[QUOTE=Kenny Rogers]
<snip>
Yes, indeed, one could blame us for "taking advantage" of the poverty in countries such as Cambodia. However, those who do must have two things in mind: First that we bring our money to these countries for a purpose. Second, we don't take more advantage of a willing girl than the average wesern company takes of its employees. Better to blame these NGO-guys who make a gorgeous way of living just by blabbering barely understood phrases all day.[/QUOTE]
You make some interesting points, both in the section I've snipped and the section I've quoted - I largely agree with you on most of it (although questions of morality are almost by definition uncertain things).
I would caution you on your last paragraph though... one of the scariest things I see people do is justify their own behavior on the basis that another accepted or common practice is just as bad or worse - or, simply because someone else is behaving worse than you. You justify your actions twice in the last paragraph by comparing yourself to others (western companies & NGO guys). Once you get onto that sort of logic, it is pretty easy for the next guy to come along and say 'well I'm not much worse than him', then another and another and, standards of behavior keep slipping because morality is no longer something that is thought of as intrinsic, but rather something that is thought of as nothing more than relative to others (both of which are partly true anyway).
Bah... not explaining myself well... anyway, wasn't an attack in any sense, just cautioning you that in my opinion justifying ones ideals and morality on the morality or actions of others is a pretty fucking slippery slope.
