It has become increasingly “trendy” to refer to ourselves as global citizens, but do we really embody the responsibilities that come with that title? Do we even know what it really means to be a global citizen? Before this course, I thought I was a global citizen: simply someone that cared about the rights and dignity of all people and advocated for human rights to be upheld. However, this is only scratching the surface of what it means to be a global citizen. Being a global citizen is rooted in ACTION, not beliefs. I had a great BELIEF system that involved me advocating for disenfranchising power structures to be taken down. However, I never had any ACTION behind it. Being a global citizen not only involves being a humanitarian (donating to charities, helping those with depleted resources, etc.) But it also involves making humanitarianism actually WORK.  The humanitarian aid sector has become awash of white savior complexes and people joining as part of a trend or trying to “find themselves.” This results in the affected communities needs not being met, and the prolonging of suffering. What needs to be done to be a true GLOBAL citizen, is for us to toss our preconceived ideas of right and wrong out the window and listen to HEAR the needs and concerns of this entirely different culture, religion, race of people.

Many of the issues that create the White Savior Complex have to do with the issue of neoliberalism. The conflict theory perspective explains how the rush for resources and the winner-loser system we have in America fosters an environment where true global citizenship cannot exist. Wealth is unevenly distributed, favoring the rich, and that extends globally as the rich countries increase their wealth while poor nations often maintain or delve deeper into poverty. This does not only exist in America, this exists GLOBALLY.

So what can we do to fix or even work around these barriers to global citizenship? How can we usurp the White Savior Complex? In the case of the humanitarian aid sector, one suggestion I would make would be to really re-shape the way in which aid workers enter communities. This might not seem important, but from our Skype guests and our readings in the class, I’ve come to understand that a certain level of cultural congruence is necessary for the affected community to trust the aid workers. And trust is far more important than many of us realize when it comes to global citizenship. In this class we have talked a lot about maintaining the dignity of the affected community, and I feel that establishing trust from the beginning when the aid organizations first enter the area, is essential to the dignity of the vulnerable population. In order to do this, I think NGO’s and INGO’s should have a contact within the group who can help to assimilate them into the culture and help them build relationships with the members of the community. Another important suggestion would be to consult the affected communities during every step of the aid process, from determining the location of the health clinic to deciding the types of medicines offered. They should not simply be NOTIFIED, they should be CONSULTED (i.e. asked for their opinion) which would not only maximize trust and dignity but also make for a much more effective and productive use of the donors’ money. In order for aid to be successful it must be in line with the communities wants and needs. This is a concept that is grossly missed in the aid community and it is one that someone with White Savior Complex has yet to understand. I want to be clear that White Savior Complex is not simply reserved for those who are evil or racist. People can be products of White Savior Complex due to a simple lack of understanding or an eagerness to help others so much so that you are telling them what would be good for them.

Now that I have talked about what it means to be a global citizen as it pertains to humanitarian aid work, I want to briefly applies these sociological theories to the everyday person who is not a humanitarian aid worker. How can we be global citizens in our everyday lives? The answer is really simple. As David Jefferess puts it, “Global citizenship is a way of understanding one’s place in the world, and valuing differences.” My interpretation of that quote is essentially understanding that we are all responsible for the well being of each other. When we can breakout of our ethnocentric, symbolic interactionist lens & understand that each of our places on this earth is distinctly different but equally valuable, we will suddenly find it easy to find day to day, simple ways to fulfill the humanitarian imperative & be a global citizen.

What is a global citizen? How is one socialized to understand the expectations and reality of gaining a proper grasp on this ideal? Is this something implemented from childhood or developed and honored through age and experience? When beginning to answer this question I started sorting through the timeline of my life trying to understand when I first grasped the idea of a global citizen; or if I even still had to work on this. The first significant memory came from my middle school with something as simplistic as a schoolwide competition. My middle school participated in a contest run by The Lions Club; The “International Peace Poster Contest”. Due to the Lions Club official website, this contest “gives children everywhere the chance to express their visions of peace and inspire the world through art and creativity” (The Lions Club, 2019). This contest helps students understand the Functionalism Theory; that the whole world can be connected through something as easy as a drawing.

