![]() In this era of so-called hipster or casual racism – as a person who is often on the receiving end of racism, I believe that the only casual thing about it is the ease with which it is dropped – and perceived villainy of political correctness the phrase “first world problems” is used to show a certain liberal coolness. For centuries there has been this view that Americans need to swoop down and save brown people who are deemed (by Americans) incapable of saving themselves, when that is far from the truth. ![]() government needs to “save” my homeland (since that worked out so well for Haiti) or think that Africa is a country, I’m cynical of what they think their presence in these places really mean. ![]() But when people ask me what it was like to live in a hut when discussing my childhood in Jamaica, tell me that the U.S. I’m not condemning the act of volunteering in places of need. You don’t see anyone jumping at the chance to volunteer anywhere in Siberia. Volunteering in “exotic” destinations like Africa or Jamaica often serves (although are rarely admitted) as absolution for white guilt and privilege and is a side effect of American exceptionalism. ![]() A young attractive Anglo-Saxon woman or man surrounded by a sea of smiling brown-skinned children with the desolate land they call home in the background. My homeland of Jamaica is often used as the backdrop for the White Savior Industrial Complex. Remember when you couldn’t finish your dinner and your parents would tell you to keep eating because there are starving kids in Africa? Remember how confused you were because you didn’t know how you eating leftover meatloaf would make African children’s situation better? The phrase “first world problems,” a now often used retort by liberals when someone reveals their privilege, is the new “starving kids in Africa.” Before you accuse me of being the political correctness police, let me explain. ![]()
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