Well I suppose it took longer than I thought it would.
A Republican congressman, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), has come right out and called Barack Obama “uppity.” At least this ignorant racist doesn't hide it.
The reporter actually gave the congressman a chance to take it back, but no go. This guy was born in the south and claims he didn't know what it meant. This is also the same guy that sponsered legislation to have the 10 commandments posted in the house and the senate yet he couldn't even list them.

At least he didn't use code, like so many others have. As you said, at least he doesn't pretend. Well, I guess he pretended he didn't know what it meant. I only know one word that goes after uppity.

Please tell me what is "racist" about the word uppity???




results for: uppity 1-2 of 2 results
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
Main Entry: impudent
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: Rude and disrespectful.
Synonyms: assuming, assumptive, audacious, bold, boldfaced, brash, brazen, cheeky, contumelious, familiar, forward, impertinent, insolent, malapert, nervy, overconfident, pert, presuming, presumptuous, pushy, sassy, saucy, smart
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus
Main Entry: snobbish
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: Characteristic of or resembling a snob.
Synonyms: elitist, snobby

Copyrights:

Cite This Source Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition
by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary.
Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Ther is absolutely no way that anyone with any integrity can defend what that man said. Period. This is one that you cannot spin.

What in the world is racist about the word uppity?? Please enlighten me.

Melissa

Well I, the so called racist on here, had to think awhile to figure out why that word would be bad!!! Then it finally dawned on me. I'm not sure what that tells us about people who instantly assume what could be the next word to follow it. Geez.

In the South, "uppity" is usually followed by the "N" word. It does have racial overtones in a lot of instances

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"Never explain — your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. —Elbert Hubbard"

Seems that many at mc decide many words are racist. Uppity is not, not at all.

dl

Not in my neck of the words.

"Uppity" means 'too good to hang with the regular folks'.

Elitist.

The brie-eating crowd.

I beg to differ with you on this one. My DH was raised in the South and he does not believe the word uppity is racist at all.

You know, it's funny, some of you find the word uppity to be racist, but, have no problem with someone calling the father of a child a "baby daddy". I certainly don't think that phrase is used in a complementary fashion.

I really do not get it all.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Oh, don't misunderstand--I *personally* do not find the word racist. Like so many things, it really depends on the context that it's used.

Kind of like "Angry black woman"

I actually took a 911 call where the caller described his assailant as "one big angry black woman". Of course, the other dispatcher was taking a call from the "angry black woman"! (skinny white boy hit voluptous, well endowed black woman's brand new car--yeah she was angry! She did actually assault the guy)

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"Never explain — your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. —Elbert Hubbard"

Some words have always meant a put down. Sort of similar to the way some people call Democrats "Liberals" with a sneer.

Uppity in these terms, the word was used in the past as a way to signal that some person of color had been thinking he was somehow better than the white people,. If a black man was a lawyer or a doctor and didn't show a white person the proper respect that the white person thought he deserved, then he was called upitty. It is a very derogatory word to use towards any black person in this context.

I am sure that some people would not be able to understand why that word is so offensive to people who have been called that whenever they try and do better for themselves. Especially in the southern parts of the country. If I am doing better than my white neighbor and feel good about what I am doing and where I am going, suddenly I am uppity. Why, you ask? Because my white neighbor is jealous of the success that I might be having and therefore I will be an uppity N - word.

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GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

Thank you. You have explained that very well.

Again - not in my neck of the woods. Not even close.

In fact, uppity is a word that would be far more likely to be applied to a wealthy white racist type.

Even used that way it is not something that is nice to say to or about someone, is it?

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GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

David Gergen, who has worked for both democratic and republican Presidents and a self-described "son of the south", agrees that it has a racist connotation.

Video at:

Gergen: McCain Using Code Words To Attack Obama As "Uppity"

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Ana
The Republicans have been putting lipstick on a pig for 8 years. Is a pitbull wearing lipstick an attempt to keep us from noticing the pig?

Well, I believe that description sounds accurate for the circumtances. It doesn't sound like she was a skinny, happy white woman! lol

Now that's classic coming from you!

Oh, I don't know. Sometimes the shoe fits and it's right to call a spade a spade.

Nellie Olson from Little House is the type I'd consider 'uppity'.

Never in a million years have I heard it applied in the way that is implied in the OP of this thread.

I'm not saying it's not truly used that way - just that that isn't a universal usage.

Hey, I get to hear him speak this month!

