Can you tell me in normal English what the phrase Play the white guy means

Question

according to the Metropolitan Police.Is it when they want to catch you out and put you away for a spell?

Answer 1

In the days of Empire there were cardinal rules of living for the normal  man in England . Never hit a man when he is down , two to one is the sign of a coward , never strike a women , defend the defencless , there were many more in the same vein , These were the rules that a proud man would try to live by and anybody who broke them would have been looked down on and scorned . In other countries mostly Africa and Arabia they did not have such a code , so therefore to play the white man was to have all the atributes that i have mentioned . Of course this was there view as they saw the world , which then was a very brutal place

Answer 2

It comes from the days of Saturday Matinee Westerns, when the 'baddies' dressed in black, the good guys in white.

Play the white man meant do the right thing.

Nothing to do with race as the PC brigade would have you believe.

Answer 3

Hands up Guv its a fair cop.

Answer 4

Generally speaking it is slang for behave yourself and dont insult people it has nothing to do with the Metropolitan Police

Answer 5

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 .

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

Answer 6

The traditional meaning of 'Play the White Man' is to be fair, truthful and do what is right and correct.

Answer 7

If that's what the police said then it's probably true

I personally have never heard it before

Answer 8

it means ....  go along with it,  tell the truth ,  be fair .....  that type of thing.  a usual response to someone being awkward.  I have no idea how it came about though.

Answer 9

Be fair and truthful. It actually sounds racist but in fact is just a phrase which perhaps had racial origins but only the politically correct and those looking for something to offend them regard it as so  

Answer 10

It means tell the truth

Answer 11

No it is an expression derived from drama -the man wearing black is easily identified by the colour of his clothing - he is the baddie and the man wearing white - to represent purity and goodness - represents the goodie.

However the Met probably are not generally that well educated and it may have been garbled in translation.  If they believe themselves to be the man in white - they believe they are the good guys and they need to put the bad guys away - so if they told you this it probably means they suspect you of something.

Answer 12

It comes from a time when some people, white people, thought that the white race was superior.

So, to 'play the white man' in their eyes means 'be decent' or 'be honest'.