Play the white man

To play the white man is an idiom formerly used in parts of Great Britain, meaning that someone is attempting to be decent and trustworthy in their actions. ^[1] A similar expression, which originated in the Southern United States in the 20th century, is that's mighty white of you and variations thereof, and they mean "thank you for being fair." Because of its racist connotations, since the mid-to-late 20th century, it has mostly been used ironically when it has been used at all. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

The phrase "It was damn white of him." was uttered by the character Arthur Manning, speaking to Perry Mason, in Erle Stanley Gardner's "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager." ^[5]

See also

• Great Britain portal

• Speak white
• "The White Man's Burden"

Further reading

• King, Colin (2001). "Play the White Man: The Theatre of Racialised Performances and Narratives in Soccer Coaching and Management". Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London.
• King, Colin (2004). Offside racism: playing the white man. Oxford ; New York: Berg. ISBN   978-1-85973-724-8.
• Webb, Janette; Liff, Sonia (August 1988). "Play the White Man: The Social Construction of Fairness and Competition in Equal Opportunity Policies". The Sociological Review. 36 (3): 532–551. doi:10.1111/j.1467-954X.1988.tb02928.x. ISSN   0038-0261.

References

1. "Complaint made over Mayor of Erewash's 'racist comment' at council meeting". Nottingham Post. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
2. "White". Merriam-Webster online. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
3. Partridge, Eric (1992). Dictionary of Catch Phrases . Scarborough House. p.  60. ISBN   978-0812885361.
4. Oxford English Dictionary, cited at Dave Wilton (18 February 2007). "that's white of you". Wordorigins. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
5. Grosset and Dunlap edition, 1937, page 177