Adventures in Tab Closing #2

So it's been a while since I did one of these -- sorry!  This is mostly because a while back, Firefox crashed on me yet again, only that time it didn't restore my tabs as it usually does.  So a lot of links I was planning on featuring here got lost.  Hopefully this should start making up for it.  ^_^;  (And I'm not going to give too much commentary regarding these links; I think this time around, they're good enough to speak for themselves.)

Wired: "How to Write About Haiti"

For starters, always use the phrase 'the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.' Your audience must be reminded again of Haiti's exceptional poverty. It's doubtful that other articles have mentioned this fact.

You are struck by the 'resilience' of the Haitian people. They will survive no matter how poor they are. They are stoic, they rarely complain, and so they are admirable. The best poor person is one who suffers quietly. A two-sentence quote about their misery fitting neatly into your story is all that's needed.

On your last visit you became enchanted with Haiti. You are in love with its colorful culture and feel compelled to return. You care so much about these hard-working people. You are here to help them. You are their voice. They cannot speak for themselves.

Don't listen if the Haitians speak loudly or become unruly. You might be in danger, get out of there. Protests are not to be taken seriously. The participants were probably all paid to be there. All Haitian politicians are corrupt or incompetent. Find a foreign authority on Haiti to talk in stern terms about how they must shape up or cede power to incorruptible outsiders.

A good companion piece to the "How to Write About Africa" article featured in the last one.  I've only included the first four paragraphs because the whole thing is worth reading.

RELATED LINKS:
MSNBC: "Haiti recovery paralyzed 6 months after quake"

( Five more articles under the cut... )

And completely unrelated, but this is how I feel about "being an adult" more often than not. ;-)