The above photos are examples of current winning submissions; all done by 13 year olds from around the world. This portrays the beginning of becoming a global citizen through the ability of analyzing and developing a comprehension of the world surrounding oneself with the idea of peace. The international desire of peace helps unite nations over one common goal; setting up an understanding of the interactions between countries. This contest forces young students to portray peace on an international scale, gaining a knowledge of what is happening globally. With this foundation, students are then encouraged to continue to connect the globe on a larger scale, creating a global citizen and humanitarian.
Starting a connect between nations in such a way at young ages may encourage the true existence of a global citizen who can “see ourselves as part of an emerging world community, and are committed to helping build this community’s values and practices” (Israel, 2012). While a contest for children may appear to be the ideal path towards one’s development into a global citizen, there is far more adversity that comes along with gaining this seemingly impossible title. Barriers such as ethnocentrism, racism, and crisis within own nations prevent people from viewing the world as one peaceful depiction. Specifically, Cole in “The White-Savior Industrial Complex” explains that “there are serious problems of governance, of infrastructure, of democracy, and of law and order. These problems are neither simple in themselves nor are they reducible to slogans. Such problems are both intricate and intensely local. How, for example, could a well-meaning American “help” a place like Uganda today?” (Cole, 2012). Cole goes onto explain that questions such as these that are posed only affirm the already existing barriers. In this particular situation, Americans are blinded by the fact that their policies are negatively affecting other countries. This goes against the above definition of a global citizen, practicing and helping to move towards one community. A community that cherishes all its members and prioritizing the people over materials.
Unfortunately, the creation of a global citizen is not as simple as creating a poster portraying peace throughout the world. While children are the ones partaking in The International Peace Poster contest, they must implement these original thoughts and utilize this foundation into the world as humanitarians.

References

Cole, Teju. “The White-Savior Industrial Complex.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 11 Jan. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843/.

Bell, Ronald, et al. “What Does It Mean to Be a Global Citizen?” Kosmos Journal, 1 Apr. 2014, www.kosmosjournal.org/article/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-global-citizen/.

“Kindness Matters.” Community Volunteer Work, Local Volunteer Work, Get Involved | How to Join Lions Club, www.lionsclubs.org/en/start-our-approach/youth/peace-poster/current-winners.

One of the most frustrating things about Sociology, which is also the reason I love the subject so much, is the lack of answers. We have the ability to dissect even the most abstract of concepts for hours on end only to come to the conclusion that there is no one definition or reason for a phenomenon. The concept of a global citizen is a perfect example of that; as discussed in class we will never agree on the definition of a global citizen.  The two quotations provided give interesting insight to how others, specifically aid workers, view the concept of global citizenry. I think the first quotation, specifically the line of ‘humanitarian aid work is just another cog in the bullshit machinery,” is particularly interesting to examine. The reason humanitarian work can even exist at the wide scale level that is does is because of the seemingly endless amounts off inequity, poverty, and oppression that occurs at the global level. Breaking down the first point of being dependent on the oppression and marginalization of others is, in my opinion, one of the main points of global citizenry. The people of the global North have the resources to go around the world and to connect with other cultures that they may see as ‘taboo.’ Because they have the ability to do this they can claim to be a global citizen due to their ability to roam around the world as they please. But, the title of global citizen can’t be given to the majority of the global south because of the macro level oppression that keep them and their countries being ‘othered’ by the parts of the world that are actively participating in the high end globalized economy. Sending humanitarian aid to these global south countries allows some sort of pressure to be relieved from the wealthy while also having and ‘inside look’ at the countries we may perceive as threats (Abu-Sada,2012:135). Further, humanitarian work used to be very focused on how to help these developing societies better themselves and make themselves self-sustainable as to be a stronger contender in the global economy. Instead, the work has shifted to be more of an immediate response rather than long term goals. This can be chalked up to a maintenance of keeping those ‘developing’ countries from truly focusing and bringing energy and attention to the political factors that lead them to stay in their lower global positions (Abu-Sada, 2012: 136).

