Everything about Uncle Tom totally explained
Uncle Tom is a
pejorative for an
African American who is perceived by others as behaving in a subservient manner to
White American authority figures, or as seeking ingratiation with them by way of unnecessary accommodation. The term
Uncle Tom comes from the title character of
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel
Uncle Tom's Cabin, although there's debate over whether the character himself is deserving of the pejorative attributed to him.
It is commonly used to describe
black people whose political views or allegiances are considered by their critics as detrimental to blacks as a group.
Other terms with similar meanings
A more offensive term with the same meaning is "house
nigger" and its euphemism "house slave." The term contrasts field workers from the days of slavery with those who worked in the master's home, who historically received preferential treatment. In 2002, actor/singer
Harry Belafonte used a variation of the term,
White House nigger, to characterize certain political figures.
A similar term for black people is
Oreo, implying that one is black on the outside but white on the inside like an Oreo cookie. This also applies to the terms
coconut or
Bounty. Sometimes, women are called
Aunt Jemima after the popular pancake mix that long depicted a kerchief-headed family cook of that name. These terms are considered offensive.
Native Americans in the United States sometimes will use the term
Uncle Tomahawk. Similarly, Mexicans in the US may be referred to as "tio
taco" or "tia taco" (from
tío /
tía, Spanish for
uncle /
aunt).
Notable controversial users
In the 2007 Philadelphia mayor's race, Democratic hopeful
Milton Street called fellow candidate
Michael A. Nutter a "
Watermelon Man" after a 1970 movie where a white man becomes black.
During a 1995 game between the
New Jersey Nets and the
Utah Jazz, Nets' forward
Derrick Coleman called Jazz's
Karl Malone an Uncle Tom.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Uncle Tom'.
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