uppity

[ccharles000]

Lynn Westmoreland got nailed for referring to Barack Obama as "uppity" last week. Well, it turns out he's not the only one, suggesting more of a pattern and practice by white Georgian politicians than an innocent misuse of what one might mistakenly think is a racially-neutral word.
On Thursday (the same day as Westmoreland's gaffe) Retired Air Force major general Rick Goddard, who's running against Jim Marshall in the neighboring Eighth District, referred to MSNBC reporter Ron Allen, who is African-American, as "uppity" while being interviewed on a Macon radio news show.


Last night, Newt Gingrich disarmed a very uppity newscaster who tried to question him on the capabilities and leadership of Governor Palin.
Now unlike Westmoreland, who's not in any immediate electoral peril, Goddard is a challenger and was considered a strong recruit against the perenially-endangered Marshall. This may have made Goddard's slog a little more uphill.

http://swingstateproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2998

[Kookaburra]

1. Question about Uppity.

I have a bumper sticker on my car that says "Uppity Women Unite!" Don't see anything wrong with that, as I AM an Uppity Woman.

So my question is wouldn't it neutralize the ugly undertones of the word if you go ahead and call yourself that. Celebrate your uppitiness.

This is a sincere question -- I'm not trying to start anything.

[ccharles000]

2. You can call yourself uppity.

Certain groups of people it is wrong to call them certain words. You should not call a black person uppity but you can call yourself that. The same goes for women when they call themselves the b word or for us gays with the words queer and the other f word.

[JuniperLea]

3. I have a really fun book entitled...

Uppity Women of Ancient Times... truly fun and wonderful.

I think most people associate "uppity" with an "N" word that follows it a lot of the time. I'm offended by it used alone and in the context it is being used, and I'm a white woman.

[ColbertWatcher]

4. I think it was meant to be a racial epithet.

The way the book makes it sound is similar to the way African-Americans call themselves the N-word, it's a way to decrease the power of the word by owning it.