some people grind their teeth.
He flatly implies, for example, that Americans are dumb and selfish. We are dumb because he cannot conceive of any other explanation for our voting patterns. We are selfish because our government offers less foreign aid (as a portion of GDP) than any western European nation (this ignores the fact that Americans give most of their foreign aid privately - at nearly twice the rate of government aid).
He cannot even bring himself to credit the US for the positive things that we have accomplished. He prefers, for example, to view the lunar landings as a "human triumph" rather than an American accomplishment - I must be so rabidly patriotic that I forgot all about the Russian cosmonaut that was onboard Apollo 11.
He recounts a litany of inspirational incidents, one after another, in Berlin, Afghanistan, Paris, Switzerland, Holland, etc. It is interesting that he apparently never has profound experiences in the US.
Rick Steves claims that travel enriches our global perspective, yet, in his case, it seems only to have inspired him to replace one set of stereotypes with another. He no longer looks down on "dark kids" jumping for tossed coins, he now looks down on his fellow citizens.
If that's what passes for enlightenment, I prefer to stay in the dark.
Apr 29th, 2004 | 10:28 PM
#83
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Wow! What a thread! It'd be amusing if it weren't so very sad. Such bitterness from a nation of "haves"? One of the rare voices of sanity in all this is capo - well done. Others like StCirq miss the point - when RS said he was surprised to find intelligent life out there who didn't rate it as their life's ambition to be American (and as another poster pointed out, he was only 15 when he first said it in 1969), he was not necessarily speaking for himself per se, but for American travellers in general as they appeared to him in the course of his travels. I meet many Americans whom I like in my travels, have formed friendships with many of them, but even so I can see why RS felt he needed to say what he did. This is not a negative condemnation, merely a pragmatic observation. Maybe StCirq and others who take so much umbrage at RS's utterances need a similar pragmatism to see past their bruised egos and acknowledge that, even if they themselves are not guilty of RS's charges, there are many American tourists out there who are. These of course are the ones who should (but probably don't) read RS. But isn't it always the way that those who read an author are those who're already converted and therefore least need to?
Apr 30th, 2004 | 10:40 AM
#84
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For some of you needing a humor fix, I suggest you check the "Amusing Things I Have Learned on my European Trips" thread. There is no Rick Steves or Patricia Wells bashing and people are just having fun laughing.
One of the not so amusing things I have learned from the internet travel boards is, "If you say anything positive about Rick Steves, Patricia Wells, or anyone else who has made a lot of money off the travel industry, you will immediately be bashed."
One of the not so amusing things I have learned from the internet travel boards is, "If you say anything positive about Rick Steves, Patricia Wells, or anyone else who has made a lot of money off the travel industry, you will immediately be bashed."
Apr 30th, 2004 | 11:32 AM
#89
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"One of the not so amusing things I have learned from the internet travel boards is, "If you say anything positive about Rick Steves, Patricia Wells, or anyone else who has made a lot of money off the travel industry, you will immediately be bashed."
Actually, what many of us have learned is that if you say *anything* even the *slightest* bit negative about Rick Steves or Patricia Wells, Lauren will bash YOU repeatedly and offensively. Examples can be found ad nauseum!
Actually, what many of us have learned is that if you say *anything* even the *slightest* bit negative about Rick Steves or Patricia Wells, Lauren will bash YOU repeatedly and offensively. Examples can be found ad nauseum!
Apr 30th, 2004 | 01:13 PM
#90
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Steve, re: <i>Rick Steves is a hypocrite because he profits by promoting affluent behavior in a society that he condemns as shamelessly and callously affluent.</i>
So you consider European travel to be "affluent" behavior, eh? Interesting. First few times I traveled to Europe I was fairly poor, just out of college, and that's why I stayed in youth hostels and used a youth Eurail pass. If people who aren't well off elect to spend discretionary money on European travel rather than on, say, new furniture or electronic gizmos, does that mean they're affluent, simply because they choose to go to Europe?
Also, consider the adjectives you used, "shamelessly" and "callously." If Steves is condemning anything about affluence, maybe it's the shameless and callous part about it, not affluence per se. After all, the famous quote from the Apostle Paul in the Bible is, "For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil", not "Money is the root of all evil" as it's often misquoted. Paul is clearly talking about greed, which is what one might consider a description of "shameless and callous" affluence.
Also, I was unable to grind my teeth since I was unable to find any "Press Releases" section on his website. What I saw was a "Press Room" section, which had a link to "Social Action and Rick's Politics." So maybe you could point me to this infuriating article of his that you read. Thanks.
So you consider European travel to be "affluent" behavior, eh? Interesting. First few times I traveled to Europe I was fairly poor, just out of college, and that's why I stayed in youth hostels and used a youth Eurail pass. If people who aren't well off elect to spend discretionary money on European travel rather than on, say, new furniture or electronic gizmos, does that mean they're affluent, simply because they choose to go to Europe?
