Uncle Obama's Cabin (by Latuff)
Latuff | 09.02.2010 00:54 | Anti-militarism | Iraq | Terror War | World
Uncle Obama's Cabin
Latuff
e-mail:
carlos.latuff@gmail.com
Homepage:
http://www.blackcommentator.com
Comments
Hide the following 22 comments
offensive
09.02.2010 09:36
morgan s
dumb not offensive
09.02.2010 10:32
What is really crap is the suggestion that Obama has been enslaved by white state power, rather than being his own man, with views that Latuff disagrees with.
After all you cant have an intelligent black rightwinger, can you?
Saapth
Re: offensive
09.02.2010 10:42
Whilst this book did have some positive impact towards the progression of the abolition of the slave trade, the book was mocked as liberal crap as it espouses the idea that 'love can transcend slavery'. In reality this book was a comfort to liberals and conservatives who feared the idea of black people actually violently rising up against their oppressors. Today the term "Uncle Tom" refers to a "black subservient fool who bows down to the white man".
I guess the point being made by Latuff's choosing of this imagery is to demonstrate that Obama is an Uncle Tom and a puppet for US imperialism because he is is complicit in invading countries where black and brown people live.
A
White supremacy and imperial genocide
09.02.2010 12:13
Chris
WTF?
09.02.2010 12:15
miserablist
This is so not racist!
09.02.2010 12:27
uncle al
i think it is
09.02.2010 13:35
Imagine the outcry if the BNP wanted to get their personally viewpoint across by portraying a prominant black guy as a shoeshine boy. Why should doing a cartoon of this nature be ok for someone but an an outrage for someone else? Is it acceptable to ridicule someone that uses their colour in a defamatory way? Do you actually think an average black person wouldn't be offended if they were portrayed as a shoeshine boy because of their colour? And why should his colour have anything to do with critisms on his actions and policies? If im unhappy with someone's service, I would certainly not criticise them in a way that brought up the colour of their skin.
morgan s
missing the point
09.02.2010 16:22
As someone has already said, Obama being a shoeshine boy that was a stereotype of a poor black worker is the whole point of the cartoon - it's a reference to Uncle Tom's Cabin.
The cartoon isn't primarily attacking Obama himself, it's more of a commentary on US society, saying despite a black man as President, it is still really rich white men who control the strings and the underlying racist inequalities are still there. It does criticize him for not confronting this, but that is a lesser point. Just as the slavers were worse than Uncle Tom, so the Rich White Men are worse than Obama.
anon
Latuff 2010 + Black commentator
09.02.2010 20:47
Must have been one of those self hating blacks?
Its not racist.
Which one? Where?
09.02.2010 21:10
anon
The bottom lefthand corner
10.02.2010 10:56
explaining
So that makes it alright. I see....
10.02.2010 18:27
FFS, two of George Bush's cabinet were Black. You seem to be stuck in some kind of 1950s timewarp. There are such things as Black politicians, Black rich people, and Black evil right wing bastards, you know. Why are you guys so obsessed with the colour of people's skin? Even the mad right wing Americans who want to nuke Iran aren't as racist as this.
anonymous
Was Uncle Tom That Bad (1 Million 300,000 Civilians Killed in Iraq)
10.02.2010 22:37
The Roman Slaveholders god of hypocracy was Janus, now noted as January, in which he says one thing to get elected but does the opposite behind the electorates back when in power.
Papryrus
Bush had two "Uncle Toms"...
10.02.2010 22:48
In reality there are more blacks in prison than in college in the U.S.
"No Viet-Cong ever called me a nigger" Mohamid Ali , before he got jail for his principled refusal to fight in Vietnam.
Ali also called George Foreman an "Uncle Tom" before one of their fights... racist ??
Anyway the U.S. political system is a race between two very rich teams who have identical views , the winner does so with 20% of the vote if they are lucky and the winner black or white is the lackey to corporate power.
The only reason they are taken seriously is that they,ll blow you off the face of the earth militarily if you disagree with their "brand " of "democracy".
At the moment we have a black world dictator prolonging and creating war for the profits of his masters.
Indeed , an Uncle Tom.
Nelson Mandella
racist
10.02.2010 23:54
Brilliant. Yes, thats because they have done things that are against the law (robbery, theft, beating people up etc).
- "No Viet-Cong ever called me a nigger" Mohamid Ali , before he got jail for his principled refusal to fight in Vietnam.
Again - brilliant. Got nothing to do with anything. Lots of people have been banged up in prison for not fighting.
- Ali also called George Foreman an "Uncle Tom" before one of their fights... racist ??
Yes. Although it does seem ok if a black person is racist to another black person. Not sure why that is, but there you go.
- Anyway the U.S. political system is a race between two very rich teams who have identical views , the winner does so with 20% of the vote if they are lucky and the winner black or white is the lackey to corporate power.
