The term “Uncle Tom” is used in the African American community to describe someone who is overly submissive to white people. The term originated from the character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, who was actually a role model. The term became popular during the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s, and was used to criticize those who were afraid to participate in the movement. The term is considered highly offensive and is mostly used within the African American community.
The slang term “Uncle Tom” is used in the African American or Black community to describe someone who is perceived as overly gracious in interactions with white people. The term is meant to imply that the person is submissive and overly deferential, behaving like someone of a lower class or social status rather than treating whites as equals. Usually, this term is used as an insult.
The origins of this slang term can be found in an 1852 anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Indeed, the book’s title character is anything but submissive and accommodating, unafraid to stand up for himself and his values. Stowe apparently wrote his character with the intent of making him into a role model, but over time his portrayal was distorted on stage and screen, until the character’s original identity was overshadowed by a stereotypical male of color who wishes to please the white “master”.
The term appears to have entered common usage in the 1960s and 1970s, when the growing civil rights movement led many African Americans to stand up for their rights assertively. Members of the movement were encouraged to speak up and refuse to be intimidated by white-skinned people. Acts of civil disobedience, such as sitting at the “whites only” lunch counters, have been committed with the goal of bringing civil rights to the fore and promoting equality, and many of these measures have been successful.
People who were afraid to participate in the civil rights movement began to be accused of being Uncle Tom, with critics saying they were bringing down all African Americans by being subservient to the white community and collaborating with whites. The term also began to be used as a pejorative epithet for people who chose traditional paths, such as academic careers, even when these individuals worked hard to change the system from within. Anyone complicit in some aspect of white culture could be criticized, from people who complied with segregationist policies to young black professionals.
As a general rule, this term is considered highly offensive and is mostly used within the African American community. For someone outside this community to use the term, as Ralph Nader did in 2008 when referring to then-Senator Barack Obama, would be a serious breach of etiquette. Within the community, the use of “Uncle Tom” as an epithet varies considerably, reflecting the diversity of African American culture and language in the United States.
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