4 ms·

> the protest against western backpackers asking from money (a recent fad protest in some countries) is irrelevant to this particular story. There's a term for

> the protest against western backpackers asking from money (a recent fad protest in some countries) is irrelevant to this particular story. There's a term for that, it is called beg-packing. It is not irrelevant as it has been suggested in the comments that Mat was originally a beg packer. The article itself states that he was a back packer travelling South East Asia. http://www.popularyoutube.com/video/HYkgwRJvc2s/Dear-White-Beg-packers/ http://www.popularyoutube.com/video/HYkgwRJvc2s/Dear-White-B... > It's also not about "worshipping white skin", but about being amused and/or feeling validated by the western internet. Thank you for clarifying. I'm using the term worshipping perhaps to oversimplify "feeling validated when a white person gives attention/time". And yes, it is about skin color, as a Western black person who is fluent in Malay would not get any attention.

coldtea 7y ago
>There's a term for that, it is called beg-packing. It is not irrelevant as it has been suggested in the comments that Mat was originally a beg packer. I mean not relevant as in "there are tons of beg packers and hardly any raise to any fame with local populations". I've been in Malaysia several times and in the general area. It's not like there's any work shipping of whites, much less white beg packers, going on, waiting for someone to speak the language to ignite... >* Thank you for clarifying. I'm using the term worshipping perhaps to oversimplify "feeling validated when a white person gives attention/time".* Well, that I agree could play part. Tho that's the same often happens in white places, e.g. in my Eastern / Southern European land, western validation is often celebrated -- so I wouldn't say it's tied to skin color.
dageshi 7y ago
I backpacked around South East Asia circa 2006-2008, I really didn't see much if any beg-packing going on back then, back then SEA was considerably cheaper than it is now as well. I have no knowledge of whether he did or didn't, but it really seems like a much more recent phenomena (and I think those doing it are contemptible frankly).

coldtea 7y ago

>There's a term for that, it is called beg-packing. It is not irrelevant as it has been suggested in the comments that Mat was originally a beg packer. I mean not relevant as in "there are tons of beg packers and hardly any raise to any fame with local populations". I've been in Malaysia several times and in the general area. It's not like there's any work shipping of whites, much less white beg packers, going on, waiting for someone to speak the language to ignite... >* Thank you for clarifying. I'm using the term worshipping perhaps to oversimplify "feeling validated when a white person gives attention/time".* Well, that I agree could play part. Tho that's the same often happens in white places, e.g. in my Eastern / Southern European land, western validation is often celebrated -- so I wouldn't say it's tied to skin color.

dageshi 7y ago

I backpacked around South East Asia circa 2006-2008, I really didn't see much if any beg-packing going on back then, back then SEA was considerably cheaper than it is now as well. I have no knowledge of whether he did or didn't, but it really seems like a much more recent phenomena (and I think those doing it are contemptible frankly).