(ThyBlackMan.com) I spent a fair amount of time on the phone yesterday with a couple of New York City radio show hosts (Bob Pickett and James Mtume) for whom I have a tremendous amount of respect. We were planning a show on Sunday in which we will discuss the debt ceiling debacle, in addition to the current state of the Obama Administration. One of the issues that had to be acknowledged with the predominantly black, Harlem audience is the recent “Uncle Tom” comment made by Steve Harvey regarding Tavis Smiley and Cornel West.
Tavis and Cornel were on the show last week (the show, “Open Line,” comes on every Sunday), so neither Smiley nor West knew that Harvey would 
assault their blackness only three days later. What’s also interesting is that while Harvey refers to Smiley and West as Uncle Toms for being less than supportive of our first black president, Cornel West has done the same by implying that President Obama is less than authentically black.
So, much of black America is left confused, wondering: ”Who is the real Uncle Tom anyway?”
First off, I’m sure many of us can agree that the term “Uncle Tom” is historically inaccurate. The book, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” tells us that the poor man has gotten a bad rap for over 160 years. But beyond that, I would also guess that many of us can agree that such petty and weak language (or similar insinuations) would not be considered to be healthy political discourse. Cornel West never used the term “Uncle Tom” when referring to Obama. But by stating that the president is “a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs and a black puppet of corporate plutocrats,” he’s effectively calling him an Uncle Tom.
Personally, I’d have been more comfortable with West’s critique of the president if he’d simply called him a puppet, rather than a black puppet. Unfortunately, corporate America has hijacked America’s political conscience to the point that the poor and working class are left behind in most Oval Office conversations (note the massive increase in the wealth gap over the last 20 years and the large number of Ivy League graduates receiving Supreme Court and presidential nominations). With regard to Harvey, his decision to racially isolate any African American asking the Obama Administration to do a better job is problematic and oppressive. In spite of what Steve Harvey and even Glenn Beck might think, supporting President Obama is not a requirement for being a black man – black people elected him because they felt him to be the best candidate.
What’s most disturbing about all of this back and forth is that it helps almost no one. Cornel West’s sterling reputation within the black community has been damaged immensely by the battle, particularly his reference to not receiving inauguration tickets as being part of the reason that he’s disappointed with the president. Although the comment was fleeting and irrelevant, it ended up giving his enemies rope to hang the rest of his argument. So, because of his tiny remark about inauguration tickets, Cornel has been reduced to a “hater” who’s jealous of Obama’s success (are we EVER going to stop using such simple-minded analysis?).
President Obama’s reputation within black America is at an all-time low as well. Millions of struggling black people now see him as a spineless political figure who doesn’t have half the courage necessary to implement the “hope and change” that he claimed to represent. He was the man who made black people believe in the political system, and may serve as the reason that they never have faith in any politician again. Although the administration hasn’t made many public comments about the critiques of Cornel West, Obama Administration minions have been on the phone with nearly every black public figure to try to undermine Cornel’s message (I spoke to the administration once and then communicated that I didn’t want to speak to them again – I don’t enjoy having anyone try to tell me what to think).
The point here is that the conversation about President Obama, racial inequality and the state of black America must be one that is continued with civility and mutual respect. Name-calling and character assassinations don’t help anyone and only serve to make us all look silly. Urban League President Marc Morial, NAACP President Ben Jealous and Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have done a good job of focusing on the issues, and staying away from petty arguments and personal attacks. While I don’t always agree with Sharpton’s seemingly unconditional support of the Obama Administration, he is politically savvy enough to avoid starting any fights – he is, however, very good at finishing them when necessary.
Cornel West and Tavis Smiley are right to do their poverty tour, even if it is partly driven by a personal agenda. Their records clearly show that they’ve been consistent advocates for people of color, urban America and the nation’s poor. At the same time, the language used during the poverty tour should focus on confronting economic despair, and not their disappointment with the Obama Administration. Jesse Jackson, for the most part, has been a perfect case-in-point: During the 20 or so times I’ve been on his show since President Obama was elected, I’ve rarely heard him use negative language in reference to the president. He seems to understand that advocating for your constituents should be more important than shooting missiles of political hate toward those with whom you disagree.
This is a critical period in black political history. The community has seen reputations grow and die with the election of President Barack Obama. As we move into a new regime of black socio-political leadership, we must all educate ourselves to the subtleties of playing the game at the highest levels. But in order to succeed at the top of the political tower, you can’t use language from the gutter: We all have a right to our own version of blackness, whether that means supporting Barack Obama or not. Also, disagreeing peaceably is very important, since we must continue making progress after the Obama presidency is over.
Staff Writer; Dr. Boyce Watkins
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. For more information, please visit http://BoyceWatkins.com.