As primary season for the 2014 midterm elections continues, much attention has been paid to particularly contentious and close campaign races. One such race is that of the GOP primary for Senate in Mississippi. Current incumbent Thad Cochran was challenged by Tea-Party representative Chris McDaniel in a campaign that included name-calling, threats, and arrests. The election came to a head on June 24th,
when Cochran defeated challenger McDaniel. Not everyone was pleased with the outcome. Ultra-conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh was among those not so happy, and even brandished the dubiously rooted racial-slur “Uncle Tom” as a result.
Limbaugh called
African American voters who voted for Cochran “Uncle Toms”, referencing the racial stereotype that emerged from the play and minstrel show adaptations of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s acclaimed anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The term, often levied at African Americans, refers to individuals who are “traitors” to their identity, or are weak or subservient to dominant identity groups. Stowe’s depiction of the character Uncle Tom was quite different, suggesting that Limbaugh - among many others - has probably not read the text.
The use of “Uncle Tom” is prevalent in not just politics, but in entertainment, sports and news-media. Yet, all instances represent a failed interpretation of Stowe’s novel. What are ways we can mitigate the use of this racial slur? How can we inform and educate those who have not read Uncle Tom’s Cabin? If you have read the novel, what do you think of the use of “Uncle Tom” today? Have you ever witnessed the term being used? What did you do about it? Share below!
For more on the character Uncle Tom, visit the Stowe Center for our free exhibit Who Is Uncle Tom?, which examines the evolution of Stowe’s title character from a strong, Christ-like figure to a racial slur.
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