Also, consider the adjectives you used, "shamelessly" and "callously." If Steves is condemning anything about affluence, maybe it's the shameless and callous part about it, not affluence per se. After all, the famous quote from the Apostle Paul in the Bible is, "For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil", not "Money is the root of all evil" as it's often misquoted. Paul is clearly talking about greed, which is what one might consider a description of "shameless and callous" affluence.
Also, I was unable to grind my teeth since I was unable to find any "Press Releases" section on his website. What I saw was a "Press Room" section, which had a link to "Social Action and Rick's Politics." So maybe you could point me to this infuriating article of his that you read. Thanks.
Apr 30th, 2004 | 01:45 PM
#91
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Capo, I'll defer the biblical scholarship to you, since that is not a topic that I very familiar with.
I do believe that European travel is an affluent form of behavior. Try as I may, I have not been able to figure out how to travel to Europe for less money than an evening at the bowling alley. That doesn't mean that I'll stop going, but it does mean that I will only go about once a year.
In any event, I'm surprised that you didn't find the article, since you apparently found the section in which it was listed. The link refers to an article called "Innocence Abroad," although the article itself is titled "Innocents Abroad." Beyond that, there is nothing confusing about the link. Also, I never described it as "infuriating." I am not that easily infuriated. "Irritating" would be a better description.
Read the article and then tell us what you think. I don't believe that it will change the way you view the world, but it may change the way that you view Rick Steves.
He laments that fact that we have enough money to address injustice, domestically and globally, but complains that the money necessary for this is "just going to other things." I suspect that he conveniently excludes European travel, which he enthusiastically promotes (and is financially rewarded for his effort), from this list of "other things."
I am not critical of Rick Steves because he urges us to do something about global poverty. In fact, I agree with him. The difference between Rick Steves and myself, however, is that I think we should be motivated by a sense of charity and generosity, whereas he believes that we should be motivated by a sense of guilt and culpability.
I do believe that European travel is an affluent form of behavior. Try as I may, I have not been able to figure out how to travel to Europe for less money than an evening at the bowling alley. That doesn't mean that I'll stop going, but it does mean that I will only go about once a year.
In any event, I'm surprised that you didn't find the article, since you apparently found the section in which it was listed. The link refers to an article called "Innocence Abroad," although the article itself is titled "Innocents Abroad." Beyond that, there is nothing confusing about the link. Also, I never described it as "infuriating." I am not that easily infuriated. "Irritating" would be a better description.
Read the article and then tell us what you think. I don't believe that it will change the way you view the world, but it may change the way that you view Rick Steves.
He laments that fact that we have enough money to address injustice, domestically and globally, but complains that the money necessary for this is "just going to other things." I suspect that he conveniently excludes European travel, which he enthusiastically promotes (and is financially rewarded for his effort), from this list of "other things."
I am not critical of Rick Steves because he urges us to do something about global poverty. In fact, I agree with him. The difference between Rick Steves and myself, however, is that I think we should be motivated by a sense of charity and generosity, whereas he believes that we should be motivated by a sense of guilt and culpability.
Apr 30th, 2004 | 02:57 PM
#93
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Since Fodors decided to delete my civil and polite reply to grilledsardine objecting to the rude and mean-spirted comments that I have seen on this thread as well as others leads me to the conclusion that they prefer to remain in the gutter. I have better things to do with my life. So I join jsmith in saying goodbye.
Apr 30th, 2004 | 02:58 PM
#94
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Re: <i>Capo, I'll defer the biblical scholarship to you, since that is not a topic that I very familiar with.</i>
Nor, apparently, is grammar. Sorry, I just couldn't resist!
Anyway, "biblical scholarship" was not the point. The point was the difference between money and greed. (One can, of course, be greedy in other ways besides money.)
I found the piece you're referring to and will read it this weekend. Doubt I'll grind my teeth though.
Re: <i>The difference between Rick Steves and myself, however, is that I think we should be motivated by a sense of charity and generosity, whereas he believes that we should be motivated by a sense of guilt and culpability.</i>
How about <i>obligation</i>, as in the phrase (and concept), "noblesse oblige"?
Nor, apparently, is grammar. Sorry, I just couldn't resist!
Anyway, "biblical scholarship" was not the point. The point was the difference between money and greed. (One can, of course, be greedy in other ways besides money.)
I found the piece you're referring to and will read it this weekend. Doubt I'll grind my teeth though.
Re: <i>The difference between Rick Steves and myself, however, is that I think we should be motivated by a sense of charity and generosity, whereas he believes that we should be motivated by a sense of guilt and culpability.</i>
How about <i>obligation</i>, as in the phrase (and concept), "noblesse oblige"?
Apr 30th, 2004 | 06:53 PM
#96
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When I read "Europe Through the Back Door" in 1991, I surely had the impression that RS was promoting and living out the independent rucksack/backpack/eurailpass/fancy-free existence. I remember an entire chapter on the pitfalls of tours and the advantages of going on your own. Then I later found out he was running a huge tour operation! He stated in his book that spending a lot of money only builds a wall between the traveller and the real local culture. Then I saw what his tours cost. What a great politician!
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