Learn English – Alternative term to ‘Uncle Tom’ for a black or colored person who is subservient to whites

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In Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, the eponymous character was meant to be a sort of model of resistance against slavery, a man who whose "devotion to his fellow slaves is so unshakable that he sacrifices a chance for freedom and, ultimately, his life to help them".[1] Some argue that the term Uncle Tom, as it has been used for the last century, was misappropriated.

So that got me wondering if there were alternative words or phrases used to describe a black or colored person who is subservient to whites.

Some thoughts on alternative names I found with a quick search… The term house negro—on top of being far more incendiary and problematic than Uncle Tom—is only specific to Black people (although I could envision people appropriating the house _____ prefix for other races). For Black women in particular, the term Aunt Jemima is probably more affiliated with the brand of breakfast foods, while Aunt Jane/Mary/Sally are not recognizable terms at all in modern culture.

[1]http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2010/05/uncle_tom_from_compliment_to_insult/

Best Answer

The word "sellout" could be an option and can be applied to any race.

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