In looking at the second quotation about humanitarian aid being a band aid effort this point directly relates to the points made above. The specific people doing humanitarian work are providing that hands on aid that the citizens of these impoverished countries and war torn areas need. But, as the quote says, these are just band aids to the overall problem: the governments. While the actual work of humanitarians is positive the fund that are given to further the aid are not actually going to the citizens who need it. There is not a solid plan to help with the long term fixture of problems, such as clean water, therefore the money goes either to emergency relief or to governments who, when corrupt, will never disperse that money to the people living in squalor (VanRooyen, 2013). When the money is given to governments it promotes a political union rather than one of aid. The allocation of this money is a strategic political power play to keep certain people in power, the people down, and given the global North something to hold over the global South. Addressing the part of the quotation about privilege, and relating it to the first quotation regarding personal benefit, the way humanitarian aid is constructed right now allowed Western countries to feel good about themselves. They can say that they donate X amount of money or have sent of Y number of people. They continue to provide those ‘band aids’ instead of finding the reason the wound keeps reopening. A New York Times author suggested we focus our efforts on finding cures to diseases that continue to ravage countries, like malaria, or that we find an affordable way to dole out vaccinations to people (Andrews, 2013)

If humanitarian work were actually doing what it claims to be doing than many countries would have been lifted out of the poverty that wreaks havoc on millions of lives. We would see a decline of the wage gap between rich and poor. We can see that this is not the goal because even within America we have not fixed that problem, in fact, that problem has gotten worse. How can we expect to send foreign aid to these countries to help them do something we can’t even do on our own soil?

Looking at all of the above point from a functionalist viewpoint it makes sense as to why the work has turned into what it has. The manifest function of it, to provide aid, is technically being fulfilled. But, it also serves those latent functions like political ties and maintaining the global ranking that we all know. The latent functions to this type of work is arguably more obvious and important than the manifest functions of it. If there wasn’t some sort of political, economic, or personal gain to aid work then what would be the purpose of continuing to do it? The interconnectedness of the world makes sociology somewhat more difficult because it involved being able to cross those cultural boundaries to understand the purpose of certain systems. We are broadening those in and out-group while simultaneously making them more prominent. When an aid worker going into these countries everyone in that country knows they are an outsider and it almost seems like that is the boundary that everyone wants. It is almost like a ‘I know you know that I have more resources and wealth than you but I’m only going to give you what I want to give you.’ This is an incredible pessimistic view of humanitarian aid but sometimes to find that solution to problem we have to discover all the wrong that goes into it.

Ironically enough I found this picture on a 2013 students Elon blog post

References

Abu-Sada, Caroline. In the Eyes of Others: How People in Crises Perceive Humanitarian Aid. MSF-USA, 2012.

Andrews, Fred. “A Surprising Case Against Foreign Aid.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/business/a-surprising-case-against-foreign-aid.html.

VanRooyen, Michael. “Can Doing Good Be Done Better?” The Nutrition Source, 19 Feb. 2014, www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/magazine/spr12-humanitarian-aid-leaning-vanrooyen/.

The term ‘global citizen’ may not seem very complex at first thought, but as we talked about in depth in class it is not an easy term to define. When I first thought about the term when I was signing up for this class, I imagined someone who is knowledgeable about the world around them and is aware of global events. After discussing in class I have come to the conclusion that it is not that simple to define how someone is or is not a global citizen. A person can be aware of global events, and travel and experience these other cultures, but in my mind, I don’t think that means they are truly a ‘global citizen.’

In an article by Kiara Goodwine, she defined a global citizen as “someone who is aware of and understands the wider world – and their place in it” (Goodwine). I think that this is a good broad definition, as an important aspect of a global citizen is knowing how your actions fit into this world and what you can actually do to benefit those around you. One major thing that I took away from our class discussion on the term a global citizen, is it is all about actions. Being a global citizen is more than just watching the news or sending in a donation.  If you know there are problems in the world, you need to take action in order to be a helpful and global citizen.

There are problems with humanitarian aid, and feeling like it is ones ‘burden’ or ‘duty’ to intervene and take action with problems around the world. Teju Cole explains the Kony 2012 video and the responses to that. I found this to be interesting as a way to relate it to a global citizen, because I remember watching this video and how powerful we all thought it was. There were huge responses right after it was released and many people felt strongly about putting a stop to Joseph Kony and the sins that he had committed. As Cole stated, Kony was a good villain. However, “What Africa needed more pressingly than Kony’s indictment was more equitable civil society, more robust democracy, and a fairer system of justice” (Cole). The Kony 2012 video played on Americans guilt. There were probably many people that didn’t want to get involved for the right reasons, but instead it was a big event and a lot of drama around it during the time that followed. Often the easy solution it just to donate or put money towards the situation, but I think that a global citizen actually gets involved personally and cares about the true issues in a country.

