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Maybe you didn't read the actual poem or maybe you don't understand it, or maybe I'm misinterpreting your reason for sharing this with an implied concern. Howev
by jimmygrapes 5y ago
Maybe you didn't read the actual poem or maybe you don't understand it, or maybe I'm misinterpreting your reason for sharing this with an implied concern. However it turns out, it should be clear that the poem itself is multi-layered. It is, to me, from the perspective of somebody who has the prescribed duty to apply their culture's ideals to a peoples not compatible; a lament of the perceived need to do so. It is (again, to me) clearly not some kind of racist screed... unless you read it with an eye to specific terms and associations without considering any context, either from the poem itself or from the circumstances leading to its writing.
Look beyond the cover.
- jimmygrapes 5y agoI can't edit on mobile otherwise I would have, but... A very related work, if assuming the "imperialist" interpretation of The White Man's Burden, is the documentary Empire of Dust[0]. In this, a Chinese man is sent to a region in Africa to help build up various capabilities and the subsequent philosophical and practical issues that arise. I highly recommend it, but only if you (the watcher) can set aside your preexisting notions on the topics addressed. [0]: (hopefully this works) https://vimeo.com/371805969 https://vimeo.com/371805969