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Uncle Tom is a pejorative for an African American (and to a lesser extent Hispanic Americans or Asian Americans) 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 is debate over whether the character himself is deserving of the pejorative attributed to him.^[1]

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 the same meaning

A more offensive term with the same meaning is house nigger (as contrasted with field workers from the days of slavery). In 2002, actor/singer Harry Belafonte used a variation of the term, White House nigger, to characterize former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.^[2]

Sometimes, women who tom are called Aunt Jemima after the popular pancake mix that long depicted a kerchief-headed family cook of that name.

A roughly equivalent term for black people is Oreo, from the chocolate sandwich cookie with white filling, implying that one is black on the outside but white on the inside.

American Indians sometimes will use the term Uncle Tomahawk. These terms are generally considered to be racist and offensive in polite society.

A common antonym for "tomming" is Mau-Mauing, a word derived from the violent, protonationalist Kĩkũyũ uprising in British colonial Kenya.

The practice of covert resistance

During slavery, "tomming" could be a cunning subterfuge. White masters often gave well-liked and trusted slaves coveted, less physically demanding duties to perform. "Faithful" bondsmen and women also tended to be watched less closely, allowing them opportunities to escape to freedom or engage in clandestine acts of defiance. A tomming fieldhand who had been bullwhipped might set a field afire or destroy farm implements. An outwardly compliant cook whose husband or children had been sold away from her might burn down the cookhouse or exact a slow and agonizing death from her master by poisoning his food.

Slaves also often calculatingly pandered to white supremacist assumptions about blacks. The self-referential use of the word "nigger" to their own advantage was a typical, self-deprecatory artifice of tomming. Implicit in taking on such a label was the unspoken reminder to whites that a presumed inherently morally or intellectually inferior person reasonably could not be held responsible for work performed incorrectly, an "accidental" fire, or any other similar occurrence. Tomming effectively could enable someone to dodge personal responsibility for sometimes blatant insubordination or perceived incompetence and allow them to escape completely the wrath of an overseer or master. Acting in a dimwitted manner was another effective device, which also helped put whites at ease. Stepin Fetchit, the 1940s on-screen persona of comedic actor Lincoln Perry, was the quintessential Uncle Tom. Whites often assumed that a black person who thought of himself as a "nigger," who apparently willingly accepted his subordinate status, or who was simple-minded, posed no threat to white authority.

This practice of masking defiance or rage with acquiescence, civility and even obtuseness continues today. As in years past, tomming can be a means of appropriating and preserving a degree of private autonomy in the face of social prejudice and institutional racism, an act of subversion — or even an over-the-top, mocking response to race prejudice.

Notes

^ A New Look at 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', The Tavis Smiley Show, November 29, 2002.
^ Excerpt from 2002 radio interview

References

Osofsky, Gilbert, ed. (1969). Puttin' On Ole Massa: The Slave Narratives of Henry Bibb, William Wells Brown, and Solomon Northup. Harper & Row.

External links

An article on the Uncle Tom caricature

[1] A New Look at 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', The Tavis Smiley Show, November 29, 2002.

[2] Excerpt from 2002 radio interview

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 Sometimes, women who tom are called ''[[Aunt Jemima]]'' after the popular pancake mix that long depicted a kerchief-headed family cook of that name.
-A roughly equivalent term (for [[black people]]) is ''[[Oreo Cookie (slang)|Oreo]]'', from the chocolate sandwich cookie with white filling (implying that one is black on the outside but white on the inside). ''[[Bounty (chocolate bar)|Bounty]]'', from the coconut-filled chocolate bar, is a similarly used term in France. ''[[Coconut]]'' has the same meaning for [[Latinos]], [[Filipino people|Filipinos]], (and Black British), and ''[[Twinkie (slur)|Twinkie]]'' or ''[[banana (person)|banana]]'' for [[Asian]]s.  [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]] sometimes will use the terms "Uncle [[Tomahawk (axe)|Tomahawk]]," and "[[Apple]]". These terms are generally considered to be racist and offensive in polite society.
+A roughly equivalent term for [[black people]] is ''[[Oreo]]'', from the chocolate sandwich cookie with white filling, implying that one is black on the outside but white on the inside. {{See|Food metaphors for race}}
+[[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]] sometimes will use the term ''Uncle [[Tomahawk (axe)|Tomahawk]]''. These terms are generally considered to be racist and offensive in polite society.
 A common antonym for "tomming" is ''[[Mau-Mau]]ing,'' a word derived from the violent, protonationalist [[Kĩkũyũ]] uprising in British colonial [[Kenya]].