Colbert: ‘Eyes Wide Shut to Other People’s Suffering’

According to Stephen Colbert, a self-proclaimed member of the 1 percent, “it’s hard to get away from everything when you own everything.” But, much to the relief of the “upper middle stinkin’ rich,” a South African hotel has found a new way to lure wealthy clients by commodifying poverty.

For those for whom glamour camping or “glamping” has lost its charm—there are only so many wildlife masseuses a billionaire can hit on, after all—the Emoya Luxury Hotel & Spa in Bloemfontein, South Africa, offers a new adventure that has yet to become jaded. For the low price of R850 ($82) you can stay in a shanty and experience destitution at its finest replete with wireless Internet, according to the hotel’s boastful website.

Colbert coins the term “glumming,” short for—you guessed it—glamour slumming, an activity that allows you to experience what it’s like to live in a real South African shanty town, “resenting rich people who do things like stay in a pretend shanty town.” Or you could always stay in Colbert’s own all-American version of the resort.

—Posted by Natasha Hakimi