What does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”?

Harriet Beecher Stowe

     In 1852, a woman by the name of Harriet Beecher Stowe published an anti – slavery novel called “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was about the life of a slave named Tom. Tom was a well educated slave. He was very obedient to his slave mater so he didn’t get into too much trouble. In the novel, Tom was sold to another slave owner because his slave master had to pay off a debt that he owed. After Tom was sold, he began to work hard so he can become a free man because he wanted to get back to this family and live a normal life again. That doesn’t happen because Tom dies from a really bad whipping. Tome gets whipped because he didn’t want to tell on two slaves that ran away from the house. The novel is really good but there are a lot of questions that stuck out to me like what does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”? Is this term still being used today? Is there a similar term currently used to describe the attributes of an “Uncle Tom”?

 http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/stow-har2.jpg

            What does it mean to be called an “Uncle Tom”? The Merriam-Webster online dictionary says “Uncle Tom” means, “a black (person) who is overeager to win the approval of whites (people).” People have their own definition of the term “Uncle Tom” because its slang. Slang is made up words that are substituted for different meanings. The online Urban Dictionary shows plenty of different definition to the term “Uncle Tom” because there isn’t a solid definition for the term. I think “Uncle Tom” means someone who is willing to do whatever they can to get approval from someone in a higher position. The definition of “Uncle Tom” is based on the opinion of whoever is saying it.

 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uncle%20tom

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Uncle%20Tom

Jalen Rose

Spike Lee

            Is “Uncle Tom” still used today? Yes, “Uncle Tom” is still being used to this day. The term is still being used mostly in the black community. There are famous black people that are calling other black people “Uncle Toms” like Jalen Rose and Spike Lee. Jalen Rose is a well know point guard who played in the NBA. In the famous “Fab Five” documentary, Jalen Rose called Grant Hill an “Uncle Tom” because he played basketball for Duke University. Duke didn’t have a lot of black players on their basketball team at the time so Jalen felt like Grant Hill did whatever he had to just to play basketball at Duke. Spike Lee is a well known director in the black community. Spike Lee called Tyler Perry a “Uncle Tom” because Spike Lee feels like Tyler Perry’s movie character Madea is a form of coonery Spike Lee thinks Tyler Perry is degrading black people just to sell his movie.

 http://gcobb.com/2011/03/17/jalen-rose-calls-grant-hill-an-uncle-tom-for-growing-up-in-two-parent-family/

http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2011/04/tyler-perry-says-spike-lee-can-go-to-hell

http://thebiglead.fantasysportsven.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Jalen-Rose-ESPN1.jpg

http://cdn.necolebitchie.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/spike-lee.jpg

 

            Is there a similar term currently used to describe the attributes of an “Uncle Tom”? Yes, the term that comes to my mind is the term “sell out”. The online Free Dictionary says “sell out” means, “to betray one’s cause or colleagues.” This term is another form of slang so there isn’t a solid definition for it. A lot of people think there are a bunch of “sell outs” in the hip hop industry. Most rappers will do whatever they can to make money. Some even go against the image their label made for them to become famous like Ice Cube. Ice Cube was a gangster rapper that rapped about the life of a gangster. Things started to change the older Ice cube got. Ice Cube began to go a different route so he became an actor. Ice Cube acted in different family oriented movies so his fans felt like he “sold them out” just to make money. A lot of rappers still “sell out” just to make money.

 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2010/03/16/the-20-most-embarassing-sellout-moments-in-hip-hop-history/

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sell+out

     The term “Uncle Tom” has evolved a lot since the publishing of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. People still use the term to this day. Even famous black people use the term to degrade each other. There isn’t a lot of words that relate to the term “Uncle Tom” but “sell out” is the closes thing t