Tourists Lack Security!...those insecure fools.....

turkey: Perhaps the most AUTHENTIC interaction I could have had in Mexico.

Authenticity is not something one can search for. Furthermore, one stands to lose more than one can gain by claiming authenticity. If that person is not who they say, then they are considered liars or fools. If he or she has is who they say, then there should be no need to make a fuss. Representatives of various “authentic” people all practice their characteristics without having to narrate to the disbelievers. We see movie characters portray this all the time. The steadfast worker comes out ahead of the braggart. (The first example of this that comes to mind is 8 Mile starring Slim Shady.)

The word “tourist” has a negative connotation about it, while “traveler” implies authenticity. Redfoot had great insight. He wrote that you are ethically damned if you choose any sort of traveling style, be it a “superficial” or “real” adventure. Whether one is staying in a four-star hotel or a villager’s home, one is both tourist and traveler. The only “authentic” experience is when one does not need to explain one’s reason for being in a place. Here in NYC, I am usually tourist and traveler. REAL New Yorkers say, “You’re not from here, are you?” and I say, “No, I came here for college.” On the other hand, at work behind the coffee shop counter, nobody questions my place. I am just a participant in the cogs of the New York City machine.

I suppose that The Traveler in modern mythology is someone who transports a body, but does not separate one place from the next. The Tourist is the person that points out the differences between home and everywhere else. The Traveler is enlightened while The Tourist holds meaningless conversation. Please do not tell me that you are a REAL New Yorker, because you are a living being that exists in the world, and I already believe that you are a New Yorker as well as a Mexican and an African. Authentic travelers already know this and don’t need National Geographic to justify their trip.

Gosh I hope this rambling makes sense…