Is this a Lit Brick comic with Sporkman in it, or a Sporkman comic about literature? You make the call!
Anyway, critics seem divided over whether this poem is satire or if Kipling was really that gung-ho about Imperialism. Personally, given his noted association with the English Empire, I think it’s fairly safe to say that Kipling was pretty much okay with a bunch of white dudes running roughshod over any country they could find. But hey, he was still one hell of a writer, so we’ll cut him some slack.
That said, if Imperialism was simply the white man’s desire to wash everyone’s hands, I think the world would have a kinder definition of “Empire.”
9 Comments
@carapace
If you chuckled at that get this: we sent tons of powered milk to help the poor natives of India without bothering to find out that they have a genetic reaction to cow’s milk. They ended up using it for white-washing houses. (true fact)
For Kipling’s take on running roughshod over other peoples, try reading his short story “Lispeth.” Also, the poem “We and They.”
None of this even touches on the fact that “White Man’s Burden” scans perfectly to the song “Tom Dooley.”
I would like to point out, for the record, that ‘White Man’s Burden’ can be sung to the tune of the theme song from ‘Gilligan’s Island’.
Also, for the record, I think Kipling was being both satirical and serious in that poem. I think he was genuinely pro-imperialism, but that particular poem was purposely pushed over-the-top to mock the more intensive aspects of it.
You should cross-post this to the Sporkman archive…
Also, it’s true… Sporkman, Guano Man and the Negaspork really are the only WHITE men in that world!
Before you add Death to that list, I think he’s really more ‘otherworldly’ since he resides on a different plane and only works on that one.
I always loved how the Pears’ soap ad features a Noble White Person offering a Dark Savage the wonders of soap…in a desert. Way to help, White Dude! I think I understand why you’re having problems in your cultural outreach.