In class, we also talked about theoretical perspectives and how they relate to the concept of a global citizen. I think that the symbolic interactionism theory is interesting when relating to this, as it is based on the premise that people respond to things in terms of the meaning that things actually have to them. In order to be a global citizen, you cannot think like this, and instead have to try and somewhat remove yourself from the situation and consider how things are affecting others. As David Jefferess states, “Global citizenship is a way of understanding one’s place in the world, and valuing differences” (Jefferess). When considering the meaning  in someone else’s perspective and their differences, a global citizen can offer aid and actions that will benefit others without considering themselves.

This cartoon illustrates one problem that is often brought up with aid – when money is just given and then we leave.

Works Cited:

Jefferess, David. “Global Citizenship and the Cultural Politics of Benevolence.” University of British Columbia, vol. 2:1.

Goodwine, Kiara. “Is the Global Citizenship Movement the New White Man’s Burden.” The Prindle Post, 14 May 2018.

Cole, Teju. “The White-Savior Industrial Complex.” The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2012.

Being a “Global Citizen” in today’s complex global socioeconomic and cultural structure is difficult to define in a seemingly straight forward definition. Due to the various issues facing race, gender, and equality, not just within U.S. borders, but globally there are countless issues to which the global citizen definition must encompass. I believe the true global citizen understands that there is a vast amount of greed and corruption surrounding the majority of these issues and can understand that only through major political and social justice action can there be hope for the long-term success of these failing nations. In Teju Cole’s, The White-Savior Complex, he states, “The White Savior Industrial Complex is a valve for releasing the unbearable pressures that build in a system built on pillage” (Cole). The point he raises is that despite our efforts to simply donate or provide aid to countries which we have profited off of due to manipulation of political and economic regulations there needs to be change to this in order for the country to be able to recover and stabilize. The definition of what it means to be a global citizen is illustrated by this. Along with this in Prof. Arcaro’s, Big Critique of the Aid Sector, he quotes, “we need to move from a simple ‘give money to this poor child’ mentality to a social justice/change the way we all live mentality. Thus increasing importance of educational work rather than just slick marketing and challenges the sector to tell the complex story of change…” (Arcaro). The change mentioned in the article also highlights the importance and understanding of the definition of what it means to be a global citizen. The global citizen is aware of issues and how to change them without harm to others but resulting in positive change.

In the video link attached below, it references several random people’s definitions of what it meant to be a humanitarian. Most of them define it as someone who cares about the overall survival and promotion of the human race. Although they are not wrong there is much more to being defined simply as that due to the various perspectives and theoretical thought methods of what promoting the survival of the human race entails and at what costs. From the conflict theory proposed by Karl Marx in order for this to be achieved, there need to be free open markets with no regulation and wealth will be dispersed throughout the economy through trickle-down theory. The idea, in theory, seems attractive but after cases of business fraud and corruption through cases such as Enron and Wells Fargo, the need for government regulation and continually accurate financial statements for any business are mandatory in order to avoid audit and government involvement. In The Critical View of Global Capitalism, it states, “just 147 of the world’s corporations and investment groups controlled 40 percent of corporate wealth, and just over 700 control nearly all of it (80 percent)” (Cole, Nicki). The rules and policies in effect currently within global markets are clearly predicated towards promoting a select few elite large rich corporations and thus promoting the Conflict Theory. Global Capitalism also due to this creates large wealth gaps, social issues, and attacks the weak in regards to the lack of women’s rights in many countries.

I believe through the combination of all of the information mentioned above allows for an understanding of what it means to both be a global citizen and a humanitarian along with the different theories involved. Through the description of each, I believe there are many similarities in both their definitions allowing them to almost become synonymous with each other. Both the humanitarian and global citizen in our current global climate must understand the large forces behind the massive amounts of poverty and inequality spread throughout different continents. A global citizen and humanitarian would know how to impact and act on the matter in order to create a system which allowed equal opportunities and promote growth and education.

Video Link: http:/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwmLeCdfAdc

Work Cited

Cole, Teju. “The White-Savior Industrial Complex.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 11 Jan. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843/

Cole, Nicki Lisa, Ph.D. “The Critical View on Global Capitalism.” ThoughtCo, Jun. 22, 2018, thoughtco.com/why-is-global-capitalism-bad-3026085.

Home.” Room For Debate, blogs.elon.edu/aidworkervoices/?p=494.

This past week in class we really hit the ground running. We discussed topics ranging from what it means to be a global citizen to the major theoretical perspectives in Sociology. We touched on Neoliberalism, as well as the State of the Union Address. While at first glance it may seem like these topics are only marginally related, or not related at all, I can assure you they are. Each subject we discussed this week had a few salient themes in common: the ideas of privilege and “America first.”

