I'm embarrassed that Julia Sharpe's "June bug" was published, and that the ignorant and racist attitudes in the article were condoned by the editors of The Cavalier Daily. I am disturbed by the author's blase attitude towards genuine poverty, suffering and inequality, along with her naive faith in the trickle down economics of tourism. Here's the reality: none of the money she spends on drinks or dancing will reach the people she saw in "real Africa." She's just accepting a rationalization about "African magic" instead of thinking critically about the problems a developing country faces. She perpetuates the worst stereotypes about study abroad at U.Va., that it is a for-credit tourism experience, in which drinking and photographs take priority over learning opportunities.
Rachel Vaughn\nCLAS II
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