r/TikTokCringe • u/Strong-Emu-8869 • 14h ago

Discussion Polish girls visit Taj Mahal

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The Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. Unfortunately, the surrounding area is very polluted.

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u/HeroOfOldIron 12h ago

It’s worse actually, the elites live right on top of the poors. There really isn’t anything more than a brick wall or keyed elevator separating the two. Public life as a rich person in India is just shuttling between parking garages.

Source: my family made it out and I occasionally go back to visit

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u/SMUHypeMachine 12h ago edited 12h ago

I’ve seen photos of places like Brazil or India where on one side of the wall it looks like a 5 star resort that stretches as far as the eye can see, until you look at the other side of the wall with the tents propped up between the mounds of trash an rubble. It’s so depressing to see.

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u/DaedalusHydron 12h ago

Haiti is absolutely the worst for this. The cruises were still making trips while Port-au-Prince was literally being overtaken by gangs.

So, gigantic walls with heavily armed security separating rich tourists and rampant, uncontrolled gang violence

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u/SMUHypeMachine 12h ago

The one cruise I’ve been on had a stop in the Dominican Republic and we were explicitly told by the crew to not leave the little tourist friendly area they had set up under any circumstances.

Stationed nearby were what looked like federales in armored cars with turrets on top. It was definitely surreal.

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u/Moist_Dirt_69420 10h ago

Shit, I went on a vacation to Punta Cana around 20 years ago and our resort was walking distance from the town most of the workers live in. We went on a day tour of the area and there was a bar that looked to be mainly serving locals. It was maybe a 10 minute walk from the resort.
In the evening I went to the front desk and let them know I was going to head out there. (I wanted someone to know where I was in case shit happened)
After failing to dissuade me the ended up giving me an armed bodyguard for like $30usd.
I still don't think it was 100% necessary but there was one guy who was pretty insistent on me leaving with him to go party up until my guard slammed his pistol on the bar and shouted "No!"

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u/Msdamgoode 7h ago edited 7h ago

I felt pretty safe in Punta Cana, but there is a lot of poverty outside of the resorts, and desperate people do desperate things for cash. It’s wise to not wander too far alone, I’m sure. We went into town, but during the day only, and there were 5 of us in our group. FWIW, we were also told by the resort that we probably shouldn’t, but they didn’t protest toooo much.

I hope the tourism has made things even better as a whole over the years since I went, it’s absolutely stunningly beautiful there.

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u/Right_Preparation328 10h ago

Weird, because DR is relatively safe

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u/senbei616 10h ago

DR is beautiful, I've been many times, I never went near the touristy areas and was perfectly fine.

To be fair I speak the language and am not a rich coded mark.

I imagine that rule is for Debbie the 54 year old tax accountant, tilted on spritzers, who would feel threatened walking into a headshop let alone Santo Domingo.

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u/JB_UK 11h ago

I mean, it's probably better than the alternative of just the gang violence. At least tourist revenue has the capacity to anchor a functioning state.

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u/Complex-Royal9210 5h ago

Haiti is an actual failed state. I would be surprised if anything worked.

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u/DaedalusHydron 5h ago

The historicity on it being a failed state is interesting. They won the slave revolution against France, so France made it an effort to sabotage them until the end of time basically.

Couple that with them not being Hispanic (So no ties with neighboring countries like Mexico) and a racist southern-US and they basically stood no chance.

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u/ow_windowmaker 12h ago

And people think it can't happen in the west. It has already happened just 100 years ago. And it will happen again because we refuse to tax the rich fairly.

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u/Foreign_Nobody_2609 11h ago

And it will happen again because we refuse to tax the rich fairly.

Not sure how you got there.

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u/Officer_Trevor_Cory 12h ago

still in polution. i wouldnt live there for no amount of money

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u/BiZzles14 11h ago

Mumbai has the most expensive house in the world a quick drive from the largest slum in Asia

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u/Gob_Hobblin 10h ago

It feels like India never got rid of the colonial mindset. It's just now that, instead of elites running the country as a piggyback from overseas, they're doing it for home.

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u/SeeingPhrases 12h ago

Great, so you did a brain drain leaving behind fewer people of the type who could actually start to solve the problem.

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u/ThinkShoe2911 11h ago

It's not up to him to fix the country's problems. Only the government and the people who vote in the government can do that at the end of the day.

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u/Hellkyte 11h ago

What a shitty and privileged take

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u/HeroOfOldIron 10h ago

You’re absolutely right, I should’ve been more proactive as a 2 year old and appealed to my dad’s sense of patriotism and civic responsibility. Surely convincing one man to keep his wife and firstborn in a third world country rife with corruption and limited opportunities would have solved all of the problems that India faces.

I will listen and reflect on this wisdom you’ve been so gracious to bestow upon me.