----- Original Message ----- From: "Marvin Long, Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2003 7:29 PM Subject: Re: war and peace
> > "The White man's burden has been sung. Who will sing the Brown man's?" > > Mark Twain > > > On Thu, 6 Feb 2003, Gautam Mukunda wrote: > > > > Apart from which, has anyone actually read "The White > > Man's Burden"? It was racist to modern ears - > > although not to those of his time, let's give Kipling > > some credit, please, but if people did they might > > realize it does have something to say. > > Just because it wasn't racist to the ears of his time doesn't mean it > wasn't racist in fact. And it was racist to many ears of his time [*], > particularly the ears of those who opposed American colonial adventurism > the Phillipines. I read this much differently than you Marvin. > > > Take up the White Man's burden-- > > Send forth the best ye breed-- > > Go, bind your sons to exile > > To serve your captives' need; > > To wait, in heavy harness, > > On fluttered folk and wild-- > > Your new-caught sullen peoples, > > Half devil and half child. > > The world is full of unchurched barbarians who need a good dose of British > Christianity to be worth a whit. It'll be hard work, preaching to those > brown people you've yoked to the plow, but it's your duty. > Send your sons half a world away to integrate into our empire people who are more or less slaves to the benefit of the wealthy back home, wasting their lives for the rich. > > Take up the White Man's burden-- > > In patience to abide, > > To veil the threat of terror > > And check the show of pride; > > By open speech and simple, > > An hundred times made plain, > > To seek another's profit > > And work another's gain. > > Mind you, you must be model Christians, of course. Not just blustery > blow-hard conquistador types. Otherwise the vicious natives will never > believe your colonial enterprise is really intended for their benefit. Take a chance on being killed in your sleep by those who do not take to the yoke we impose on them so that the rich back home will reap the profits of your work and the work of the indiginous peoples. > > > Take up the White Man's burden-- > > The savage wars of peace-- > > Fill full the mouth of Famine, > > And bid the sickness cease; > > And when your goal is nearest > > (The end for others sought) > > Watch sloth and heathen folly > > Bring all your hope to nought. > > Be warned that no matter how hard you work to feed, clothe, and educate > these stinking masses (or rather, no matter how hard your force them to > feed and clothe the Empire in addition to themselves, while educating them > a bit at a time), they will always be on the verge of revolt, and you'll > often be forced to start over again. I agree with this part. > > > Take up the White Man's burden-- > > No iron rule of kings, > > But toil of serf and sweeper-- > > The tale of common things. > > The ports ye shall not enter, > > The roads ye shall not tread, > > Go, make them with your living > > And mark them with your dead. > > Someday there will be real societies here; modern and industrial; economic > engines that will benefit the natives and the Empire both. You will > probably not live to see it, but have faith! All the product of your work exploiting these people will show up back home, but you will never see this nor will you benefit from it. > > > Take up the White Man's burden, > > And reap his old reward-- > > The blame of those ye better > > The hate of those ye guard-- > > The cry of hosts ye humour > > (Ah, slowly!) toward the light:-- > > "Why brought ye us from bondage, > > Our loved Egyptian night?" > > For you must never forget that these barbarians are slaves to their own > deficient natures. Even as you improve their lot by teaching them the > Christian and British ways of acting and thinking, they will hate you for > forcing it on them. However slow it seems, though, forget not that > progress will be made. You will keep a yoke on them and they will always be ripe for revolt, but in the end your fate is not that different from theirs. > > > Take up the White Man's burden-- > > Ye dare not stoop to less-- > > Nor call too loud on Freedom > > To cloak your weariness. > > By all ye will or whisper, > > By all ye leave or do, > > The silent sullen peoples > > Shall weigh your God and you. > > If you persevere and show a civilized warrior's mien to those who fancy > themselves strong on the basis of their propensity to violence > alone...then at last you will win them over, for their benefit and for > God's greater glory. You will be trapped by this task and everything you do will expose you for who you really are and everything you value for what it truely is. > > > Take up the White Man's burden! > > Have done with childish days-- > > The lightly-proffered laurel, > > The easy ungrudged praise: > > Comes now, to search your manhood > > Through all the thankless years, > > Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom, > > The judgment of your peers. > > This task is set before as your mark of manhood and maturity. No matter > how insane things seem or become, doubt not your purpose. (Do not let > facts interfere with the truth!) Ultimately you'll be judged by those who > sent you on this mission, not those whose lives you must force to new > ways. It will make you cynical, cold, and bitter; that is the price > of serving one's race and Lord, and it is an honorable wound to bear. > This task will make you cold cynical and bitter, but if it doesnt, the ones who sent you here will think you less of a man. I see this as a bitter diatribe against imperialism and not so much as a ralling cry for colonialism. Of course I am not a Kipling expert and my interpretation is only informed by my own experience writing poetry. I find the sarcasm blatant and laden with cynisism. But Your Lightyearage May Vary. xponent Lightyearage Maru rob ________________________________ You are a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here. And whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
