I'm losing my mind here; have these people forgotten South Africa and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe today) were a thing?
The only places white Euros like to go to are places where they're treated like kings/aristocracy, like their French colonies in Africa, or the English colony(ies?) in Africa, or colonial India, or colonial Vietnam, etc.
Is recent history not taught in schools anymore?
A person I know from Europe is always going on about her love of travel. Naming every where she wants to go. All Europe, south america, north america, Australia and a bit of Asia. I notice the abcense of Africa on the wishlist and suggest why not go there?
She would be scared. Do you know how they treat women? To illustrate why, told me about some friends from back home. They found a place in Africa with a good exchange rate where they could go and live in a big house with a lot of servants etc. They felt they deserved this.
Apparently it was very nice for a few years til.... It wasn't. A change of government and all of a sudden the local people have a different mood towards them. and they leave ASAP just hop on the first plane out, no luggage. (They themselves were unharmed, just frightened.) Turns out people didn't like serving them. Hm.
Couldn't restrain myself from asking if they didn't deserve it....? Sounds like they inserted themselves into a situation intending to be abusive. And all they got was a little rattled. Didn't they get off easy at the end of the day? I mean think about everything that had to happen to get them the nice house and servants.
No counter argument but no change in travel plans either.
In my experience, recent history is particularly missing. I didn't learn a single thing happening less than 20 years before I was born. Except maybe about space shuttles and the Olympics.
It's interesting the stuff you mentioned in regards to the lady and her friends; it brings to mind the many posts I've read of people who lament how Hong Kong has changed and cite how they're just treated as ordinary people compared to how they used to be treated as VIPs in the past. They'd never want themselves or their country (I'm assuming they were Anglos) to be put in a position like that and would detest people who'd done so and yet can't imagine that's how the people in Hong Kong feel.
I find it so weird to desire that. Personally I find that kind of deference really gross.
Sometimes I found that I am in receipt of deference as a result of privilege; if you are native to the situation on the privilege/oppressor side it can escape your notice. It is naturalized. Once I become alert to it I find it so icky and uncomfortable and try to think about what to do to get back to a normal human interaction. (Much of the time, basically impossible, but worthwhile anyway.)
The idea of seeking out such a situation for recreation is literally incomprehensible. Recently same person asked me why I never go on vacation? She can't believe I live without it. The truth is I find the idea of going to a resort or elsewhere which is basically predicated on international economic inequality really yucky. Obviously I am taking advantage of this every day here at home, but I don't find it fun or relaxing to imagine wallowing in it so brazenly. I don't want to pay extra to have specific human being in front my me who I am directed exploiting. Maybe it just means I'm a coward who is unable to confront the actual realities of the situation.
I'm sure people manage to travel without making total assholes of themselves, but the chances of doing so seem high, the situation is basically set up to ensure you do.