Arts, entertainment, and more.

April 20 2007 3:48 PM

Uncle Ben, CEO?

The strange history of racist spokescharacters.

By David Segal

Click here to launch a slide show

Click here to read a slide-show essay about the history of racist spokescharacters.

.

.

.

Advertisement

.

Powered by Livefyre

War Stories

The Time the United States Blew Up a Passenger Plane—and Tried to Cover It Up

These Verbal Tics Show the World You’re Insecure

Pop Quiz: Can You Identify These ’80s Hits by Just Their First Second?

Debbie Reynolds Has an Advice Column. And Many Letters She’s Answered Sound an Awful Lot Like Mine.

Blake Lively Launches a Lifestyle Website and You Will Hate Yourself

Brow Beat

Welcome to Sweden vs. Real-Life Sweden: Tacky Furniture Edition

New Photo of Ben Affleck’s Batman Reveals He Needs to Shave

The Airbnb Guest Who Never Leaves and Now Lives in Your House Instead of You

Paul Ryan’s Anti-Poverty Plan Is Paternalistic. It’s Also Compassionate and Smart.

In NFL, Smoking Pot Can Get You Suspended Longer Than Allegedly Knocking Your Wife Unconscious

VIEW ALL

Politics

Paul Ryan’s Anti-Poverty Plan Is Paternalistic. It’s Also Compassionate and Smart.

The Man the Chamber of Commerce Can’t Beat

How the Great Recession Obliterated Black American Wealth

The Nation Just Published the Most Outrageous and Factually Erroneous Defense of Putin Yet

VIEW ALL

Brow Beat

Welcome to Sweden vs. Real-Life Sweden: Tacky Furniture Edition

New Photo of Ben Affleck’s Batman Reveals He Needs to Shave

If You Liked Matangi, You’ll Love M.I.A’s New Song With The Partysquad

The Acclaimed Drumming Drama Whiplash Looks Intense

VIEW ALL

Future Tense

Canvas Fingerprinting Is More Invasive Than Cookies. But Should You Worry About It?

Massive Mayfly Hatching in Wisconsin Shows Up on Weather Radar

Cowabunga, Dude! Pizza Hut is Making a Real-Life Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Thrower

Internet Father Vint Cerf Explains How We Keep Web Addresses Straight

VIEW ALL

Moneybox

Why Is Chocolate Getting So Expensive?

Putin Doesn’t Need to Fear Economic Sanctions. Why? Because Russia Is Europe’s Gas Station.

Can Walmart's New U.S. CEO Turn Its Struggling Operation Around?

Were Initial Jobless Claims as Great as They Seem?

VIEW ALL

Food

No One Can Agree on What “Homemade” Means. France Is Learning That the Hard Way.

Is Gay Love Really Just “Graphically Misshapen” Friendship?

What is Drag? A Queen Explores the Many Meanings of Her Art.

The UFO Welcome Center, for Tired Extraterrestrial Travelers

VIEW ALL

Bad Astronomy

WANT Part XX: Hubble Lego Edition

What Is This Mystery Object in an Astronaut’s Photo?

These Verbal Tics Show the World You’re Insecure

Do Dogs Get Jealous?

VIEW ALL

The XX Factor

Republican Strategy on Women: "Rape Is a Four-Letter Word. Purge It From Your Lexicon."

The Scientific Case for Decriminalizing Sex Work

Blake Lively Launches a Lifestyle Website and You Will Hate Yourself

Why Can’t We Stop Talking About "Bikini Bodies"?

VIEW ALL

Sports Nut

A Whole Lot More Examples of Wimbledon Plagiarism by the Times of London’s Neil Harman

Wimbledon Discovered Its Annual Yearbook Was Full of Plagiarism, Kept Selling It Anyway

How to Follow Soccer Now that the World Cup Is Over

Lance Stephenson Is the Most Fascinatingly Flawed Player in the NBA

VIEW ALL

Video

How to Tell an Animal Is Domesticated Just by Looking at It (Video)

Orange Is the New Black Is Making One Real-Life Sheriff Very Unhappy (Video)

Help! My Mother Is Obsessed With My 1-Year-Old’s “Waistline.”

At What Age Are Americans Happiest With Their Appearance? (Video.)

VIEW ALL

Photography

Gripping Images of Gaza Under Seige

Are These Photos Staged? Does It Matter?

The Way We Eat Dinner Now

Mesmerizing Portraits That Capture Multiple Moments in a Single Second

The Gist

Would You Trade a Roman Emperor’s Life for Air Conditioning and Soap?

So Why Is Everyone Playing Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

Naked Cruise: Should Clothing Ever Be Optional?

Why Nerds Love “Weird Al” Yankovic

VIEW ALL

Dear Prudence

Dear Prudie Early Release: Help! The Dad of My Daughter’s Friend Is on the Sex Offender Registry.

Watch a Live Stream of the July 24 Political Gabfest Taping

New Editor Julia Turner Chats With Slate Plus Members About the Magazine’s Future

David Plotz Reads His All-Time Favorite Slate Essay: “Watching the Couples Go By” (AUDIO)

VIEW ALL

Follow Slate