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Stealing Lands & Savior Complex


Have you ever heard the term White Man’s Burden? It is coined from a poem written by Rudyard Kipling, depicting that it is on the White man to bear the heavy burden of ‘conquering’ people of color. The astounding thing is that the poet genuinely believes this is an act of altruism, considering it an obligatory duty of white people. This mindset ruins cultures, creates racist stereotypes, and justifies the so-called‘helper’s’ actions. Yet, this ideology still exists in our current world, hiding in plain sight. Stealing lands and the savior complex go hand in hand; they manifest in political leaders seeking praise for their ‘work’ or in the portrayal of genocides and wars as acts of self-defense.


Colonial Savior Complex (CSC) is the term used to describe the mindset of colonizers who treated colonized people brutally for various reasons, such as religion and a sense of superiority. The colonizers viewed their act of colonization as improving the stolen land, concluding that it would flourish better under their control and regime. These traits are common in Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), since it suggests that one can ignore the harm to other people if it benefits oneself and helps achieve personal goals.


Colonizers often control the narrative as well, pushing a false history upon us. Look around, it’s everywhere! It’s in the way they record past events in textbooks, their selective word choices in news outlets, and the way they twist their actions to the very people they inflict harm upon. I initially chose this topic because of a recent debate I had in school. The question was whether the Portuguese helped initiate the United Arab Emirates’ development. To provide context, the Portuguese invaded the UAE to control the coasts and trade routes. This invasion was obviously met with backlash from the local population and resulted in countless deaths and the destruction of cities. Before this invasion, the UAE consisted of seven separate kingdoms, and one theory suggests that the Portuguese helped them unite to form a country. However, it is absurd to justify the many atrocities committed in the name of ‘saving’ the citizens. In reality, the Portuguese further hindered the urbanization of the UAE and were primarily motivated by their own benefits. 


But alas, we learn from our past, right?


As much as I would like to respond with a yes, history tends to repeat itself when we as people don't take time to learn about it. In 1948, Israel began to creep its way into Palestine, and fast-forward to today, they have successfully begun the process of ethnic cleansing and colonizing Palestine with the Devil’s advocate right beside them. This is just one situation in which many countries had their past and authenticity erased by self-absorbed oppressors. 


Patrick Wolfe (2006) wrote that “settler colonialism destroys to replace.” This line suggests that colonialism is not specifically one set event; rather, it's an ongoing process.

There are usually 3 stages in settler colonialism: 

  • The erasure of indigenous people

  • Replacing them with settlers

  • Normalizing and rinsing


The first stage is the removal of indigenous people, which, in my opinion, is the most callous act because history and countless stories are etched into the people and found in every corner of their land. To erase that is to do the most vicious act, because how could you simply scrub away people’s culture and heritage? Then the colonizers pretend they were there first and deserve to be there, so they create false stories to fit into the books of history. Last but certainly not least, they justify it. Normalizing their bloodthirsty actions with peculiar reasons allows for it to happen again and again. When will this cycle end?


But why should we care? It’s our role to make sure that we don’t dishonor people who have already gone through so much. To gain the wrong knowledge is to never gain any in the first place. Peer and ponder about every news we’re fed, and take the time to acknowledge the atrocities in the world. Dear readers, take into consideration that you are part of the world's archives. One day, your family, friends, and acquaintances will ask which side you were on. It’s important that you were not on the side of colonizers; you remained on the side to guard history.


"Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you."

-- Shannon L. Alder






Citations

  • Zubizarreta, Denise. (2024). The Colonial Savior Complex: A Critical Examination of Self-Justified Altruism in Colonial and Postcolonial Contexts. 10.13140/RG.2.2.11589.05601.  













 
 
 

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