Gergen, that is!

You think so? I don't think I am as predictable as some other posters who shall remain nameless but everyone knows who you are.

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GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

And where I come from, that isn't a nice word either, LOL

Seriously, if you haven't ever heard of this word, then you have lived a good life. I have heard this word all my life describe people I know from people who do not know them. It was a reason for people in various hate groups to label people they thought had gotten out of hand....a black person who smiled at a white woman was "uppity". A black woman who didn't want to do menial labor, such as the wash or windows or floors, but wanted to go to school to become something was considered "uppity". It is a very common word. Ask around. I am sure that there will be very few who hadn't heard of this word either in movies or in real life.

Unfortunately, I have never heard it used to describe a white person. Never.

Did you see the HBO show, Big Love? In one scene it show two women, sisterwives of the father of Bill, the dad in the series. The women are watching the news and see Condie Rice giving a short speech. They both look at each other and one says "Uppity". It is used for exactly the purpose it was used in this context today.

__________________
GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

and the word "boy"? Why that too can be used in a derogatory manner as well.

words only have power if they are allowed to have power.

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"Never explain — your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. —Elbert Hubbard"

I think that when the word "boy" was used in the past, it was a way of putting black men in their place. They were not "men", they were boys in the way that as a boy (meaning child) the black person couldn't be on the same level as the white person calling them that. did that make sense?

The word boy may be just a word to some people but to a Black man, it is one of the most demeaning words to call him. He is more than a boy, he is a man except when he is being kept in his place as a boy.

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GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

I've lived a fine life, but will say that the minority population is Hispanic and not black, so perhaps that's why 'uppity' isn't in my vernacular in that way.

This is more aligned with the way I hear it used: Uppityshirts

Wow you need to move into a better area if this is a common phrase for you and your associates!

Marilyn, I deliberately put the LOL there to indicate the same thought-that words are obviously open to interperatation depending on one's upbringing. I do, however, agree with the OP that this time, the word uppity was used in a negative conotation. Although I was raised in the North, where we called a spade a spade, I live in the South, and uppity has both meanings here, too.

LOL......you know??? After I posted this, I thought, I can see where someone could be offended by this word, or any other word, for that matter. Hell, some people get in a huff over someone calling them "sweetie", and I'm not talking about when it's said here. I do see where it could offend someone, but, that does not make it racist.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

Oh my, I use it all the time, no kidding. I am referring to someone being rude and/or disrespectful when I use it. I never in my wildest dreams thought of using it in a "racist" manner. Maybe the people that are using it in that manner are ignorant to the true meaning of the word?

I agree with another poster, any word can be taken offensively. I am just not "up" on the racist words. I don't mean that in a snarky way, I just really do not know what is considered a "racist" word other than the blatant "N" word or the like.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I was born and raised in a very small, rural, all white community--I never had any friends "of color" until I was the only white girl in the dorm at college (well, on our wing at least). Unfortunately, I know pretty much every derogatory name, phrase and/or words that can be used in reference to Blacks/AAs.

I guess my point is this--when people stop allowing these words to have power, then those words won't be used. If a black man is referred to as "boy" by some white person--and the black man does not allow that word to ruin his day or upset him, then HE has won. And that word has lost just a little bit of power.

I have always been a "big" girl--oh let's be honest, I was fat. But when I stopped letting certain words have power over me, I became a much more self-assured person, and the people who used those words did not have the "power" to hurt me....

(and no, I'm not equating being fat to being a minority--just illustrating my point)

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"Never explain — your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway. —Elbert Hubbard"

Way off topic here...

Marilyn, I hate that you had to clarify that you were not equating weight with race. I never would have thought that, I got your point and moved on. I just wanted to say that we need to ..........oh I don't know what I'm getting at.

I knew what you meant, but some are SO sensitive that we have to be SO careful. It is never my intent here, or in real life for that matter, to harm anyone. If I say something that offends, I don't mean to, and I think that goes for MOST posters here. I just wish we could keep that in mind.

Now for the disclaimer......I was a bit froggy last night, so if I offended or hurt, I'm sorry.

Melissa

I just wanted to say that if I say something that sounds racist, it is probably out of ignorance and not intent. And I am sure that goes for several of us here, which is why we find it so frustrating to be accused of racism, when it is truly not in our hearts.

I just wanted to say that I was going to post the same thing!!!! That you shouldn't have to clarify that. That's exactly what I thought when I read that last item.

