Why is colonialism (still) romanticized?

I promise you that I will not sing.
I will spare you that, at least.

But I am a historian

with a background in philosophy,

and my main area of research is basically
the history of Southeast Asia,

with a focus on 19th century
colonial Southeast Asia,

and over the last few years,

what I've been doing is really
tracing the history of certain ideas

that shape our viewpoint,

the way we in Asia, in Southeast Asia,

look at ourselves
and understand ourselves.