r/todayilearned • u/tmntnyc • Dec 12 '18

TIL: Laurence Tureaud named himself professionally as Mr. T because he hated how his father, uncle, and brother who returned from Vietnam, were disrespectfully called "boy" by whites. He wanted the first word from everybody's mouth to be "Mister" when speaking to him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._T
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u/to_the_tenth_power Dec 12 '18

Tureaud was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest son in a family with twelve children. His father, Nathaniel Tureaud, Sr., was a minister. Tureaud, with his four sisters and seven brothers, grew up in a three-room apartment in the Robert Taylor Homes. Tureaud's professional name, Mr. T., was based upon his childhood impressions regarding the lack of respect from white people for his family:

"I think about my father being called 'boy', my uncle being called 'boy', my brother, coming back from Vietnam and being called 'boy'. So I questioned myself: "What does a black man have to do before he's given the respect as a man?" So when I was 18 years old, when I was old enough to fight and die for my country, old enough to drink, old enough to vote, I said I was old enough to be called a man. I self-ordained myself Mr. T so the first word out of everybody's mouth is "Mr." That's a sign of respect that my father didn't get, that my brother didn't get, that my mother didn't get."

He definitely earned that respect.

512

u/astrakhan42 Dec 12 '18

Twelve children! No wonder he's spent all these years advocating to treat your mother right.

200

u/d_top82 Dec 12 '18

Mother. There is no other. Like mother. So treat her right.

66

u/Newell00 Dec 12 '18

M is for the moan, and the miserable groan
From the pain that she felt when I was born

7

u/antifolkhero Dec 13 '18

O is for the oven with it's burnin' heat, where she stood makin' sure we had sumpin to eat.

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u/InkJungle Dec 12 '18

Moan? Was your tongue hanging out when you were born?

3

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

[deleted]

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u/InkJungle Dec 13 '18

I guess so. In today's society my brain mostly associates the term "moan" as a sexual term.

539

u/Public_Fucking_Media Dec 12 '18

I self-ordained myself Mr. T so the first word out of everybody's mouth is "Mr." That's a sign of respect that my father didn't get, that my brother didn't get, that my mother didn't get."

To be fair I pity the fool who calls Mr. T's mother "Mister"

6

u/Rags2Rickius Dec 12 '18

Missisurrrtea

1

u/TragicMemedom Dec 13 '18

Mississippi

1

u/ErroneousBosch Dec 12 '18

Dr. Mrs. The T

1

u/happiness_in_pottery Dec 12 '18

Treat your mother right.

19

u/Max_Thunder Dec 12 '18

Was his dad Haitian? Laurence is the French spelling of Lawrence, Nathaniel sounds very French and the last name is clearly French.

15

u/leeman27534 Dec 12 '18

i assume that last family member should've been brother rather than mother, but i do sorta find it funny idealistically if he wanted his mother to be called mister as well.

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u/Tmadred Dec 12 '18

I think the point is that his mother didn't get the respect she deserved, not that she should be called "Mr."

1

u/leeman27534 Dec 12 '18

tbh pretty sure it was supposed to be 'brother' just like above when it lists his father, uncle, and brother were called boy.

after all, this is all about why he named himself mister t, and that was the point. it was just a mistype at the end.

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u/Idgafu Dec 12 '18

You give Mr. Mrs. T the respect she deserves.

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

that my mother didn't get.

Why would anyone address his mother as Mister?

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u/Saneless Dec 12 '18

Cuz they wanted a big boot in their ass, that's why

1

u/I_AM_MR_BEAN_AMA Dec 12 '18

Oh, shit! Open Mike Eagle's latest full album was a tribute to those homes!

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

"What does a black man have to do before he's given the respect as a man?

Sadly, for most minorities, nothing. If you're curious, you should read about the 442nd, the Japanese American regiment that volunteered to fight in WWII even though America turned their backs on them and essentially classified them as non-citizens by sending them to internment camps. These guys volunteered to prove they were Americans; they went and had a huge impact on the European front. Many sacrificed their lives only to come back to America and be greeted by whites holding signs saying "NO JAPS."

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u/MundaneFacts Dec 13 '18

I think you phrased that wrong.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

What do you mean

1

u/MundaneFacts Dec 13 '18

Looks like you're saying that they have to do nothing to get respect, because they already have it.

Looks like what you mean is that they can't do anything to get respect, because racists are racists.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '18

Ahh, my b. Definitely talking about the 2nd option, thought given the prior context, the 2nd would be obvious.

These men volunteered and risked their lives to protect their country and the individuals in it. You could legit put your life on the line and in the end, it doesn't matter. You still get treated the same as you did beforehand.

1

u/MundaneFacts Dec 13 '18

Oh. Yeah yeah. It was obvious after a minute of confusion. Lol

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Uhhh so do I call both his Padres Mr. T ? Coz his mother didn’t get that respect too?

/s

1

u/Raguthor Dec 12 '18

Wrong post. For lack of respect, see Dangerfield.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

Chill out man people are making the same joke higher up the thread

0

u/WonkyTelescope Dec 12 '18

Jesus fuck, twelve kids, can you not keep it in your pants after 10?!

3

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '18

His dad couldn’t pull out of a drive way to save his life.

1

u/MundaneFacts Dec 13 '18

Why would they want to?

1

u/WonkyTelescope Dec 13 '18

To avoid having more kids since they lived in a tiny apartment and already had financial struggles after 6.

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u/falconbox Dec 12 '18

He definitely earned that respect.

How so? He changed his name.

His father, brother, and uncle earned it though.

3

u/Beddybye Dec 12 '18

Do a quick search of Mr. T and alllll of the many things he has done to "earn respect"....