No, you missed the point, imagine that!

marilyn, I know that that words have many meanings, The N word is a horrible word and worse (if you can have words that are racist be less hurtful or more harmful) than boy or uppity. But the words boy and uppity remind AA people of a time when those words being used about you could mean a visit in the night by KTS's relatives dressed in a white sheet carrying a big cross of fire.


Just joking about KTS relatives,.....she has told us all that she is not a racist so that was a comment make sarcastically! Or it could be a test. I can't decide.

__________________
GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

Melissa, here is what would help then. If you use a word and someone tells you that it is a word that historically been a racist word, wouldn't it be better to say that you had no idea and never use it in that connotation again? Because what I hear from people who say things that are racist terms or ideas, when they are called on them, denies that they are a racist, don't wait for the explanation and continue to use the word regardless. That is what I when I would call someone "racist" Knowing that the word or idea that they are using is considered hurtful and yet they continue to use it after they are informed.

A poster here used a comment about some names that she thought were AA names and she connected those names to crime. It smacked of racism but even when she was told that it sounded racist she continued to claim it wasn't. Even if you don't think it is, if someone is hurt by that comment, i would think one would stop and pay attention and think about what words they use so as to not hurt someone, KWIM?

__________________
GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

She is EXACTLY who I would consider uppity... I never knew the term could be remotely considered racist... All the hispanics around here wouldn't take offense to that, so why do the African American's?

In history, the word Uppity was used by white people to describe black people who were getting "out of place" or "too big for their britches". This could mean the white person might beat them up or make a few calls and have some of his friends don their white sheets and hoods and visit said black man during that night.

I don't think the word uppity was used to describe hispanics. I will ask my dad, but I know it hasn't so therefore it wouldn't offend them.

__________________
GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

REALLY?????? I have lived in the south ALL my life and I have never heard uppity followed by the N word....I would love to know where some of you people get this stuff....It blows my mind.....I swear I think you just make it up as you go along.....Around here it means exactly what "wowitsdark" says.....

"Uppity" means 'too good to hang with the regular folks'.

Elitist.

The brie-eating crowd.

Pretty soon there is going to be some kind of racist meaning attached to every word....I wonder how THE could be really meant to be racist?????:rolleyes : I really get worn out by this garbage.... and we wonder whats wrong with the world today?????Sherri

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"It isn't that liberals are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

Yes, we make it up as we go along. Now you know the secret.

Why do you think that the fact that someone called Sen Barack "uppity" is causing such an uproar? Because it is a racist word used to describe people of color who thought they were better than others. Obviously, if you, KTS and a few others on MC haven't heard of it used racially, then the media and the guy who said it who is backing up quickly must be mistaken and should quite doing some damage control.

Surely, this is not the reason the world is at war, babies having babies, killing in the streets, crime, poverty, sickness, drought, flood, earthquakes, drug abuse...etc....surely you don't think that if we stop these words from having such a meaning, these things will stop. Wow, I will call the Pres. so he can tell everyone to stop using the word "boy" or the word "uppity" or any of the PC words that you chose, so my son won't ever have to go to war again! And cancer will be cured. And everyone will have a job. I wish you would've told someone earlier, lots of lives would have been saved.

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GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

Does this cut all directions?

There are a lot of words I hear hurled around on this very board that I know I find very offensive and make it very difficult for me to even read and sort through the thoughts and ideas on the 'other side'. When the only way Senator John McCain is referred to is "McSame" and words like 'liar' are tossed around like peanuts at a parade, my mind completely closes to what the poster has to say. I try *not* to get snarky right back but admittedly, sometimes I slip!

It just doesn't seem to advance the *ideas* people are passionate about when they use language and names that carry the sole purpose of an offensive slam. It does a lot of disservice to those who hold those same positions but communicate them with logic, information, and straightforward opinions.

I'm not stupid, and I hope no one else here is, either. I hold my political views because to me, they make the most sense. I believe life begins at conception and that's why I feel the way I do about abortion. Not because I hate women. Not because I want women to be 'denied' some 'right'. It's a simple, heartfelt belief about *life* that stems from my faith and from analysis and nothing more. And when you have a core belief like that, other alternatives don't necessarily fall into sync with it.

And yet when this topic comes up, my *position* is painted with stereotypical phrases that don't describe where *I* come from. Assumptions and accusations that are very hurtful are hurled right and left.

From the right and left.

