Play the white man
Play the white man is a term used in parts of England meaning to be decent and trustworthy in one's actions[citation needed].
The origin of the phrase is obscure. The term carries with it a reference to an obligation which outnumbered English civil administrators in the latter years of the British Empire might have considered themselves to be under: that is, the obligation to uphold respect for their county abroad by maintaining personal standards of behaviour and fairness which darker-skinned native peoples could respect[citation needed]. The act of calling upon someone to remember his personal moral obligations in this way is expressed in Rudyard Kipling's poem The White Man's Burden. On the other hand, the racially neutral colour white has long been associated with pureness and virtue. The phrase is losing popularity in common parlance, because the term is considered by many to be racist - it clearly implies that "white" behaviour is "better".
A similar expression in the United States is "That's mighty white of you", meaning, "Thank you for being fair". Among African Americans, this phrase is said in response to being patronized or told what to think.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ Smitherman, G (2006). Words and Expressions, Proverbs and Familiar Sayings. Word from the mother (pp. 45). Routledge: New York.
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