Post 15: Jamaica Kincaid

Jamaica Kincaid made one thing very clear to me: Antiguans do not like tourists. I think, though, that there are a lot of interesting reasons behind this fact, some of which Kincaid mentions in her essay. This is going to be the focus of my midterm, as there are deconstructive, psychoanalytic, and Marxist reasons behind this. Below is a brief outline of my ideas for the midterm:

I. Marxist reasons why Antiguans do not like tourists
I plan to use this to start my argument because it seems to me that socioeconomics would be a critical reason to Antiguans to dislike tourists. I plan to use Marx and Althusser to describe how "the West (meaning Europe and North America...) got rich: the West got nothing and then undervalued labor, for generations, of people like me [Kincaid]" (1226). I plan to also use Althusser to describe the ideology of the tourist and why exactly Antiguans dislike it, which will incorporate some more Marx.

II. Deconstructive reasons
I wanted to put this one second because it seems like the one that would be farthest from the beaten path and I didn't want to leave it for last (to me it seems like putting the most abstract one last would be almost like avoiding it and I don't want to do that!). Here, I want to talk about the myth of the tourist (using Barthes) and the simulation of paradise (using Baudrillard) and why these two things are so offensive to Antiguans. Kincaid has already given some examples of the myth of the tourist when she describes the "incredibly unattractive, fat, pastrylike-fleshed woman enjoying a walk with... an incredibly unattractive, fat, pastrylike-fleshed man" (1227). I feel like both of these--the myth of the tourist and the simulation of paradise-- are irritating to Angtiguans; they believe the myth of the tourist and assume that all tourists are the same (and I guess in a way they are), and those natives with jobs help to construct the simulation of paradise (I imagine the disenchantment to be a stronger form of that felt by Disneyland workers).

III. Psychoanalytic reasons
This section was not as obvious as the first, and not as far out as the second, so I felt safe leaving it for last. Here I want to use Freud and Fanon to talk about the psychology of the native Antiguan and why this is a factor in their dislike for tourists. I plan to use Fanon's "Psychopathology of the Negro" to describe the native's "envy of your [the tourist's] ability to leave your own banality and boredom" (1229), and Freud's Pleasure Principle to talk about the possibility of repetition in Antiguan culture (British colonialism--> secondary colonialism/tourism). Since it's not really the Antiguan people, but the Antiguan government, that encourages this secondary colonialism, I will use that as another reason for natives' disdain.


Hopefully all of this comes together the way I want it to. I can see it so clearly in my head but I'll have to wait until the end result to find out!