Quote:
Originally Posted by LaneSig
So, seriously asking:
If you don't disagree with him. And his op-ed is an example of "Uncle Tom", please explain why it is "Uncle Tomism".
Edited: I felt that my original statement could be misconstrued.
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I didn't catch your original statement, but the tone of this one is fine by me.
For LaneSig and MysticCat (thank you for the "serious" inquiry):
I don't disagree with his statement, because it is accurate. Mychal Bell did commit a crime, and this criminal behavior possibly could have been mitigated early on by positive attention from a strong male role model, or from members of the community. Or maybe not. It's all speculation, as Kevin would say.
But one thing remains crystal clear in my mind, and for many others: the punishment in this case did not fit the crime. That is the crux of this issue. And yes, the charges were reduced, but they should never have been so high in the first place. And as I've said before, this case is not an isolated incident of injustice -- it's merely one more addition to a very long chain. There are cases across this country that we never hear about where African American minors receive a heavy-handed charge for a minor crime.
As to the Uncle Tom statement: I regret saying it in a forum where the majority of the people don't—and perhaps can't—understand a) what the term means and b) why I'm using it. But I'll happily break down my logic for you. An Uncle Tom is one who seeks to ingratiate himself with whites by mimicking a stance which is essentially (and/or subversively) anti-black, or behaving obsequiously.
While the author's suggestion that the lack of role models may have been a contributing factor is an accurate one, I think he was behaving irresponsibly (or "Uncle Tomishly" — not a word, I know) by avoiding the real problem in a very touchy issue and only saying: where were the protesters when Mychal Bell was growing up?
Because he was avoiding the issue of institutional racism and injustice, and instead attacking those (black) people who rallied, albeit after the damage was done, I call him an Uncle Tom.
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