White Woman Calls Mission Trips ‘Out of Touch, Creepy and Condescending’

TikToker Kylie Brewer posted a video criticizing international mission trips and voluntourism.

“Voluntourism is out of touch, creepy, and condescending,” she mentions in the clip.

In another TikTok video, she discusses the problem again, starting with an insight into how Americans see these trips.

“Funny thing about white Americans is that they don’t actually consider other people’s perspectives, ever,” she claims.

Then, Brewer quotes a comment to her previous post.

“On my video about mission trips, someone commented on their experience being interacted with by one of these groups, and it’s so f***ing funny,” she says.

Quoting the comment, she describes the viewer’s story from their time abroad.

“This person said, I was visiting Latin America when I was approached by one of these groups,” she says.

In this case, the commentator tells their story from a child’s point of view.

“Can you imagine how scary it is for a little kid surrounded by other little kids and adult folks to be approached by these pushy white people in your home country, acting like you’re starving and should be grateful for cheap blankets?” Brewer said, continuing to read the comment. “We’re considered very middle class, just dark-skinned.”

According to her, the story shows another stereotype these people hold.

“And again, this shows how white people view blackness or brownness as synonymous with poverty,” she says.

Furthermore, she criticizes the organizations planning the trips and their attitudes toward the people they plan to meet.

“There’s little to no consideration about the other side for these mission groups, for these trips, because they’re only thinking, how can I look like a good person? How can I return to my community at home? How can I return to my church looking like a hero? Oh, let me go abroad and give out s***ty supplies to people,” Brewer says.

This summary shows why she sees this behavior.

“That breaks down it,” she concludes.

In addition, she wonders why travelers spend money on trips but not on other things that would benefit the people they visit.

“Because again, with the money it costs to go on these service trips, they could build schools, fund all of these amazing programs 10 times over,” she says.

So she suggests people donate directly.

“Just cut out the middleman and don’t go give the money away if you actually care,” she says.

Finally, she gives her verdict.

“It’s f***ing bulls**t,” she says.

@kylie.brewer

When whiteness is centered, the voices of BIPOC are silenced. Most people want autonomy, not pity… #education #leftist #humanrights #sociology #antiracism

♬ original sound – Kylie Brewer