Loved your post! Thank you for sharing your honest self-reflection on this topic. I'm very much of the view that behaviors we engage in and beliefs we subscribe to are due to our subjective experiences in life, and whether or not said experiences/beliefs will hurt or enhance our lives moving forward. If your actions are not hurting others than I don't see the problem.
Yesss I loved reading your blog. Its great how you’re able to find yourself on both sides of the coin. And I agree with the sentiment that we are not much different. I mean of course we are in some fundamental ways like our carried intention of studying Indigeneity, while I think it’s hard to know from the outside the intention of others. I think the idea of proximity is really interesting as it gives the sense of all sharing the terrain, being placed in slightly different places within that space. It’s a contentious reality, “pay to play” and I wonder what would be the most respectful way to engage in this type of exchange.. and which items or experiences are contribution or extraction.. lots to learn.
Hola Orla. I really liked reading your thoughts on the struggle between authenticity and appearance. You questioning whether the traditional dress felt like a costume on you, brings to mind the concept of the looking-glass self, the notion that we form our self-identity based on how we believe others perceive us. Your awareness of potentially being seen as a "ridiculous tourist" by someone like Jon is a great example of this. It’s a reminder that our identities are in large part shaped by the gaze of others, rather than being self constructed.
"I just can’t help but feel somewhere there is another Jon taking photos of me in the name of critiquing ridiculous tourists." I had not thought of it. It's a bit like that meme where someone aims to shoot another person in the back of the head, without realizing that there is another person behind them, and so on almost ad infinitum (in increasingly ridiculous ways). It seems that we are very aware of our own positionality while in Peru. What would be more interesting to know is in what parameters we are seen by these neohippies. Will they despise us?
Hi Orla:)
Loved your post! Thank you for sharing your honest self-reflection on this topic. I'm very much of the view that behaviors we engage in and beliefs we subscribe to are due to our subjective experiences in life, and whether or not said experiences/beliefs will hurt or enhance our lives moving forward. If your actions are not hurting others than I don't see the problem.
Hey Orla,
Yesss I loved reading your blog. Its great how you’re able to find yourself on both sides of the coin. And I agree with the sentiment that we are not much different. I mean of course we are in some fundamental ways like our carried intention of studying Indigeneity, while I think it’s hard to know from the outside the intention of others. I think the idea of proximity is really interesting as it gives the sense of all sharing the terrain, being placed in slightly different places within that space. It’s a contentious reality, “pay to play” and I wonder what would be the most respectful way to engage in this type of exchange.. and which items or experiences are contribution or extraction.. lots to learn.
Hola Orla. I really liked reading your thoughts on the struggle between authenticity and appearance. You questioning whether the traditional dress felt like a costume on you, brings to mind the concept of the looking-glass self, the notion that we form our self-identity based on how we believe others perceive us. Your awareness of potentially being seen as a "ridiculous tourist" by someone like Jon is a great example of this. It’s a reminder that our identities are in large part shaped by the gaze of others, rather than being self constructed.
"I just can’t help but feel somewhere there is another Jon taking photos of me in the name of critiquing ridiculous tourists." I had not thought of it. It's a bit like that meme where someone aims to shoot another person in the back of the head, without realizing that there is another person behind them, and so on almost ad infinitum (in increasingly ridiculous ways). It seems that we are very aware of our own positionality while in Peru. What would be more interesting to know is in what parameters we are seen by these neohippies. Will they despise us?