OK, I’m going to make one final appeal to black folks to simply stop the nonsense.
That would be this business of us dismissing – and dissing – each other as “Uncle Toms,” “house slaves,” “house Negroes” or well, just fill in any term that fits this pattern.
Usually, it’s black conservatives and/or Republicans that are the targets of these racially offensive, gratuitous, ad hominem attacks.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been called all of the above. One cover of the now-defunct Emerge magazine depicted Thomas with a handkerchief over his head.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been the target of such attacks; so have former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Some blacker-than-thou Negroes gave Detroit Mayor Dave Bing a “sambo sellout” award. His offense? He supported charter schools.
Perhaps the cruelest and most egregious case was that of the late, great former heavyweight boxing champ Joe Frazier, who was raked over the coals for being an “Uncle Tom” during the days when he was Muhammad Ali’s main ring nemesis.
Decking Ali in their first fight and giving him hell in the 26 rounds of their final two fights didn’t make Frazier an “Uncle Tom.” It DID make him exactly what he was: a badass to the bone.
Now we have Spike Lee getting the Uncle Tom, house Negro treatment. And who’s the one giving it to him?
Luke Campbell, former member of the rap group 2 Live Crew. Yes, the guy famous for making smutty videos is now trying to come off like former Public Enemy rapper Chuck D.
Talk about a sign of the Apocalypse.
Lee’s views about Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” don’t sit well with Campbell. In a recent op-ed piece, Campbell unloaded on Lee with this tirade:
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I really appreciated this article. I think we are very critical by nature because we are always being critiqued by all cultures. That has to have an affect on us. We need to be accepting of one another and embrace our differences, because we are one of a kind!!!!
The name calling is representative of attempts to describe a person who’s public actions tend to conflict with the interests of their racial community. Orio’s, Apple’s, Banana’s, and Coconut’s refer to skin color of members of different black, native american, asian, and hispanic racial groups who appear to have internalize white cultural/political interests.
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This is a really great article on the subject. It is the most balanced, well-thought out, sensible, perspective with wisdom and insight. This piece should serve as the blueprint for how we as black people should move forward and empower ourselves to make an impact and create a new history for the generation coming behind us. Thank you for this article! It’s time to share it with everyone on the real!!!!!!