BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Alice
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 06:46 PM

Faux News or Fake News, whatever you want to call it, the Fox News is so ridiculously slanted, I'm not surprised by anything they make up and call news. Desperate people do and say desperate things. People who get news from a variety of sources know how bad Fox News is. Unfortunately, there are some who only get their "news" from Limbaugh and the Fox crowd.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 05:30 PM

It seems Michelle Obama doesn't get anything right, if you go by all of the above and THIS.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 05:26 PM

I wouldn't call 1.6 million a "very small clique." Also, Rachel Maddow, whose show follows him and is equally progressive, regularly pulls in the same amount, sometimes more than Keith.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Riginslinger
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 05:11 PM

The problem with Olbermann is, he doesn't have any credibility outside of his own very small clique, so if anything is going to be done, somebody else is going to have to do it.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 05:06 PM

Thanks for posting this, Azizi. Keith Olbermann rants on about what he calls "Fix" News and/or "Faux" news every night on Countdown on MSNBC. I don't think he ever misses a swipe at "Bill O'the Clown" and others. I hope he covers this story, too. It is despicable, though I am not sure it would matter who the First Lady was, if she were in any way the opposite of the GOP and its minions. They are so scared of the change WE have mandated, they will try anything and we must call them out on it, as you say and have done.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Azizi
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 05:06 PM

Correction:

TJMS = Tom Joyner Morning Show

And with regard to that last quote, I definitely think that it's not only some White people who are viscerally against anything that President Obama and/or his wife do or say. People against Obama for the heck of it and not for policy reasons come in all shades of colors.

And I don't think that hatred has anything to do with Juan Williams' comments about Michelle Obama. I think it's the dollar bills that drive Juan Williams.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Azizi
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:57 PM

Here's another quote from that same jack and jill politics blog:

"Juan Williams just spoke to Roland Martin (on the TJMS)* Williams acted as if he were really trying to protect First Lady Obama--and thereby, the President--and was simply cautioning them to make sure that she always exhibited her Jackie O side, and not her Stokely Carmichael side. In other words, Williams tried to dig his way out, but only dug himself in a deeper hole.

The good news is that the resistant strain of White people who hate President and everything he/we stand for, are becoming less relevant on a daily basis. As such, so are their Black lawn jockeys and shoe shine boys. Juan Williams should definitely include himself in that most irrelevant mix".

-snip-

TJSM = the Black radio talk show "Tom Joyner Morning Show"

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Azizi
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:31 PM

Regardless of race or ethnicity, a lot of people, myself included, are calling out Juan Williams and any others like him. We're letting them know that we peep their hold card. We're letting them know that they can address differences in policy with the Obama administration but they will not diss Michelle Obama or Barack Obama or their children without hearing from us.

See this comment from a poster on the Black political blog, jackand jillpolitics.com:

"In response to Mr. Juan Williams and his latest verbal barrage I say the following:

I am of the humble opinion that First Lady Michelle Obama has made such a postive impression on the WORLD stage during this 2 year campaign process culminating with the Inguaration last week that Fox News had to crank up the propaganda machine. The entire CELEBRATION last week has frightened them. How could it be that America have young, intelligent, family oriented, respectful representatives (President and First Lady Obama) with world wide support, hope and optimism for America to rise again to it's once illustrious standing? Oh and did I mention they happen to be African American.

So what do they do, they use Juan Williams (a man of color) to attempt to demean and denigrate The First Family (people of color) by informing the uninformed that his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, is some type of RADICAL & ANGRY African American woman by linking her to a Black Power historical figure. They are using a parsed statement {"really proud"} from a speech First Lady Obama was giving while campaigning to suggest she is some time of ticking RACIAL TIME bomb and that she is not really an asset to her husband, America, and the world at large. Once again Fox News is attempting to open up a cultural war from the sixties in America; affable Blacks (Juan Williams and President Obama) versus radical Blacks (alledgedly First Lady Obama); while simultaneously playing divide and conquer between a Black husband and wife. Moreover, it is obvious to anyone with eyes that The Obama Family (Husband, Wife and Daughters) possesses strength in each other. What is the best way to marginalize that power, attack the foundation of the family, the wife and mother. This is so "old school", one would have to go back to the Southern Plantation to reference it."
-Posted by Josephine | January 27, 2009 11:06 PM

http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2009/01/the-roots-of-the-attack-on-first-lady-michelle-obama/

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: CarolC
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:21 PM

I should say that I'm not talking about Uncle Toms and Aunt Jemimas with those term. Just the people who work for FOX NEWS.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: CarolC
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:20 PM

Sleazeballs and whores.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Azizi
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:20 PM

Here's a response to Juan William's comments from a Black journalist:

Misguided Attack on Michelle Obama
By Stan Simpson on January 28, 2009 2:52 PM

"Fox News commentator Juan Williams is continuing this silly, mindless character assasination of Michelle Obama, calling her too militant*.

Michelle Obama grew up in the south side of Chicago. She has two Ivy League degrees, is a lawyer and someone who espouses family values and the importance of education and good parenting.

Being a tall, imposing, attractive dark-skinned African American woman is intimidating to some. The First Lady has always embraced her south Chicago roots. She has street smarts, in addition to the Ivy League pedigree. It's quite a combination. One of the issues she'll be taking on as First Lady is the plight of military moms and their special needs. Real radical stuff.

