The HBO series White Lotus led me to look more deeply in the mirror
Season three continues the show’s exploration of ways that mankind (especially Westerners) exploit everything around them, including culture and religion.
This season centers around a Four Seasons hotel (renamed White Lotus in the series) in Thailand, where Westerners come to “sample” the local culture and customs.
First - I wonder if this phenomenon of Westerners “sampling” different cultures is inherently exploitative. Perhaps what makes it toxic is that none of them actually have any interest in assimilating fully. They want to take what they can get for themselves and then go back to their pampered lives in the U.S.
I wonder, what would healthy assimilation look like? Would Piper (the daughter from White Lotus S3) have been guilty of appropriation had she shaved her head and chosen to live the simple life of a monastic?
As a Westerner, I experienced feelings of guilt and shame watching this show. I began to wonder how I might be “wearing” Buddhism rather than simply walking the path.
If I came to Thailand and decided to live there, what would healthy assimilation look like? Another character - Gary - is depicted as having moved to Thailand and built a lavish mansion, simply creating a bubble around himself.
I feel anger and sadness about this inclination amongst many in the West to consume and take everything. To not be satisfied. I see the same seed in myself, perhaps not as deeply as I would like to think.
It makes me feel sick to my stomach. I was raised from childhood even to behave like a zoo patron when visiting foreign countries. 😩