"White Man's Burden" is a phrase that became popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a way to justify European and American imperialism and [[colonialism]]. It refers to the perceived moral obligation of Western powers to "civilize" and modernize the peoples of Asia, Africa, and other colonized regions. The concept is rooted in a Eurocentric and paternalistic view that saw non-European cultures as inferior and in need of Western guidance and intervention. The term comes from a poem titled "The White Man's Burden" written by British poet Rudyard Kipling in 1899. The poem was originally addressed to the United States as it debated whether to annex the Philippines following [[The Spanish-American War]]. Kipling's poem encouraged the US to take up the "burden" of empire and spread its values and way of life to the colonized people. Critics of the "white man's burden" concept argue that it was used to rationalize exploitation, [racism](https://doctorparadox.net/category/psychology/racism/), and cultural imperialism. They contend that the idea was not truly about uplifting colonized people, but rather served as a pretext for Western powers to expand their territories and resources. In recent years, the term has become synonymous with the negative aspects of colonialism and imperialism, highlighting the historical attitudes and actions that marginalized and oppressed non-European peoples. See also: [[slavery]], [[segregation]], [[Jim Crow]], [bigotry](https://doctorparadox.net/psychology/bigotry-is-bad-thinking/), [[white supremacy]]