Thinking About Thailand (I): Visiting the Hill Tribes

On Friday, I am leaving on a 3 week trip to Thailand. I have every intention of blogging from Thailand, and hopefully Mr. Trend and Lyrad Simool can pick up the slack when I can't. It's a rough life.

Anyway, in thinking about this trip I've been pondering different aspects of tourism. One of the leading tourist destinations in Thailand is the hill tribes of the north. When I was there in 1996-97, I took a 3 day trek to visit some of these hill tribes.

Looking back, I'm not particularly proud of it. I've thought a lot about this over the years. First, why is a trip to such a place so interesting? I guess it has something to do with seeing people who live so differently than you do. But even 10 years ago, those differences were being rapidly eradicated by the tourists who came there every day. Over the past decade, as tourism to Thailand has soared, the hill tribe trek industry has gotten completely out of control. What are you really seeing when you visit one of these villages today. People go in and out of these places day after day. They bring gifts which often change the societies of the tribes. More significantly, the constant influx of outsiders helps change the very strucutre of these places. When I was there in the 1990s, it was widely expected along these treks that smoking opium in the villages was part of the tour. Before the trekking business became big, smoking opium was seen as an old man's vice and something that was pretty uncool to do. But with the arrival of all these young, hip tourists having their one-time experience with this drug, it suddenly became all too appealing and addictive for young people, leading to significant problems within the tribes. Eventually the Thai government cracked down on opium growing up there, not so much out of concern for the tribes, but because of their obsession as not being seen as a place where drug use by tourists is OK. As for my own activities in this situation, no comment.

For me, visiting the hill tribes is an inherently imperialistic act. You are taking on the role of observer and the tribes are the subject. It's like anthropological research for really stupid people. At least these days, most anthropologists are aware of how they change the society and the actions of the people they observe. Tourists are like clumsy elephants who are clueless, often willfully, about the societies they are changing. They lumber through these villages, taking pictures, invading homes, giving candy to children, teaching that western culture is cooler than Karen, Lisu, or Hmong culture.

Of course any society has the right to adapt to change. Saying that peoples should remain static is also an oppressive act. However, the widespread invasion of the hill tribes by tourists, who often see more of each other than villagers because of the sheer amount of people engaging in this activity, who often present some of the worst of western culture, is hardly a good way for people to initate change.

This time, I will stay far away from the hill tribe trek.