And it's every bit as immature and divisive as those hotbutton words like 'boy' and apparently 'uppity' that are politically incorrect.

No, if someone were to be called stupid, they can get smarter by education. If someone is called a liar, then there is proof of the facts or they can start telling the truth. The words Uppity and boy are words that to some people still are hurtful and scary because they are used to describe someone because of the color of skin. Color cannot be changed. So, while I hear you that name calling is not nice, but those two words are bigger than not nice. KWIM?

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GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

I think it's all bad. I really do.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that stupid people don't become smarter.

Uneducated people can become educated. Ignorant people can become knowledgeable, but stupid people don't change.

The exception that I can think of is when people "act" stupid. That can, hopefully, change. But only if they were voluntarily acting stupid in the first place.


Another term that I really despise is "white trash" - that is actually offensive to ALL people, IMHO. That phrase seems to suggest that trashy people usually aren't white, and that a person actually has to qualify the trashy person as white, or the implication will be that they were not white. Does that make sense? And does this phrase offend any other people?

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

devinsmom, I always think of that in the opposite way... that of all the different kinds of white people, "Sue" is the trashy kind.

YOu surely arent suggesting that I for one would care in the least what the MEDIA says....I am saying thats not the way it is around here where I live....You believe whatever you want to....and no I wasnt saying that ALL the worlds problems are based on words....I meant no wonder the world is in the mess that it is when it comes to race....People cant say a word because of people like you who thinks that every word they hear is racist....it just makes the race problems in this world worse....I would have never in my life thought uppity was a racist word and I still dont......no one will convince me of that......Sherri

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"It isn't that liberals are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

Maybe that is how most people take it. I just don't understand why there is no phrase like "black trash" if there is "white trash"...

I don't think there should be *any* trash - that phrase really makes my skin crawl. I just always wondered why the "white" before it.

Weird.

And I never knew about the word "uppity" in different regions. I had the same "Nellie Olsen" image in my head with that one before this thread.

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

devinsmom, here is a very interesting explanation: white trash: Definition from Answers.com

Where I'm from, "white trash' would refer to someone who lives a certain lifestyle... probably promiscuous... wears lots of make-up that isn't especially flattering... talks trashy... is probably promiscuous... wears low-cut tops and too-tight bottoms.... is probably promiscuous... you get the picture!

I don't think I've ever referred to anyone as 'white trash' myself, but if I heard it that's the image it would bring to mind.

I didn't say that every word I hear is racist. If I did, please point it out to me. The usage of a word that is considered to be racist by a lot of people does not make race problems go away. It is the denial that the word is considered a racist word to a minority group that perpetuates racial problems.

The word KIKE is a very derogative word to someone of the Jewish faith. I would never dream of using that word to describe my Jewish friend once I was told it was not a nice word to call someone. See how easy that is.

But if you keep denying that certain words have history and that history is hurtful, you are right, the racial problems we have won't go away.

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GO NAVY WRESTLING!!BEAT ARMY!!!
RJB 3/18/60 - 5/22/04
We miss you, sweet brother.
Praying for my Marine Son who is deployed somewhere in the sandbox until July, 2008! He's HOME!!!!! God Bless the USA!!!!!

KIKE has one specific meaning whereas uppity has all kinds of meanings attached to it...

If someone lives in the uppity part of town it would refer to the RICH part of town!

I completely agree!!!!!!! I have NEVER heard uppity used as a racist word in my life......Sherri

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"It isn't that liberals are ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

Three words. . .Rev. Jeremiah Wright

What exactly is the relationship between McCain and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, besides that they are both Republican senators? Are they close personal friends going back 20 years?

The word Uppity has been used to refer to a black person who "didm't know his or her place." In other words, it was used to refer to a black person who spoke to a white person on a peer level, didn't cast their eyes downwards in the presence of a white person or someone (black) who acted like they had the same rights as whites.

It's probably been two or three years since I've heard it.

Seriously, I've learned that it's better to not even open a thread on race here on MC b/c you'll just repeat yourself explaining over and over and over to these folks why a word has racial overtones, the meaning behind it, how it offends, etc., and then they'll just swear they don't what the hell you're talking about, what it's like in their house, how their black friend doesn't mind it, etc. It's better to simply let them talk amongst themselves.


And with that said, I'm closing the thread and not reopening it. Just wanted to give you a heads up .

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"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God? " ~Epicurus

I think you said it best.

Closed thread....posts over 50. Please feel free to reopen a new one on this topic.

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