Calling out development; pot-shots, stereotypes, and some truth

My friend, co-coach, and student, David Hanson (cf. his page on academia.edu: http://florida.academia.edu/MaccaHanson) recently sent me the following essay; "What's So Bad About Development?" (http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/sep/01/development-ngos-third-world-global-south) from the Guardian, probably my favorite popular and mainstream source for serious discussions of development and conservation issues (of course they have asked me to weigh in so they clearly have impeccable taste). Survival International has a short video in which they outline some of the more common critiques of development (http://www.survivalinternational.org/thereyougo). The story is apocrypha though canonical to development critiques that don't dig too deeply. In the video the authors and narrator suggest that development occurs in spite of local people; many of whom have developed lifeways in tune with their local environment. I would never dispute the brilliance of local people, and indeed many of them find themselves damaged by inclusion in the wider political economy. Where I think we need to start reconsidering critiques of development, however, are not at the extremes of geographically, economically, or culturally separate people but at those folks already drawn into wider systems. Offering a return to some fundamental sustainability is likely impossible and definitely impractical. The Guardian piece successfully suggests that the term "development" may be outmoded, I have no energy to disagree. But, there are poor people and they sometimes need help. Dreams of isolated, sustainable, and happy people are just that except in the rarest of circumstances. Survival International's critique of development as it was imposed in the past are worthwhile but most likely need to be updated.