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It's no more racist than Quisling or Tory, given the popular meaning of the term.
Is the term "Uncle Tom" racist?
You're splitting hairs. Yes, it's an attitude... an attitude based on racial biases.No, it is one black saying "your attitude is not appropriate for a black person.
Your attitude is inferior to mine."
Also race is at least partially a physical characteristic whereas idealism is not a
physical attribute. therefore the two should not be conflated. You cannot possibly
say that one is inferior because of his race without being a racist. It is possible
to say that one's ideas are inferior without being a racist.
No, it is one black saying "your attitude is not appropriate for a black person.
Your attitude is inferior to mine."
Also race is at least partially a physical characteristic whereas idealism is not a
physical attribute. therefore the two should not be conflated. You cannot possibly
say that one is inferior because of his race without being a racist. It is possible
to say that one's ideas are inferior without being a racist.
I disagree with that, an insult is not in itself racist. In this case, calling Clarance Thomas an Uncle Tom is not suggesting he is inferior because of his race, so it is not racist.
Generally the term Uncle Tom is used amongst black people to describe others whom we view as sell-outs and traitors to the race, who have lined up with groups that want to oppress and harm blacks as a whole. Given that context, I do find it offensive when non-black people use the term to describe blacks as it really is something that is mainly kept within the black community.
It was inappropriate in the example that has recently come up, but because the guy who was talking about Clarence Thomas was white. It is not an inherently racist term. It does not degrade the person it is used on merely for their race. It is meant to be a criticism of one's actions from a member of the same group, be it race, religion, gender, whatever. A pro choice woman could certainly call an anti abortion woman an Uncle Tom. That it refers to a black character does not make it racist. But the point is that it criticizes a person for their actions, for their betrayal. It is not exclusive to blacks, despite the origin.
This is just faux conservative outrage by people who have never experienced actual discrimination and don't know how to recognize it when it happens.
Actually no. What you are describing are the differences in behavior that come from one's socioeconomic background. One can be a middle or upper-class back person and not be an Uncle Tom. The main behavior of an Uncle Tom is that they adamantly are willing to sell out black people or betray the race for their own personal gains or to look better in the eyes of whites. For an example of this, all one need to do is look at the character Uncle Ruckus from the tv series The Boondocks, although they obviously aren't that extreme in real life.
I think it's racist. It's a derogatory term for blacks.
You're right in that it's derogatory, but it's usually a term that one black will make reference to another.
No, it doesn't have to do with the person being black enough, but rather has to do with their actions and specifically how those actions are done for their own personal enrichment at the expense of the black community. For example, a slave who goes and tells the master that other slaves are planning to escape would be an Uncle Tom.
It is not hair-splitting to distinguish between:You're splitting hairs.
I do not agree, but for the sake of argument let's say you are right.Yes, it's an attitude... an attitude based on racial biases.
I did not defend the comment. In fact I was very clear that it was a vile comment. [/b]Not being racist does not make it ok.[/b] I love watching conservatives try and make things about what they are not.
That still makes it racist. Just because a black person says it does not make it no longer a racist remark.
You've redeemed yourself.
To XFactor and CanadaJohn, I am not personally arguing if Justice Thomas is or is not a Tom, only how some can argue that he is a Tom.
X...okay.
Uncle Tom is simply a term used to imply or state that a black person has defected and or abandoned the black culture...in context to the story...in which the term is derived from.
If you choose to call it "race related"..so be it...
And no...white judges aren't going to be considered uncle toms because the term...didn't derive from a story about a "white" uncle tom...who became a turn-coat of sorts against whites.
It might behove you to read "Uncle Tom's Cabin" to grasp the differences in who he was in the book verse how he as completely recreated to make a movie.
I just want to take this opportunity to thank you for your comments in this thread. I've learned a great deal from your explanations and the perspective of the black community on terms that I, for one, thought I understood... but didn't.
Good job, I appreciate it!
All too often I've seen the term simply used to mean a black person who is conservative or has some conservative values. It happens repeatedly, case in point; it took like 3 posts for the OP of this thread to be referred to as an Uncle Tom (or female equivalent).
http://www.debatepolitics.com/zimme...s-illiteracy-have-place-any-court-system.html
Can we stop pretending it's some legit/fair criticism rather than the bludgeon it actually is?
That is definitely the way I've most seen it used. Those who use the term that way believe that the Democratic party represents the black community best and that any black person who goes against it is betraying what is best for his/her community for their own self-interests. It's an emotional appeal trying to get someone to go one way, even if it goes against what they believe, out of a duty to their race.
Also I hate you for linking to a Z/M thread and making me read some of that ****fest.
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