White Man's Burden (Noun)
Meaning
The supposed responsibility of the white race to provide care for their non-white subjects.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The concept of the white man's burden was used to justify colonialism and the subjugation of non-white peoples.
- The poem "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling is a classic example of this ideology, urging the US to take up the responsibility of caring for the Philippines.
- Proponents of colonialism argued that it was the white man's burden to bring civilization to the supposedly savage and uncivilized non-white populations.
- The idea of the white man's burden was often used to mask the true intentions of colonial powers, which were more interested in exploiting resources than in providing care.
- Critics argue that the concept of the white man's burden is rooted in racism and a paternalistic attitude towards non-white peoples, and that it has been used to justify some of the worst atrocities in human history.