Poverty Tourism

Ethics is defined as: an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior: a branch of philosophy dealing with what is morally right or wrong; a belief that something is very important (Ethic, 2014). Morality is defined as beliefs about what right behavior is and what wrong behavior is; the degree to which something is right and good: the moral goodness or badness of something. (Morality, 2014). Morals are a personal. Dependent on the society, family, religious institutions a person is raised in is dependent on their morals. In the United States it is frowned upon to be able self-euthanize or commit assisted suicide. In Sweden this is perfectly acceptable practice. The connection between morality and ethics is that ethics is an actual study of morality. Ethics goes beyond discerning what is right and what is wrong it is a study of practice of what is right and wrong. 

As morality relates to poverty tourism; there can be many different views. Some may think that is right to expose the poverty level of a country to bring awareness to the situation. They may genuinely care about the people that are affected by poverty. On the other hand a person may want monetary or political gain in the exposure of the poverty of a country. So is “poverty tourism” ethical and/or moral. It is a very grey area. On one hand no, no it is not in any way, shape or form. It is a breach of privacy. It is degrading. We do not see “middle class tourism” so why should poverty be exploited into a business for others to gain wealth and notoriety. In business morals and ethics take a back seat to profit, not in every instance, but in a great majority of instances.

Should public policy makers and administrators should ban poverty tourism? No, they should not. How can the government legislate where a bus can drive? There also is no way to legislate morality, due to the fact it is such a grey are from person to person and nation to nation. Poverty is an issue, yes. Poverty should not be exploited for the gain of others, political, wealth, or otherwise. Laws should be put into place where a large percentage, and I am not talking about one or two percent, more along the lines of fifty percent is given back to the communities where these tours are taking place. Awareness should be brought to the subject, but it should be done within the communities. It should not be a business. If it is a business then it should be to help out the communities. It should be an industry that should bring awareness and education to the issue of poverty. Not for selfish persons to make a profit at the expense and exploitation of other human beings. Public policy makers and administrators should have BETTER outreach and support that what is in place. The world is a big place and people have a choice to remain in poverty state or to make themselves better. I know that it may be harder for those who are poor than those who are privileged. There are countless influential people who have done it. So I think that these minds should come together with policy makers and administration to help them out with such programs vice exploiting poverty for financial and/or political gain. These government figures should make an effort to ensure that there are the same possibilities afforded to them.