Noblesse Oblige

This is an expression that roughly translates to “obligation of the noble.” It refers to the belief that the privileged people in society are obliged to assist others through charity.

While sounding benevolent, in usage, it tends to imply a level of faux altruism, and gives justification for their privilege.

Why I Looked It Up

I don’t have the reference, but I have a photo of this in my notes:

It is true that law affects both rich and poor, greater and lesser alike, and through history landed men have had a responsibility to their people and a sense of “noblesse oblige.”

Postscript

In The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, the author – who is quite petty and salacious – quotes someone about the two Bush daughters, Jenna and Barbara:

“These girls have all the noblesse with none of the oblige.”