О, кстати, об островах - I was looking for a reason to post the following in this group as well :-D , it's a letter to an advice column:
Dear Prudence,
My in-laws are kind, generous, and fun to be around. We live in different parts of the country so we get to see them about five times a year. This has become more important now that we have a child. Our 4-year-old adores his grandparents. My in-laws want to make the next family trip a Caribbean cruise. I hate cruises. I think they're unsafe, but more importantly they're a horrible display of inequality and cluelessness about the conditions in which local populations in the "ports of visit" live. I'm horrified about the prospect of cruising on a luxury ship and docking in the "private islands" that the cruise company owns, knowing that the local people will not get a penny out of the cruise. It fills me with dread and offends every liberal bone in my body. However I don't want to deny our son the chance to spend time with his grandparents, and he'll probably have a great time. So my plan is to go, but to also give money to credible local charities to somewhat compensate for the damage that the cruise business is doing. Is this a good compromise or a pathetic cop-out?
—Up the Creek