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Editorial
'Stakeholders' vs. the
People
During the 1990s, in most texts dealing with
international development, including ecotourism, be they official or
unofficial texts, policy documents or academic studies, the term
'Stakeholders' gradually displaced 'old-fashioned' words such as
'people', 'workers', 'unions'. Could this have been accidental? Or did
the old-fashioned words sound too vulgar to the ears of the sanitized
technobureaucrats handing out the fat cheques, or perhaps to the ears
of the equally fat uniformed ruler-clients in exotic lands receiving
the cheques? A new, all-encompassing, neutral term, that took no sides
and blurred fault-lines surely seemed so much more convenient.
Moreover, the word stakeholder, would not have to do anything with
majority, as the right stakeholder, or 'our kind of stakeholder' could
presumably be equal to ten smaller stakeholders. The above paragraph
would have seemed bizarre to some a few years ago, but in the light of
constant direct attacks against Tourism, and in an increasingly
polarised world, it is time to ditch such hollow terms, and other
designer terms and concepts invented by shady Orwellian think tanks on
the pay roll of cynically benevolent corporates, and return to the
real problems, the real people out there, the citizens, the voters,
the workers, the disenfranchised, the exploited, the ignorant, the
superstitious, the immigrants, the hungry, the infected, the
manipulated, the oppressed, the disappeared, the tortured, the
wronged, the angry, so that we may get a chance to see what has
'suddenly' gone so wrong with this world, why people that have assassinated
hundreds of innocent tourists in a sleepy resort of Bali can smile
defiantly in court and be proud of such a horrific act. If we fail to
use real words when we speak, write or create policies, there will
come a time when instead of words, wild sounds will come out of our
mouths, and real Terminators will come out of the ballot boxes.
Antonis B. Petropoulos, ECOCLUB Editor
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Club News
New
Ecolodge Members
We warmly welcome The
Hermitage Guesthouse in Karnataka, India and Diamond
Beach Village in Lamu Island, Kenya as new Ecolodge Members.
Sustainability
of EU Tourism
ECOCLUB
S.A. submitted comments on the European Union Consultation Document: 'Basic
Orientations for the Sustainability of European Tourism'.
Read our comments at the ECOCLUB.com Café
ECOCLUB.com
Live Expert Presentation
"Ecotourism Development in Nigeria - Prospects &
Problems". A Live Presentation at the ECOCLUB.com Live Chat Centre
took place on 31 of July, by our Expert Member, Mr. Samuel Segun Odunlami, Senior Lecturer,
Nigerian National Institute for Hospitality & Tourism Studies, Bagauda, Kano.
Read a summary of the discussion here.
Cum Grano Salis (with a
pinch of salt)
CUM GRANO SALIS:
"Cosmic" Accommodations
"The geologic conformation of this Wonderful
place is oldest of the Andean mountain range. In addition, -32ş is to
the height of the parallel, within one of the triangles of greater
cosmic force of the world. In this paradisiac place the set of
atmospheric, topographic elements and the constitution of the ground
are conditions that provoke on the persons a healthy and very
agreeable sensation of comfort. Help us to make "
Paradise on the Earth "! All this is possible with a Donation of
any import , cents, U.S. Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Euros, Pounds
Sterling, and Yen".Source: Seen on the Web
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