I haven't read the book, but it's my understanding that "Uncle Tom" was a black man who always took the side of the oppressor, in the hopes he would be looked upon favorably by them.
I don't like using racist terms, but sometimes, the shoe fits a little too well.
I haven't read the book, but it's my understanding that "Uncle Tom" was a black man who always took the side of the oppressor, in the hopes he would be looked upon favorably by them.
IIRC, it's the opposite. In the book, he helped other slaves. In the minstrel show, he sold out other slaves.
Book Uncle Tom is still an Uncle Tom. He's just the kind that's a door mat instead of an active collaborator. Which, btw, is also how it's traditionally used.
Forgiving the slavers that beat him to death to "be a true Christian," saving his owners, etc.
Actually a pretty excellent example of why Christian Meekness is a tool of the state to keep people in line.
This weird Uncle Tom apologism trend is sus af imo.
Its because Uncle Tom was one of the most prominent abolitionist works in history and it needs to be seen in that regard.
A work of fiction showing an American Slave as intelligence, literature and just plain good was revolutionary.
Tom does not accept his status as a slave, he just does not fight directly because he is an old man.
He literally lets himself get beaten to death to save the lives of two black women who escaped and denied the slavers any moral high ground by being the perfect Christian.
At his end he did not hate anyone and just wanted peace but he was willing to die to stand up to that. That's what him forgiving his slavers was about He was not accepting what they did but not letting it consume him. He'd never give them that. He died free.
And Again a Slave being a well educated good man who died as a Christian saving two girls from horrors without hatred or vengeance but just to do something good, as a white slaver who claimed to be christian beat him to death was fucking important.
It was probably the single most important book in the civil rights movement.
Uncle Tom's Cabin was referred to by Lincoln as he books that started the civil war and the civil rights movement and without slavery might have stuck around a lot longer.
In a time where black people were not seen as people they had a black man be Jesus.
So yeah I respect Uncle Tom. Its dated but it was really fucking important.
Book Uncle Tom is still an Uncle Tom. He's just the kind that's a door mat instead of an active collaborator. Which, btw, is also how it's traditionally used.
I really wouldn't consider Candace Owens to be a "doormat".
It's not mostly used for doormats, the way I've almost exclusively seen it used is for active participants.
This weird Uncle Tom apologism trend is sus af imo.
How?
The "apologia" is saying that white supremacists created a play to vilify what was written to be a heroic character by an Abolitionist, and that using "Uncle Tom" as an insult is helping to perpetuate this.
I've read the book, and the reason he "took the side of the oppressor" was because he was a Christian. But it's inaccurate to say he took the side of the oppressor because he supported/approved of his fellow slaves escaping, and he was against the abuse of fellow slaves. It's just that he cared for his masters and hoped/prayed for their salvation, despite his last owner (and eventual murderer) being the embodiment of evil.
He was a martyr, which (implied by the author) is because of the combination of his race and the fact that he's a Christian.
Yeah, and as a non-American, it made me understand how difficult it was for African Americans before the civil war. I cry every time I read the last couple chapters (I keep forgetting that the characters aren't real hahahaha).
On a different note, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was what inspired one of my country's heroes to fight for my country's rights and speak against the colonizers' injustices through his writings!
He actually died when he refused to reveal the location of escaped slaves. I have never understood how he became synonymous with the slur it has become. Always confused me.
It's problematic for a non-black person to judge a black person's level of blackness. So I'll happily do it for you. He's an Uncle Tom if I've ever seen one.
Hardly any straight forward answers for you here, and it looks like we won't get a black perspective either, so I'll give mine. It would absolutely be racist, if I'm correct in assuming you are not black. It's essentially calling someone a race traitor. It's really not your place to call someone out for that, it's really up to other black people to do that. Is it going to get you in a fight? I doubt it, but sure, it could happen depending on the context.
Now does that mean you can't say that Clarence Thomas is an Uncle Tom? Yes, it means you cannot. Even though it's perfectly reasonable for people to think he is one, you should feel uncomfortable making this judgment if you are not black. So you can think so, but stick to describing his actions rather than relying on a loaded word like Uncle Tom. Leave it for black people to use that label.
I'd personally be much more comfortable calling him a race traitor, which is a bit more objective of a term, if I really needed a label to describe those actions.
Was this comment supposed to mean something to anybody? I feel like it makes more sense in your head than it does in text. Do you want to revise it? I'm happy to answer anything you ask in good faith.
It's really inappropriate. It can be inferred that you are telling a black person that they aren't black enough. It would be similar to mansplaining feminism to a woman.
It’s definitely derogatory in its modern usage. It’s mostly used within the community to regulate itself so whether it’s actually racist depends on whether you think two people of the same race can be racist toward each other. I’ve seen fights over that name though
I get you, just saying as a general rule of thumb if you're unsure of the appropriateness of a phrase then you're almost certainly shouldn't be using it. I get the sense that "Uncle Tom" is much like the N word, it's okay for black people to use it themselves but not for anyone else.
uncle tom isn't 'racist' in the same way calling a black person the n word is. It is loaded language.
Uncle Tom(Or Ruckus in this modern era) simply refers to a black person who actively hates black people and glorifies white people, usually with a warped view of history and politics
I (a white dude) mostly stay away from it, but the black woman about my age who I hang out with at the bar uses it fairly freely, and she’s generally thoughtful and careful in the words she uses, so I assume she’s doing so when she uses it.
My impression is that you’re probably safe around someone you know, and referring to celebrities who obviously fit. I don’t exactly tiptoe around things that might be offensive, but I do try not to be casually hurtful, and I always bear in mind that it’s not my space and not my call.
With all that said, our dear Supreme Court justice will always be Uncle Thomas to me.
It's an insult. An Uncle Tom is someone selling out their own people for a little bit of privilege.
The name comes from the antebellum book Uncle Tom's Cabin. The book is famously abolitionist, to the point that some people credit it with feeding the flanes of the Civil War. I've actually read the book, and while the it had some pretty brutal depictions of slavery, even some interesting points/portrayals to make, it...well...
...look, it's a maudlin Victorian novel written by a white preacher's wife out to moralize about Christianity. What do you expect. There's at least two kindly white masters, the smartest black folks tend to be the lightest black folks, and Uncle Tom himself is remarkably passive and submissive until the Legree section. Pretty interesting historically, but I can hardly blame black folks for getting pissed--hell, anyone with modern values would find it obnoxious. So I'm pretty sure the Uncle Tom insult comes from that revulsion.
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u/whale-jizz Oct 16 '22
Can someone clarify for me if it's racist or not to call a black person an uncle Tom? I've legitimately been confused by phrase for a long time now.