“One song we hear too often is the one in which Africa serves as a backdrop for white fantasies of conquest and heroism. From the colonial project to Out of Africa to The Constant Gardener and Kony 2012, Africa has provided a space onto which white egos can conveniently be projected. It is a liberated space in which the usual rules do not apply: a nobody from America or Europe can go to Africa and become a godlike savior or, at the very least, have his or her emotional needs satisfied. Many have done it under the banner of ‘making a difference’.” * Teju Cole, “The White Savior Industrial Complex.”

“When a warlord continues to kill and torture across a swath of Congo and Central African Republic, that’s not a white man’s burden. It’s a human burden. To me, it feels repugnant to suggest that compassion should stop at a national boundary or color line. A common humanity binds us all, whatever the color of our skin — or passport.” * Nicholas Kristof, “Viral Video, Vicious Warlord.”

Taken together, the essays cited above work as a marvelous (and heated) example of argument and counterargument. Responding to the Kony 2012 video, Cole and Kristof fundamentally disagree over the effectiveness and appropriateness of humanitarian intervention in third-world countries. For Kristof, “complexity” is an excuse for inaction; he chides “armchair cynics” and praises the “uncertain” efforts of Kony 2012. Cole, on the other hand, sees these efforts as a way to “satisfy the…sentimental needs of white people…” He criticizes American sentimentality and suggests that, if America truly cares about “making a difference,” they might want to examine their money-driven and “villainous” foreign policy.

Both directly and indirectly, these authors mention something called “the white savior complex”—also known as “white man’s burden” and “the White Messiah complex.” This is a persistent myth—not only in sociopolitical matters but in pop culture as well. We’ve looked at clips from films like The Blind Side and Avatar to illustrate the negative connotations and stereotypes perpetuated by the white savior complex.

The question is this: how damaging is the white savior complex? Are films like Dances With Wolves and Kony 2012 guilty of privileging Western (white) egos, as Cole says? Or are these less-than-desirable versions of reality partly successful because they promote positive values and urge audiences to “make a difference”? Develop a thesis that reflects your individual point of view on this issue and elaborate in a paper of 4-5 pages. Use at least three sources to support your argument.