In Reply to: I think I am really Shallow! posted by trayden on Sunday, 1. February 2009 at 09:31 Bali Time:
Very few can deny that donating, whether it be clothes to the Good Sammies, a cheque the Guide Dogs or sponsoring a student in Bali that we get some gratification out of it. It is human nature to want the warm fuzzies.
I recently wrote a paper on this for uni and used Bali and my experiences as a base. I called it Warm Fuzzy Tourism, it isn't just in Bali it is everywhere. Yes, being charitable in a country other than your own is self-gratification to a degree. There is a fine line between being "The Wealthy, Kind Hearted, Foreign Philanthropist" and just lending a hand to those less fortunate then yourself. It up to each individual as to how close to that line they come.
We Westerners seek this Warm Fuzzy Tourism as a way of making us feel better for our priveleged positon in the global society. It doesn't mean it is bad, it doesn't mean we are exploiting the locals. If you don't seek the Warm Fuzzies it really doesn't matter. As others have said, if you want to, do it, if not, don't worry.
As for poverty, poverty is everywhere in every country, in every city even in the most wealthy of places. It exists. There are differing levels of poverty but it does exist, it always will.