A Small Place- Kincaid

On page 36 of her book A Small Place, Kincaid speaks directly to the whites who have invaded Antigua when she says, "You will forget your part in the whole setup, that bureaucracy is one of your invenions, that Gross National Product is one of your inventions, and all the laws that you know mysteriously favour you." This book illuminated another point of view of those whose culture has been used as a commodity, and the candid nature of Kincaid's voice is one that cannot be ignored. In the aforementioned passage, she analyzes the viewpoint of the tourists, which is that Antiguans are unsophisticated and simpleminded, and challenges the lens through which they come to these conclusions by pointing out that the whites are just as ignorant when judged by the lens of Antiguan culture. I think that, although many of those guilty of commodifying these cultures at least subconsciously recognize the veracity of Kincaid's viewpoint, they choose to ignore it to placate their guilt.

I loved that Kincaid discussed how the Antiguans viewed the whites with disgust, and on page 80 she offers the analysis that the Europeans settled in Antigua "to satisfy their desire for wealth and power, to feel better about their own miserable existence, so that they could be less lonely and empty." After all, that is precisely the reasoning she discussed in the opening portion of the book, when explaining the appeal of tourism to wealthy Westerners; they romanticize another's culture as destinations of pleasure, while acting as slovenly house guests to another culture's home. That metaphor was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Kincaid describes an everyday occurrence which is so convoluted and justified by Westerners, and puts it into a blunt perspective. Her analysis of tourism is striking because it is one that I think we, as Westerners, have a duty to incorporate and understand the implications behind this commodification of culture which is so commonplace.