What is racist about “Uncle Ben”?
We should ask Spider-Man what he thinks.
Apparently, in the pre-Civil Rights South, it was considered polite / friendly to address older Negro men with the prefix "uncle." This is now viewed as having been condescending.
Regards,
He offends white Democrats.
In 1921 a mob of angry white Democrats burned down a black community.
In 2020 angry white Democrats resumed burning down black communities ... but this time they think they’re helping.
I give up! Uncle!
Uncle Ben implies you have an adult male in the family unit.
The legend of the South is that slavery was fraternal, paternal, familial and beneficial. Uncle Ben was the chief house slave and is supposed to be associated with excellent food, and family love. Why Uncle Ben is the butler! He is what Mr. Carson is to Downton Abbey.
Similarly, the young lad in Joel Chandler Harris stories is far more connected to Uncle Remus than his own family. The lad's family does not play any role. Though not explained in the stories, as a white southerner, I am expected to assume that Uncle Remus was an old field hand, now too old to work, who's using his time with the boy to teach him something. If you can look past the racism, and the associated Romanticism of that world now "gone with the wind" (it never existed), which you CAN do after you look at the other things first, then you can see what Remus is actually teaching him about mankind, and how he is to get about in the world. Personification of animals in storytelling is now taken for granted, Mickey Mouse, Kermit the Frog, etc. but for Joel Chandler Harris it was a ground breaking idea. Harris claimed that he had heard just such stories from the slaves at Turnwold Plantation.
"Uncle Ben", "Aunt Jemima" and "Rastus" (Cream of Wheat) are idealized stereotypes which were used as marketing images in the world of the late 1890's and early 20th century. It is interesting why they "worked" then. It is also interesting why they continued to "work" until today. It is very interesting why all this is being changed and what will happen to the company. It is also interesting to me how the company is still called "Quaker Oats" as I have NO positive associations with the Quaker religion and have had only negative experiences with the liars and liberals who attend the meetings of our local "Society of Friends".
When I see the face of Aunt Lillian Richard on the box or on that bottle, which was always out on the table as we eat, I am only thinking about those delicious pancakes, along with bacon or Neeses Country Sausage, and let the syrup run all into the bacon...
Here's what her family has to say about it all.
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BTW, when reading the stories, say Bruhr Rabbit or Brr (short, quick) Rabbit not Brehr Rabbit like Bayer aspirin. Harris writes in "eye-dialect". You should hear it in your mind as an authentic period speech from about 1880. Everybody at a Baptist Church in Eatonton, GA is brother this or sister that and the word was slurred and glossed over quickly even elided into the next word.