What does Orwell mean when he says that the whole enterprise of imperialism is carried out to avoid being laughed at

When he says that the whole enterprise of imperialism is carried out to avoid being laughed at, Orwell means that there is a wide gap between British imperialist ideology and its reality.

When Britain submitted Burma under their domination it was expected that the Burmese people would benefit in all aspects from their contact with Britain. However, The Burmese stuck to their customs. Besides They despised and ridiculed the British.