Human Safari

What are we? If we are all the same, why do we have shows where we display ourselves like animals in a zoo? I went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and watched a man subject himself to cultural exploitation. People watched and laughed. He was dressed in costume, his short wrap covering his thick thighs, his torso naked. It was all in good fun. He needs a job, he has a job. But, how does it feel? I feel both flattered and offended when people call me "exotic". Exotic is different, it's beautiful, it's sexualized. The warm, brown skin, the thick, wild hair, the long-lashed eyes and high-cheekbones become "the other". Identity is lost and objectification is gained. Being sexualized and stereotyped because of outwardly appearance is complicated. Yes, it is flattering to be admired and deemed attractive but it is dismissive of who one is as a person.

Categorized as exotic though, is just a mild form of dehumanization. Even Mr. Samoa at PCC, in all of his tan, half-naked glory is not fully dehumanized as he chooses to put himself on display. I do wonder how he feels to be there everyday, joking and smiling with gawking tourist, their cameras hanging around their necks and reeking of sunblock. Does he laugh at us or with us? Does he secretly wish we would all drop dead? I think I might were I in his place. But then again, I have anger management issues. Or rather, a strong case of anti-stupidity syndrome. As previously stated, exotic can't be taken as an offense when it is handed out, because most people give it as a compliment. Again, Mr. Samoa also chooses his cage.

However, not everyone has that luxury. I remember being Rio de Janeiro, Cidade Maravilhosa, a place I fell in love with and feeling angry and disgusted at the Favela Tour. Really, are you kidding me? People actually pay money to see the shantytowns populated by poverty, hunger, violence and death? This is not a zoo, but a safari -- come watch the savages in their natural habitat! Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times. Don't look them in the eye, they may attack. It is as ridiculous as it is sick.

Hollywood does the same thing. For a fee you get to tour celebrity neighborhoods - but really, who the BLEEP cares? I sure don't. I don't understand our obsession with stupid celebrities; it is obscene. At least these celebrities who victimize themselves because of the paparazzi, do have a lot to gain. The publicity and the feeling that you "know" them, makes them richer (and not in their spirits, but in their wallets). For every People or In Touch or whatever other tabloid cover they grace, that's another buck in the bank.

The people in favelas don't get shiet, I'm sure. I seriously doubt that those bunk heads running those tours share the profits with the "freak show". Why share when you can exploit? Why validate and respect when you can dehumanize? Even in a favela, beauty can be found. Even in poverty and tragedy, there is hope to be had. Like most of us, life isn't easy and they're just trying to make it one day at a time, so why put their reality on display?

Maybe the question I should be asking is why can't I just enjoy the show like a normal human being, proud of being a member of this wonderful and just race? Maybe I'm the freak....