[LINK] "The Pleasure Periphery - Rules Are for The Natives"

[rfmcdonald]

I can't say that I noticed the sort of tourists heedless of natives that the Global Sociology Blog discusses, but then Prince Edward Island never had anything like the Paris-Dakar Rally; higher-value added tourism, in the context of a First World country, prevailed.

Years ago, I got to meet a few people who did the Paris – Dakar, and they were discussing the norms of the race. One such norm was that if you or someone from your team ran over some natives, you should NOT stop under any circumstances. Keep going, as these people might get brutal if you run over their kids. The bottom line was that the local population was either a hindrance (they force you to slow down and waste precious minutes to the finish line), or straight a hostile force to avoid, which was hard to do as the race got through populated areas.

This fits into a wider trend.

One of the characteristics of the pleasure periphery is that norms are suspended for Westerners, whether we are talking about drug us or sex trafficking or any other kind of activities that are either frowned upon or downright illegal in Western countries.

In the example I gave above, race organizers actively encouraged a hit-and-run attitude. In exchange for the ability to transgress norms for one’s own pleasure, the host country gets money and does not ask too many questions.

The gendered nature of the rally--pictured as a men's sport, as proof of independence and risk, notwithstanding the extensive support infrastructure--is also described.

Go, read.