CHAPTER 6 ~ Page 106
"I knew what she was doing, she was going to make clear, in advance, what she thought of me. This is still one of the black man's troubles today. So many of those so-called "upper-class" Negroes are so busy trying to impress on the white man that they are "different from those others" that they can't see they are only helping the white man to keep his low opinion of all Negroes."
This is said once Malcolm is ready to talk to the Army psychiatrist. However, the receptionist, who happens to be black, already has a bad disposition towards Malcolm. She goes in to tell her white superior her opinion about him in order to come off as better or a more sophisticated Negro. This reminds me of the speeches where Malcolm talks about the "Uncle Tom" Negroes and those who try to make friendly with the white folks as it serves as counterproductive towards their plight. The African Americans needed to bond together and gain power through their numbers, and this experience with the black receptionist is one of, I'm sure, many examples Malcolm experienced to have a sour taste in his mouth about the 'brown-nosing' sorts of the African-American people.
Yep! This would be a Tom-Ass Clarence Uncle Tom.
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