I don't think there's something wrong with thinking of social relations as a kind of economic interaction, but there's always a problem with thinking of things as economic interactions in which you are the only actor.
The Zambian thing is...odd. I can believe that the producers might have been trying to help the situation, but there had to be some way better then making a spectacle out of the whole thing. I can understand that they can't be expected to fix all, or even part, of Zambia's ills on a reality television show, but hell, can't they at least set up a sustainable system to help these women out of crushing poverty instead of doing the "18 lucky women a year" schtick? It's a disappointing thing when people who have good intentions get co-opted by people who want good PR, and then by people who want to make money.
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The Zambian thing is...odd. I can believe that the producers might have been trying to help the situation, but there had to be some way better then making a spectacle out of the whole thing. I can understand that they can't be expected to fix all, or even part, of Zambia's ills on a reality television show, but hell, can't they at least set up a sustainable system to help these women out of crushing poverty instead of doing the "18 lucky women a year" schtick? It's a disappointing thing when people who have good intentions get co-opted by people who want good PR, and then by people who want to make money.