John Ridley, Huffington Post: "When Rove Calls Obama Arrogant, He Means "Uppity""

[Amerigo Vespucci]

When Rove Calls Obama Arrogant, He Means "Uppity"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ridley/when-rove-calls-obama-arr_b_109639.html

Karl Rove says Barack Obama is arrogant.

We've heard that; we've heard the pejorative "arrogant" before. When I say "we" I mean those of us who are "others" in America; people of color. Minorities. Women. We hear the word all the time from a select section of privileged white guys; the codifying they use when they fear the silver spoons are about to be snatched from their lily palaces: "Those people... How dare they think they can work jobs like ours or live in neighborhoods like ours or send their children to school with ours? Those people are just so damn arrogant."

Arrogant, of course, is a euphemism. In the monochromatic bunkers from which old-schoolers cling to power the true word they use is "uppity" when hurled at blacks. It's the "B-word" for women. I'm not sure what the Rovian ilk use for the Latinos and Asian-Americans who dare claim their due, but I'm sure it's equally as derisive and wielded with sick pleasure.

Arrogant?

The only arrogance Obama is guilty of is the same "Unforgivable Blackness" so many exceptional people of color have demonstrated throughout the history of this country: a refusal to bend to the will of the Retro Guard. To Rove, to the neocons such attitude is wholly unacceptable. Back in the day such "arrogance" was met with a strong rope and tall branch, and anyone who believes that analogy to be too harsh, read here how Roy Bryant and J.W.Milam dealt with the arrogance of 13 year old Emmett Till.

But in this day and age Karl Rove is reduced to making statements which he does not even have the meat to own up to.

Nevertheless, speaking of Obama's "arrogance" Rove is quoted as saying: "Even if you never met (Obama), you know this guy. He's the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone."

[bdamomma]

1. oh now that is funny and sick

Rove=Arrogant

[blondeatlast]

2. I thought that was fairly obvious, but I'm glad someone had the guts not

to tiptoe around it and call Rove out for it.

That's EXACTLY what it means and why Rove saw no hypocrisy at all in it; Rove is "entittled" to make clumsy advances and off-color remarks to the pretty waitress at the Club; Obama has no business being there. :eyes:

[FourPieRun]

3. maybe, maybe not; either way the knee-jerk racism accusations probably don't help O's chances in nov

[Donald Ian Rankin]

4. No, I don't think he means anything at all.

"Arrogant" is one of those words like "elitist" or "bigotted" - it doesn't actually mean anything, it's just something you hope will stick to your opponent.

The best insults are the ones that can't be refuted.