The Berliner Tageszeitung said something that could never be said in America. Over a picture of the White House they put a headline titled, “Onkel Baracks Hütte,” or Uncle Barack’s Cabin.
That really crossed a line that cannot be used in America. Last night, Stephen Colbert used the headline as part of his story on foreign press coverage of the US election.
To call someone an “Uncle Tom,” especially a black man, is an insult of the highest degree. This comment is not even made in jest in the US.
Watch the Stephen Colbert clip from June 11 titled “Un-American News – U.S. Election Edition” here. The taz article is mentioned about 3 minutes into the clip.
The taz article is discussed further here.
Colbert’s comment: “As a rule, Germans shouldn’t do humor.”
Bella Stuttgart 