Maybe, but not sure what thats got to do with portraying a black guy as a shoeshine boy.
If Obama was white, would this cartoon be showing him as a shoe-shiner?
- The only reason they are taken seriously is that they,ll blow you off the face of the earth militarily if you disagree with their "brand " of "democracy".
Not quite, I think their job is a bit more indepth than that. They kind of run the country and set the rules that everyone has to play by in order to sustain a society that is in some semblelance of order.
- At the moment we have a black world dictator prolonging and creating war for the profits of his masters. Indeed , an Uncle Tom.
An uncle tom because he is black... right?! Racist.
pre view
Very suspect
11.02.2010 00:08
"Uncle Tom is a pejorative term for a black person who is perceived by others as behaving in a subservient manner to white authority figures, or as seeking ingratiation with them by way of unnecessary accommodation."
If thats is true, then anyone (including this cartoon) that is suggesting Obama is an Uncle Tom is being racist. It is a "pejorative term for a black person"....... how much more racist do you want!!?!? Perhaps it should just read "Black Ni****s cabin" - would that be equally acceptable?
Judias Loom
Political Correctness, gone mad!
11.02.2010 21:58
Is it not racist to order the murder of men and women and children in other countries because they are muslim?
A Leveler
This train's never late.
12.02.2010 12:57
So by your lights it's racist to fight terrorism but it's not racist to portray a black man as a shoe-shine boy speaking in stereotyped dialect.
Fantastic. I think you've been hanging around your right wing Islamic Fundamentalist chums too long mate. Typical indymedia really - First the Jews, now the Blacks, gays and wimmin next I suppose. That train's never late!
anon
" fighting terrorism" . . where?
12.02.2010 22:48
Take a body count of all sides in these conflicts and see who is doing the the terrorising you arrogant prick.
When was the last time you ever felt terror or fear for your life? never i suspect.
Answer me this bigman.
If an army invaded your country , smashed its infastructure , services , hospitals etc , began killing fellow citizens , friends tortured maybe. What would you do?
The nazis called the French resistance terrorists.. do you think they were ?
Bush the half-wit , Blair the poodle , Obama the uncle Tom , all basically prostitutes.
Get over it .
You took it as racist and miss the main message accidently on purpose i spose.
Answer the above questions Anon
anon 2
answered o' ye faithful
12.02.2010 23:21
How is the occupation of Afghanistan , Iraq and Iran if possible "fighting terrorism"?
- Afganistan has a lot to do with training. Iraq has nothing to do with Terrorism, neither has Iran and you know it strawman.
When was the last time you ever felt terror or fear for your life? never i suspect.
- Not for ages. Last time I was leading an E2 climb and my gear fell out - i was looking at a ground fall and started loosing confidence. I've never felt terror from terrorism because, fortunately, our fine intelligence network has thwarted these threats and arrested those people responsible. Those chipatti bread bombers spring to mind.
If an army invaded your country , smashed its infastructure , services , hospitals etc , began killing fellow citizens , friends tortured maybe. What would you do?
- I'd freak out. But what thats got to do with anything?
The nazis called the French resistance terrorists.. do you think they were ?
- Nope, because the resistance was on our side. The terrorists call the 911 bombers matyres, do you think they were?
maxiCAN
Trainin' who in Afghanistan?
13.02.2010 00:00
The 119 bombers were all Saudis , weren't they? Why not any aggro there? Because that "democratic" nation is "on our side"?
The only trainiing being done in Afghanistan is that of "Allied" troops and the patience of everyone that knows its all about pound notes.
The Afghans got their training years ago when they were "on our side", fighting those evil , vile" terrorist" reds.
How times change amigo.
jimaiCAN
terror
13.02.2010 00:22
- pretty much all of the ones that hate the US. They practical masturbate over it and think it was great.
The 119 bombers were all Saudis , weren't they? Why not any aggro there? Because that "democratic" nation is "on our side"?
- You're joining up two different bits of my comment and trying to say they fit together. I talked about training in afganistan and 911 in completely different, unconnected points. I didn't try to draw any connections between the two strawman
The only trainiing being done in Afghanistan is that of "Allied" troops and the patience of everyone that knows its all about pound notes.
- No its not. Theres a lot of training of the taliban into how to kill the us/uk/afgan troops. Theres also a lot of training of al'qaeda terrorists. Theres a lot of training all around.
The Afghans got their training years ago when they were "on our side", fighting those evil , vile" terrorist" reds. How times change amigo.
- Yes they did. Did you know the reds were a real danger to the UK at one point. If we weren't part of nato then their tanks wouldn't have stopped in east europe. Remember the cold war?
At one time, people in the UK were interested in defending their country. Now, they say that Iran should have Nuclear weapons (god knows why, what advantages that will give us i will never know) and walk around the place saying that terrorist should have rights and they have 'feelings'. How times have changed.
maxiCAN