Academic

SO SOME PEOPLE ARE UNHAPPY THAT CRUISE SHIPS ARE STILL DOCKING AT HAITI, outside the earthquake zone?

By Glenn Reynolds

SO SOME PEOPLE ARE UNHAPPY THAT CRUISE SHIPS ARE STILL DOCKING AT HAITI, outside the earthquake zone. But Haiti is also suffering from economic devastation, and this is a significant source of desperately needed income and foreign exchange. Stopping these visits might help rich people in developed countries feel better about themselves, but it won’t do anything for Haiti, which still needs money. We saw something like this after the Indian Ocean tsunami, too. The locals made clear that they really, really wanted tourists to come back, while Western pundits sneered at the idea of vacationing in a place where people were desperate for the business.

UPDATE: Reader Leo Jiang explains: “Not all money is the same. Rich people on cruise ships give Haiti money through evil capitalism. What they really need is handout money given though compassion. See the difference?”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Rob Crawford writes: “Leo Jiang almost has it. Rich people on cruise ships give Haiti money voluntarily through evil capitalism. What they really need is handout money confiscated by force from the middle class and given through government compassion.”

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on January 18, 2010 (boomark / email).