Original artwork, not a still
Our world is changing. We French lost our war in Indochina because we failed to learn about the people we sought to lead. It's natural, therefore -correct, even - that they should resent us. How could they do otherwise, when we refused to treat them like fellow human beings?
— M. Butterfly · 1993
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker argues that France lost its war in Indochina because it never tried to understand the people it wanted to lead. Resentment toward the French is therefore natural, even correct, since they were denied basic human regard. It is a blunt admission of arrogant, dehumanizing rule.
Context reviewed
