9. Authenticity

Honestly, this reading was a bit confusing. Was he trying to portray the existence of “front and back” realities? What does that even mean? In a sense, I can grasp his efforts of authenticity for tourists. That there exists a level of authenticity of culture for tourists in settings where tourists usually go. He gave an example of a hotel lobby, which is a front setting. Where this front area might be an ideal place to stage a cultural experience. Whereas the back setting would be the kitchen or other places for workers where the core cultural authenticity could be found. I agree that tourists get what they want to get. Meaning, tourists are not going to get the most authentic experience because well, they are probably going to do things that are specifically for tourists. And ultimately, the activities for tourists are going to be managed by those who constantly deal with tourists and will know how to deal with them and act in a certain manner. So of course, tourists are not getting the most authentic cultural experience. But will tourists ever get the authentic treatment? Probably not. But isn’t that what traveling is about? Doing things that you can’t do anywhere else? And unless you’re going to be at the destination for a longer period, it’s highly unlikely that you will be treated like a local and also feel like a local. Today, after being here at Prague for over four months, I still don’t get treated like a local or probably know as much as the locals do. I certainly don’t look Czech so it’s pretty obvious that I won’t be treated like one. And it’s not like I have a job, or am able to speak the language proficient enough to understand the daily life and culture of Czechs.

To understand and experience the culture, it’s absolutely imperative to understand their language. I do not know any Czech. Except for a few useless words. Thus, anywhere I go, I have no clue what’s going on. So even if I was in the front or back area, I would not understand whether it was authentic or forged. I think if tourists truly desire to understand and be in an “authentic” cultural setting, they should probably learn the language and on top of doing tourists-like activities—also go on excursions alone without any help. This way, you’re not depending on any tourist help, but only on your knowledge and the help of locals.