Uppity Rich Boys
by Hal_10000
And the jerkface of the week award goes to ... Lynn Westermoreland!:
Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the racially-tinged term “uppity” to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday.
Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama.
“Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they’re uppity,” Westmoreland said.Asked to clarify that he used the word “uppity,” Westmoreland said, “Uppity, yeah.”
Other Democrats have charged that the Republican campaign to paint the Illinois senator as an “elitist” is racially charged, and accused them of using code words for “uppity” without using the word itself.
In August, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) told reporters, “When I hear the word ‘elitist’ linked with Barack Obama, to me, that is a code word for ‘uppity.’ I find it extremely offensive and John McCain should know better.”
Political consultant David Gergen, who has worked in both Republican and Democratic White Houses, said on ABC’s “This Week” that “As a native of the south, I can tell you, when you see this Charlton Heston ad, ‘The One,’ that’s code for, ‘He’s uppity, he ought to stay in his place.’ Everybody gets that who is from a Southern background.”
The Obama campaign, asked about the quote, did not note any racial context.
Second thing first. Gergen and Berkley are full of shit. ‘Elitist’ isn’t a code word for ‘uppity’. I know. I have my Handbook of Secret Republican Code Words right here and “elitist” isn’t in it. Elitist is a dumb smear. But they also applied to John Kerry, one of the whitest men on the planet, and Algore, an android from the future.
But there’s is no way a congressman from Georgia can say “uppity” and not understand the implication. Maybe he didn’t intend to be racist, but perception counts for a lot. And the Republican Party just can’t even give the appearance of race-baiting this year.
Comments
This makes no sense:
they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks
But there’s is no way a congressman from Georgia can say “uppity” and not understand the implication.
I guess I’ve learned something today. Maybe I have my head in the sand, or it’s just from being out West, but I’ve always thought of that term as a term for arrogance. Maybe it’s something different in the South. I’m just worried if we keep going down this path were words continue to get added to the no no list, it will be only a matter of time until we are relegated to only saying uuuhhhh to each other, and then we’ll be accused of making fun of the mentally disabled.
Perhaps this word is bad use in certain areas. I just wonder how many words will be banned from the English language in the next four years that are perfectly fine with everyone now, but will by spontaneous invention deemed racist if they involve any criticism of Obama.
In the South, when a black person was acting “uppity”, or out of his place, he was often close to being lynched. It may have been vernacular in that context, but it isn’t a word that should be used by a Georgia politician unless he wants to be labeled a racist. It would be difficult to imagine that he didn’t know it. It isn’t used in conversation at all. I have heard it used much less often than the “N” word.
"When Clinton mocked Obama for the supposed emptiness of his eloquence, the chiding had a faint historical echo from Thomas Jefferson’s musings in “Notes on the State of Virginia” that “in music they are more generally gifted than the whites with accurate ears for tune and time,” but “one could scarcely be found capable of tracing and comprehending the investigations of Euclid.”
This guy goes on to say she isn’t racist, but still wants to point out the racial overtones (which you have to really twist to find any). He also does the elitist = uppity = racist line. Well, I don’t see anything racist here. Every candidate from the begining of time has said the same thing about their opponent, i.e. they deliver empty rhetoric. I really worry about this six degrees of Kevin Bacon where a word is said, can be traced to another word, where someone used that word, and make a racist comment, therefore it’s racist. Every word and action can be racist if you spin it right. We need to separate wrong from bullshit or we are screwed.
In the South, when a black person was acting “uppity”, or out of his place, he was often close to being lynched. It may have been vernacular in that context, but it isn’t a word that should be used by a Georgia politician unless he wants to be labeled a racist. It would be difficult to imagine that he didn’t know it. It isn’t used in conversation at all. I have heard it used much less often than the “N” word.
If that is really a big thing down there, I see your point. As far as the word being used in conversation, I don’t hear it very much either. Perhaps this is the reason, or it’s just become archaic like some words do.
I’m with Section8. Maybe it’s because I’m a westerner, or part of the Millenial generation, but I had no idea the word ‘uppity’ had any racial connotation. This pussyfooting around words is silly.
I too had no idea “uppity” was racist, and I have lived most of my life in the south, over 15 years between Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.
Schools need to teach the definitions of “macaca” and “uppity” so everyone can appreciate how offensive they are. Who knew!?
If that is really a big thing down there, I see your point
Of course it isn’t a problem anymore, duh. I don’t know anybody that would use “uppity” to describe a black man in general conversation. You guys really don’t know much about the South or are being deliberately dumb for the sake of blustering against political correctness.
I’m sorry I’m not over-sensitized to racist double-meanings, flogg. I, for one, often am unaware of these kinds of words.
Of course it isn’t a problem anymore, duh. I don’t know anybody that would use “uppity” to describe a black man in general conversation. You guys really don’t know much about the South or are being deliberately dumb for the sake of blustering against political correctness.
I told you I wasn’t aware of it’s use down there, hence I see your point if true. I don’t know what your problem is. If you want to call me dumb, ignorant, stupid, whatever, I don’t care. I’ll be the first to claim I don’t know every piece of information in this world. I’m certainly glad to have met the first person who does though. Congrats.
I just don’t spend my time thumbing through all the words that can be used as racist, and by who on whom, and I’ve certainly seen words that no one had a problem with be spun into racist meaning after the fact. See word elitist for example.
Are you calling me dumb because I’m white? Bitch.
uppity = snobbish
not sure how anyone, regardless of their political orientation, can call this “racist”
I too had no idea “uppity” was racist, and I have lived most of my life in the south, over 15 years between Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.
You mean to say you never heard anyone call a black person an
‘uppity nigger’?! Not once?! In a book or movie even?!
I dont know if I have heard the word ‘uppity’ used in any other context.
In terms of association, to me ‘uppity’ and ‘nigger’ are like peanut butter and jelly.
I grew up in the greater Philadelphia area, far from Georgia.
Are you calling me dumb because I’m white? Bitch.
Section8, I wasn’t singling you out. Sorry. I think I lumped a bunch of posts into one response. I have a really hard time understanding the resistance to the racist overtones of the word ‘uppity’. As Ed says, it is pretty common.
No worries flogg, and to clarify I wasn’t calling you a bitch, I was just using a word (dumb), then trying to spin it and making a big deal out of nothing. That kind of crap goes on, and I do have a problem with that. The post about Hillary for example. It just bugs me people will spin a comment such as the one she made, and there are plenty of other times this has happened.
As far as uppity, as I said if uppity has that history, especially in the South, and the guy who said it was from the South and would know full well the meaning behind it there, then I agree with you, and he should be called on it. I don’t agree with the elitist = uppity = racist garbage though. This does not include you though, because you never commented on it. I will tell you though, I just didn’t know that word was used in that context down there, and it really isn’t used here in the LA area at all either. We pretty much just call each other assholes out here, regardless of race.
I think the worry is that it might be a case of a gaffe (i.e. a politician accidentally saying what he really thinks) Uppity doesn’t mean snobbish - it means people acting above their station. A subtle difference, but when you’re talking about a black man, who wants to be president “acting above his station” then you’re in dangerous semantical waters.
Just a terrible choice of words is all.
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elitist = snob/marxist
uppity = snobbish
not sure how anyone, regardless of their political orientation, can call this “racist”