Startin' Some Shit - Oedipus and Uncle Tom

Startin' Some Shit - Oedipus and Uncle Tom

Tricky Dick; President Carter; Geraldo Rivera; Rev. Al; Oedipus Rex; Uncle Tom. Of the people on this list, who is more deserving of a good name than a bad one?

Richard Nixon, before he died, had his image rehabilitated ("He's tanned, he's rested, he's ready, Nixon in 92"). Jimmy Carter has turned from goofy lust-in-his-heart peanut farmer with alcoholic brother to elder statesman. Geraldo takes on the serious issues of the day. Even Al Sharpton got some respect during the presidential debates. It's common nowadays for notorius persons to be rehabilitated in some manner. Several people, in response to my last post, wrote to accuse someone or other of being an "Uncle Tom," which I felt was unjustified. So, my mission today is the rehabilitation and reintroduction into polite society of two people. Oedipus, and Uncle Tom.

Oedipus, if you don't know, was a character in ancient Greek mythology who married his own mother. Uncle Tom is a character in a book published in 1852 (before the end of slavery in America). Oedipus Complex is a term used by psychiatrists to denote someone's weird, unnatural obsession with "mommy" (think "Psycho" and Norman Bates). Uncle Tom is used as a disparaging remark about a black person who panders to the white man.

The case for Oedipus is pretty simple and straightforward, he DID NOT KNOW the lady was his mother. His father (the king) wished to have him killed as a baby, because the oracle predicted the father's death at the hands of the son, and the son's ascension to the throne. Some well-meaning buffoon found a way to save the kid's life, and he was adopted and raised by others, with no knowledge of his heritage, thus setting the scene for fulfillment of the prophesy. (Moral of the story: you can't outrun fate. Don't screw with the oracle.) It was totally not his fault. He was taking over a kingdom, and, after slaying the monarch, he married the beloved queen as was common practice in those days. Who knew? Sure, she was a little older, but they started young in those days, and she still looked damned good. When he found out what had really happened, he blinded himself voluntarily. Is that not enough punishment for the guy? I mean, really, what are the odds? Give him a break.

Uncle Tom is a bit trickier, but not much, to my way of thinking. Indeed, in his day he was an inspiration for abolitionists everywhere, even Abe Lincoln knew him by name. Allegedly based on a real person (Josiah Henson), the book Uncle Tom's Cabin describes the life of a slave on a large southern plantation, and the trials and tribulations he faces. Uncle Tom was a Christian, and a slave, and believed that his faith would save him. He was wrong, of course. But there are circumstances in life where hope is the only thing that keeps you going, no matter how futile, or impossible, or wrong that hope must be. What else is there? What's important to remember here is that, as I said earlier, the story was published in 1852, well before the end of slavery.

Now, granted, it was a REALLY long time ago when I read the book (no, it was not in 1853), so my memory could be faulty. But as I recall, the man was in an untenable situation. His choices were limited, to say the least. He made the best life that he could for himself under the circumstances, and was betrayed by people that he mistakenly thought he could trust. Nowadays we might say he had "Stockholm Syndrome." Regardless, he was living his life the only way he knew how. Calling someone an Uncle Tom to disparage the choices they make overlooks the fact that for the real Uncle Tom his choices were many fewer and were literally matters of life and death. No, he did not take up arms. He was not, however, a lackey, a sellout, or any of the other negative stereotypes his name presently implies.

His biggest flaw, from what I remember, was believing that the white man (as a fellow Christian) would eventually do right by him. So, if that's what you mean, go on and use the term. But if you mean otherwise, you are giving Uncle Tom a bad rap. While he himself was "sold down the river" he never did the same to anyone else. He was a pacifist, like Ghandi, or King. He respected and loved, and inspired these feelings in return, in both white and black people, encouraged other slaves to escape when he couldn't, and even saved the life of a slave dealer. You may not agree with the man's choices, but you have to respect the integrity with which they were made. He was a man of his convictions right up until his death, a position many of us would do well to emulate.