As a former missionary turned NGO worker who has lived in Haiti for over a decade, THANK YOU for shining a light on the nuances that exist around Haiti, orphans, and "the good guys." This was so well written.
As always seems to be the outcome from a sincere search, the truth of an event is elusive, the accuracy and even general "truthiness" of truisms is suspect at best, and wealth disparity is a key element in much misery and injustice. As beneficiaries of that inequity, it behooves middle- and upper-class Americans of good will to take care in our attitudes and actions.
I think you stayed clear of this term, but I'll use it. "White saviorism" has been the source of much suffering, injustice, and outright evil against its alleged beneficiaries for a very long time. I see a lot of it underlying the OUR narrative. It turns out that intent is practically irrelevant in reckoning damage to human lives.
Thank you for your work in unfolding the very uncomfortable facts around this topic.
All of this rings plausible to me, and is consistent with the fact that so many countries closed access to international adoption in the 2010s.
Nonetheless, you have poked a hornet's nest, and I hope the fallout doesn't get too intense for you.
Thanks for this. It's always hard to speak the unvarnished truth, and even harder to get others to see it. I hope this gets through to people.
As a former missionary turned NGO worker who has lived in Haiti for over a decade, THANK YOU for shining a light on the nuances that exist around Haiti, orphans, and "the good guys." This was so well written.
As always seems to be the outcome from a sincere search, the truth of an event is elusive, the accuracy and even general "truthiness" of truisms is suspect at best, and wealth disparity is a key element in much misery and injustice. As beneficiaries of that inequity, it behooves middle- and upper-class Americans of good will to take care in our attitudes and actions.
I think you stayed clear of this term, but I'll use it. "White saviorism" has been the source of much suffering, injustice, and outright evil against its alleged beneficiaries for a very long time. I see a lot of it underlying the OUR narrative. It turns out that intent is practically irrelevant in reckoning damage to human lives.
Thank you for your work in unfolding the very uncomfortable facts around this topic.