Play the white man

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. The term is considered by some to be derogatory against non-white people because they believe it carries the implication that only caucasians are decent and trustworthy. Originating in colonial England, the term is losing popularity in common parlance.

A similar expression in the United States is "That's mighty white of you", meaning, "Thank you for being fair".

The term "play", in African American slang, can mean "cheat" or "swindle", and "the white man" is often a reference by minorities for the perceived historical collective oppression by Caucasians of non-Caucasians. Thus if used by non-whites, the term "play the white man" may carry a connotation of "cheat the oppressor".fact|date=October 2007

References

* [http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/cucr/pdf/king.pdf A study on the racist use of this phrase in sport] from Goldsmiths College, London


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • play the white man — verb To act with honour, decency and responsibility …   Wiktionary

  • The White Man's Burden — is a poem by the English poet Rudyard Kipling. It was originally published in the popular magazine McClure s in 1899, with the subtitle The United States and the Philippine Islands . The White Man s Burden. McClure s Magazine 12 (Feb. 1899).]… …   Wikipedia

  • The Squaw Man (1914 film) — Infobox Film name = The Squaw Man image size = 200px caption = Theatrical poster to the 1906 stage production of The Squaw Man . director = Oscar Apfel Cecil B. DeMille producer = Cecil B. DeMille Jesse L. Lasky writer = Edwin Milton Royle Cecil… …   Wikipedia

  • The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia (play) — The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia is the first play in the series A Texas Trilogy by Preston Jones. Infobox Play name = The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia image size = caption = writer = Preston Jones chorus …   Wikipedia

  • The Invisible Man (film) — The Invisible Man Theatrical poster Directed by James Whale Produced by …   Wikipedia

  • The Mysterious Man — is a fictional character from the 1986 play Into the Woods. In the 1987 Broadway production, he was performed by Tom Aldredge, who also played the role of the narrator.HistoryThe Mysterious Man first appears in the woods as Jack is going to… …   Wikipedia

  • Play the Game (film) — Play the Game is an upcoming 2008 romantic comedy starring Andy Griffith, Paul Campbell, Liz Sheridan, Doris Roberts, and Marla Sokoloff, written and directed by Marc Fienberg.Infobox Film name = Play The Game caption = director = Marc Fienberg… …   Wikipedia

  • The Gilded Man — (also published as Death and the Gilded Man) …   Wikipedia

  • The Reign of the Super-Man — The subject of this article is not to be confused with the Reign of the Supermen storyline published by DC Comics. For that subject, see The Death of Superman. The Reign of the Super Man (January 1933) was a short story written by American Jerry… …   Wikipedia

  • The Nearly Man — is a UK TV series from the mid 1970s created by Arthur Hopcraft about an upper class Labour MP. Originally screened on ITV on 4 August 1974, the series won the Broadcasting Press Guild award for the best single play on British television in 1974 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”