A sidebar to America electing its first Black president is that the world will have a different perception of Black women. Michelle Obama is someone that little girls and older women can look up to."

http://blogs.courant.com/stan_simpson/2009/01/misguided-attack-on-michelle-o.html


-snip-

*The word "militant" is a hyperlink to the article posted in my first comment to this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:17 PM

By the way, a Black friend has a white "lawn jockey" in his front yard.

There is also extant a photo of my brother and others laying as if dead at the feet of a blind, Black friend who is wearing a pith helmet and holding some sort of oversized elephant gun. The title of the picture is "The Great White Hunter."

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Rapparee
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:14 PM

Jealousy comes in all skin colors, Azizi. It's very easy to tear down; it can be almost impossible to build.

I don't know Juan Williams, I don't watch very much television and certainly as few of the "talking heads" as I can. I know him mostly from the comic strip "Boondocks" and, well, I'm quite sure I wouldn't agree with him on very much.

Subject: RE: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Azizi
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:13 PM

See this quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom :

"Uncle Tom is a pejorative for a black person 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. Stowe never meant Uncle Tom to be a derided character, but the term as a pejorative has developed based on how later versions of the character, stripped of his strength, were depicted on stage.[1]"

-snip-

The current Mudcat thread BS: Uncle Tom's Cabin is not at all related to this thread.

Subject: BS: Modern Day Uncle Toms & Aunt Jemimas
From: Azizi
Date: 28 Jan 09 - 04:05 PM

"Hankerchief head", "lawn jockey" and "negro"[with the "n" purposely in lower case] are all contemporary terms for a much older term which is still in use: Uncle Tom [and his female counterpart "Aunt Jemima".

Since the USA has a Black President and a Black first family are there still Uncle Toms around? Unfortunately, yes.

As exhibit A, see this article:
http://www.bet.com/News/Decision08/beheard_news_JuanWilliamsBlastMichelleObama.htm


Black Commentator Blasts First Lady
By BET.com Staff & Wire Services

"Juan Williams, an African-American commentator on the conservative FOX News channel, described First Lady Michelle Obama as a militant who could harm the president with her "blame America," "I'm-the-victim" attitude.

Williams, a former Washington Post reporter and author, told show host Bill O'Reilly that, like Vice President Joe Biden, "If you think about liabilities for President Obama that are close to him … Michelle Obama's right there."

He continued, "[S]he's got this Stokely Carmichael-in-a-designer-dress thing going. If she starts talking … her instinct is to start with this 'blame America,' you know, 'I'm the victim.' If that stuff starts to come out, people will go bananas. …"

This isn't the first dig that Williams has taken at Mrs. Obama.

Referring to an impending speech at the Democratic National Convention last August, he said, "Well, she's got to be herself, but I do not think she can go for it all out in terms of this kind of militant anger that she sometimes uses, you know. She can be, it seems, rather cynical or dismissive of people. … If she goes anywhere near the race issue or the militancy issue, she'll go "from being the new Jackie O to being something of an albatross."

-snip-

And see these comments that were posted in response to Juan Williams' remarks:

kbtazz (01.28.09 at 12:03pm)
This uncle tom better back up off my first lady. Michelle Obama is the epitome grace and elegance. She is also one of the most well spoken African American woman that I have ever seen. On top of al that, she has degrees from BOTH Princeton AND Harvard....Who is Juan Williams??.........................EXACTLY

**

precious1933 (01.28.09 at 11:35am)
No darling, you are the albatross around the neck of Black Americans. If you think for one minute that Bill O'Reilly will stand up for you as they are throwing your Uncle Tom ass out of the door, you are gravely mistaken.Could there be a bit of jealousy, do you have an Ivy League education? None even knew who you were until you started with your accusations. Our First Lady is not attempting to channel Jackie O, regardless of what you and your other cohorts are saying. She is being herself. You people are so busy criticizing the Democrats that you can't even keep up with the things your conservative cohorts are doing. Those who can DO, those who CAN"T, criticize.

**

xbbjf4j (01.28.09 at 11:25am)
Just another Uncle Tom letting White American pull his strings like the puppet he is, You should be ashame of yourself, but just like Kat Williams said there is always gonna be haters, so let that Hater do his job. Michelle Obama is going to be a wonderful First Lady!!!!

**

2dimplzs05 (01.28.09 at 11:18am)
Keep dancing your jig for Massah Bill O'Reilly Jaun Williams. What a joke! "She's too militant! We don't want to scare off the white folks! I wonts to keep massah happy cause I's don't wonts to have to go out in the fields and work with them darky negroes! I's a good ole' house ni**a!!" Shut the hell up you idiot!!!
   
**
harmon7 (01.28.09 at 11:15am)
Mr. Williams is bought and sold by main stream corporate America "Fox Network". He is their puppet. The First Lady did not identify herself as a victim. However she is not in denial of true American History. The United States does not have a pretty past. The first Lady's speech at the Democratic National Convention was powerful. The comments made by Mr. Williams on the Bill O'Riley show is not suprising

-snip-

For the record, none of those commentators were me. However, I definitely agree with what they wrote, and I agree with another commentator to that article Arreba (01.28.09 at 10:55am) who wrote
"This guy is a real jerk, and needs to stop attacking the First Lady like that..."