MovieChat Forums > The Boondocks (2005) Discussion > Was Tom made more likable because of Ruc...

Was Tom made more likable because of Ruckus?

posted 9 years ago by AdrianLePier
2 replies | jump to latest

Obviously Tom was created to represent the "Uncle Tom" black guy whose personality dilutes all aspects of his blackness to better fit into white society. But I can't help but think that Ruckus' presence totally contradicted/invalidated Tom's original purpose. In other words, you couldn't really hate Tom with Ruckus on the same show. Or could you?

In the end, Tom didn't even really come off as an "Uncle Tom," just a corny, quasi-progressive black guy and if he had any self-hate/identify issues, they were played down.

[–] zymphonia 8 years ago

I never really felt like we were supposed to hate Tom. I think we were expected to see him as an Uncle Tom but were made to see that we just can't judge people by the position they hold in society. If anything he may have repesented someone who was trying to leave the baggage of racial identity behind and just be. Ruckus definitely owned the self-hate to umpth degree. He was the foil to Tom's character.

[–] Repairmanmanmanmanmanman 8 years ago

Tom sort of reminds me of Carlton Banks, political differences aside. While Will would always crack jokes about how Carlton dressed or how short he was, Will had his back during that episode when the frat president didn't think Carlton was Black enough. In the same way I laugh at Tom and his traits, I don't think he's not Black enough, or that he tries not to be Black.

That is all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAPn0REA8_g