I am, admittedly, a sucker for travel narratives that explore the expanse of our ever shrinking world, whether it be geography, cultural features or a particular history. In November I got caught up in a Netflix series called Dark Tourist. I’d never heard the term used before, but upon search found it defined loosely as “tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy“. The series of shows takes the concept to its more macabre and ill fated extremes, from the featuring of nuclear wastelands in Japan, to the barrios of Pablo Escobar, forbidden border crossings, taboo museums and the likes of Dahmer and Manson in the US.
Such remoteness of topic and law testing adventure could prove enticing for the curious and make for high impact TV clips. However, it didn’t settle well with me and the notion of casual entertainment at the expense of another’s horror factors largely. It all felt a little “culturally careless”. I’d much preferred Bourdain’s Parts Unknown Series, which strove, from destination to destination, to challenge viewers to honour, respect and celebrate culture and difference. In the end I wrote this off as “time lost” and kicked it to the corner.
However, I began to reflect on the sites the series had visited and compared with some of the spaces I’ve selected as destinations over the years. As a traveller I’ve walked the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg, tread past the iron gates at Dachau, lined up before opening to gain entry to an empty Coliseum, sailed out to tour the cell blocks of Alcatraz, sunk into WWI trenches at Vimy Ridge and listened to Yoeman Warders tell of torture and death in the Tower of London. These are but a few of such experiences, and the hypocrisy felt rampant. Although not visiting active war zones, is this really that much different? Am I a “Dark Tourist”?
To make peace with myself, I honed in on the concept of “purpose”. I think what I saw in the show whispered (and at times yelled) of exploitation. I guess I’ve always deemed my purpose differently… I’ve travelled for the joy of learning first hand, to share in understanding of other cultures, and make sense of histories both rich and tragic in an effort to know. The intent is not to prove right or wrong, press limits of political extremes or delve to expose the exotic, but to build connections from the past to the present. The difference is vast between travel prompted by morbid fascination and travel embedded in building meaning. The more I experience, the more I’ve grown as a traveller and contributor to my family, community and beyond.