Until last semester, I knew virtually nothing about aid workers and the aid sector. And until last week, I had always assumed that aid of any kind was beneficial to those individuals and countries in need. I’m embarrassed to say, because it seems glaringly obvious now, that aid is often a way for the privileged to feel fulfilled––like they are making a real difference. Before I sat down to draft this post, I read the two quotes  provided by Dr. Arcaro’s research respondents. The first reads:“…until we recognize how dependent we are on the oppression and marginalization of others for our own betterment and benefit (i.e. access to cheap disposable goods, foreign foods and fresh imports, temporary foreign workers to fill low-income job vacancies, etc…), humanitarian aid work is just another cog in this bullshit machinery.” The second quote reads:“We [aid workers] are band-aids born of affluent guilt and survive almost entirely on the donated profits of unjust privilege and power.” These quotes really struck me. I immediately felt frustrated, angry, selfish, and ashamed. I am fortunate enough to have been born in America, into a relatively well-off, white family. I can honestly say that I have never wanted for anything and that until recently, I never really thought about where my food, clothes, electronics, and other goods came from. As embarrassing as it was to come to this realization, I know that I am not the sole consumer of foreign goods and products. In fact, I come from a culture that overconsumes and exploits other nations for their resources, yet fails to acknowledge, or give due diligence to those we take from and those we exploit.

While I do not doubt that aid workers have good intentions in trying to ameliorate the lives of those in developing countries and other nations,  I cannot ignore an idea posed by Teju Cole in his article “The White Savior Industrial Complex.” Cole states,“One song we hear too often is the one in which Africa serves as a backdrop for white fantasies of conquest and heroism.” This sentiment brought to mind images of young, white individuals posing with  African children on mission and service trips. While objectively speaking, nothing is wrong terribly wrong with such trips, I believe that they have the propensity to become more about the experience of the traveling individual, than the reality and lived experience of those they claim to be helping. To me, it almost seems that service, or aid, is something to brag about when one returns home. It is something that seems to demand praise from others. That said, this aid often only solves immediate problems, and not the more complex and structural problems that led to the immediate problems in the first place.

Another claim that I found interesting comes from William Easterly’s response to a review of his book The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. In the article “The White Man’s Burden,” Easterly responds to a claim made by Professor Jeffrey Sachs that solving the problem of poverty in Africa only requires $75 billion. Easterly responds,“This reveals a remarkable naiveté about the roots of poverty. Poverty in Africa is the outcome of much deeper factors such as political elites who seek mainly to protect their own position, dysfunctional institutions like corruption and lack of property rights, and a long history of exploitation and meddling from abroad (the slave trade, colonial depredations, the creation of artificial states, military interventions). It takes breathtaking hubris to assert that this mess can be fixed for the tidy sum of $75 billion.” Here, Easterly reveals the common belief that most problems can be solved with money, rather than careful restructuring of social institutions. This belief ignores the corruption and exploitation perpetuated and often ignored by Western nations.

After conducting a bit more research of my own,  I came across an article entitled “As a system, foreign aid is a fraud and does nothing for inequality,” written by Kenan Malik. The article opens by discussing British Prime Minister Theresa May’s trip to Africa. While there, May stated that “Britain’s aid budget would be used to promote British trade and political interests.” What is interesting about this statement is that it is not novel. In fact, that is how British foreign is already used. To my dismay, I learned that this is also how American foreign aid is used. Malik reveals that none of the poorest countries in the world are a top recipient of aid from Britain or the United States. Instead, those that do receive the most aid are those countries that promote strong trading relationships and those that support our political agendas and interests. Did you know that about half of foreign aid is “tied,” which means that countries who receive this aid must use the money to buy exported goods from the nation providing the aid? Did you know that some aid is given in the form of loans, meaning many receiving countries go into serious debt? Did you know that many countries who provide aid receive interest payments that exceed the amount in aid granted? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given our nation’s history of meddling, manipulating, and exploiting other nations to enrich ourselves.

