What is Slumming It? Abstractions on Poverty Tourism

Let’s talk about slumming it! Pretending to be poor is not really cool, and neither is traveling to places specifically to gawk at poor people. Don’t do it. In this article, we will take a closer look at what slumming it means, the concept of both poverty tourism and responsible tourism, as well as exploring its origins, cultural significance, and potential implications for social class and identity. 

What does Slumming it mean? 

“Slumming it” is an idiomatic expression that typically refers to a situation in which a person who is accustomed to a more luxurious or affluent lifestyle voluntarily chooses to live or stay in a less desirable or lower-class environment temporarily, usually for no longer than a few hours at a time. The term “slumming it” can also refer to engaging in activities that are considered beneath one’s social or economic status, such as eating gas station hot dogs on Thanksgiving, using public transportation instead of a private car, or sleeping with someone who makes less than six figures a year. The phrase is often used in a humorous or self-deprecating way to indicate that someone is temporarily stepping out of their usual comfort zone while also acknowledging the socioeconomic implications but probably without the kind of self-awareness to realize that they are actually telling on themselves. 

What is an example of slumming it? 

If there is one great example of a fictional character who is slumming it, consider Frank Reynolds, the Danny Devito character from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Despite having been a very successful and wealthy businessman (albeit one with the moral scruples of most other wealthy businessmen in America), Frank has made a lifestyle choice to forgo all the comforts and trappings of class and privilege in favor of eating cat food and sharing a sofa bed in squalor with Charlie. It’s pretty much the definition of slumming it to its most hedonistic extreme. 

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Where does the term “slumming it” come from? 

There is this scene in Martin Scorcese’s Gangs of New York (2002) — among the 7 Best Movies About NYC Gangs — in which John C. Reilly’s policeman character is escorting a bunch of high society aristocrats around the very poor neighborhood of Five Points during antebellum New York City. The blue-blooded fat cats took great pleasure from observing the filth and squalor and open debauchery of what was considered the dirtiest neighborhood in the country, if not the entire world. While the movie takes a lot of historical liberties with actual events and characters, this scene seems to be rooted in fact, something Tyler Anbinder’s fantastic book Five Points: The Nineteenth-Century New York City Neighborhood (2012) talks about. In 1834, Davy Crockett became the first known person to be slumming it by touring a shitty neighborhood and then writing about it, making the Five Points so world-famous that famous celebrities like Charles Dickens wanted to venture on their own “slumming party” — but not without police escorts, of course. Arbinder concludes that this is where the term “slumming it” may indeed come from. 

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What is Poverty Tourism?

Poverty tourism is basically a nice and academic term for slumming it. Also known as slum tourism, is a type of tourism that involves visiting impoverished or economically disadvantaged areas, typically in developing countries, in order to observe the living conditions of the local people. While poverty tourism may be viewed by some as a way to raise awareness of global poverty and social inequality, it is often criticized for exploiting the suffering and vulnerability of poor communities for the benefit of tourists. Critics argue that poverty tourism can reinforce harmful stereotypes about poverty and perpetuate a sense of otherness and separation between wealthy tourists and impoverished locals. It can also lead to the commodification of poverty, where the lives and struggles of impoverished individuals are turned into a spectacle for the entertainment of tourists. So yeah, this kind of shit is not really cool and only further demonstrates how fucked-up post-capitalism is. If you’re interested in reading more, check out Slumming It: The Tourist Valorization of Urban Poverty by Fabian Frenzel.

Click to buy Slumming It: The Tourist Valorization of Urban Poverty by Fabian Frenzel!

 

What is Responsible Tourism?

Responsible tourism is a concept that emphasizes the importance of respecting local communities, preserving cultural heritage, and promoting sustainable development in the tourism industry. This approach encourages visitors to engage with local people and learn about their cultures in a respectful and meaningful way, without exploiting or objectifying them. Responsible tourism aims to minimize the negative impacts of tourism on the environment, society, and economy while maximizing the positive impacts, such as creating jobs, generating income, and promoting cross-cultural understanding. Ultimately, responsible tourism seeks to create a more sustainable and equitable tourism industry that benefits both visitors and local communities. There are several organizations that advocate for responsible tourism, including The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), The Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), and The Sustainable Travel International (STI). They all provide resources, guidelines, and certification programs that help tourism businesses and destinations implement responsible tourism practices and promote sustainable tourism development and you should totally check them out.

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