So, how can we tie my rant to Sociology? I would say that the theoretical framework that most moves me forward in my quest to understand the aid sector and the perspectives of aid workers would be the Conflict Theory. To summarize, Conflict Theory states that not all power is equally distributed. In fact, the theory proposes that all humans are divided into classes that continually struggle for the use and distribution of scarce resources. To me, this theory seems to encapsulate many of the issues within the aid sector. Specifically, the uneven distribution of wealth across the globe, and the insatiable desire the accrue more wealth, reflects this theoretical perspective. While I hesitate to say I’m optimistic, my hope is that one day foreign aid can serve a true purpose, instead of serving as a means to manipulate other nations and further enriching the rich. I hope that aid becomes less of a means for the privileged to feel good about themselves, and to actually make a difference. I hope that in the years to come, the idea of “America first,” will become a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, because like it or not, we are part of a global community, and we have many challenges that we must face together, not divided.

Works Cited

Cole, Teju. “The White-Savior Industrial Complex.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 11 Jan. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843.

Easterly, William. “’The White Man’s Burden’.” The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 11 Jan. 2007, www.nybooks.com/articles/2007/01/11/the-white-mans-burden/?pagination=false.

Malik, Kenan. “As a System, Foreign Aid Is a Fraud and Does Nothing for Inequality | Kenan Malik.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 2 Sept. 2018, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/02/as-a-system-foreign-aid-is-a-fraud-and-does-nothing-for-inequality.

The past two classes have provided numerous definitions and ideas to the idea of global citizenship. While there is no one right answer and the definition is ever-changing, a definition that I find encompasses the term the best is “the concept that one’s identity transcends, even as it respects, geographical and national borders, and that our social, political, environmental and economic actions occur in an interconnected world,” (“Global Citizenship”). One crucial aspect of global citizenship is humanitarianism, which aims at alleviating suffering and protecting endangered people after a crisis. As far as deconstructing these two terms and making them more inclusive, I think that the most important path is starting from the bottom up and educating people on what global citizenship entails. At Elon we are lucky enough to have been taught what it means and how to be a global citizen, but this term may have many different meanings for other people who might not have access to education or learn about international affairs. I think that culturally embedded structures not taken into account when previously defining global citizenship will be brought to light as education and awareness of the term spreads.

The idea of humanitarianism is one that has gripped the global North for decades. Driven by a sense to aid those struggling both socially and politically, a sort of humanitarian crisis has arisen. While reading these articles and In the Eyes of Others, I could not help but think back to several sociological theories discussed last class. As the symbolic interactionism theory states, people respond to things in terms of the meanings those things have for them. Thus, meaning is not inherent but socially created. Humanitarianism is socially created and can mean two different things for someone giving aid and someone receiving aid. Abu-Sada dives into this idea and emphasizes that what “we” experience is not what “they” experience, (188). Thus, symbolic internationalism can be seen in the fact that the idea of humanitarian aid is created by experiences. For those receiving aid, it can be perceived as disempowering and as though aid workers are trying to impose Western forms of organization upon their culture. For the aid workers themselves, the idea of the “White Man’s Burden” comes into play. Humanitarian workers can be driven by compassion, but often times the common misconception is that the problem can be solved simply by funneling billions of dollars into aid and implementing one’s own beliefs and structures on the struggling group of people. These are two socially constructed thought processes about humanitarianism that stem from differing experiences.

The socially constructed mindset of aid workers reflects the quotes from the research respondents. Teju Cole discusses American sentiments as not being able to “connect the dots or see the patterns of power behind isolated “disasters,” (Cole). These struggling people receiving aid are much more than helpless victims that and the problem cannot be fixed by implementing our own practices and beliefs upon them. As one of the provided quotes states, the aid sector acts as a “Band-Aid.” Instead of diving into more structural issues and interpreting them within the lens of that country, more short term solutions are implemented. In short, what aid workers fail to do is provide these populations with context for interpreting their own practices and culture. They act as advertisers targeting a consumer in a “big business” world, (Sharma).

This cartoon further emphasizes the idea that a critique of the aid sector is that often times, money is funneled into helping these struggling people, but it is often times corrupt and does not fix the issue at hand.

Abu-Sada, Caroline, editor. In the Eyes of Others: How People in Crises Perceive Humanitarian Aid. Editions Antipodes, 2012.

Cole, Teju. “The White-Savior Industrial Complex.” The Atlantic, 21   Mar. 2012.

“Global Citizenship.” UN Chronicle, vol. 54, no. 4, 2017.

Sharma, Devika. “Doing Good, Feeling Bad: Humanitarian Emotion in Crisis.” Journal of Aesthetics & Culture, vol. 9, no. 2, 2017.

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Works Cited