It's Official. Republicans think Obama is uppity.

[Alferd_Packer]

Quote:

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., today -- asked to compare Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin with Michelle Obama -- said "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."

Asked to clarify that he had, indeed, just used the word “uppity,” the Georgia Republican responded in the affirmative.

“Uppity, yeah," Westmoreland said.

At least he is being honest in his beliefs, even though he is a ashhat.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpu...rn-republ.html

[Whiplash]

It's official, Alfred likes to make threads.

You and Ben have got this whole thing covered for everyone else. We can count on new negative stories and press related stuff to hit these forums in less than 5 minutes. Kudos.

[Tsukasa Buddha]

That statement is atrocious.



I mean, come on, they are a member of an individual? WTF?

I just can't compute that statement, so I can't tell if "uppity" was used in its historical connotation.

[Alferd_Packer]

Originally Posted by Tsukasa Buddha

I can't tell if "uppity" was used in its historical connotation.

Is there more than one connotation?

[BenBurch]

Pretty funny when Cindy McCain wore a $300,000 dress then other night at the convention.

Can you say "eliteist?" Sure. I knew you could.

[BenBurch]

Originally Posted by Whiplash

It's official, Alfred likes to make threads.

You and Ben have got this whole thing covered for everyone else. We can count on new negative stories and press related stuff to hit these forums in less than 5 minutes. Kudos.

We're working on processes and hope to get that down to 90 seconds. Then we apply for ISO 9000 certification!

[KoihimeNakamura]

Why not 9500?

[BenBurch]

Originally Posted by Rika

Why not 9500?

That might be a better choice.

Correction; The whole OUTFIT she wore was $300,000. Not Just the dress. That is according to Vanity Fair magazine.

[leftysergeant]

An elitist who favors the desires of working people over those of investors. Riiiight.

[Meadmaker]

Originally Posted by BenBurch

That might be a better choice.

Correction; The whole OUTFIT she wore was $300,000. Not Just the dress. That is according to Vanity Fair magazine.

Presumably this includes jewelry, right?

[BenBurch]

Originally Posted by Meadmaker

Presumably this includes jewelry, right?

Correct, which is why I corrected that;

Quote:

Apparently, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that bling. Vanity Fair is reporting that the potential First Lady Cindy McCain — known for her rhinestone lapel pins — wore three-carat diamond earrings estimated at $280,000 and a $4,500 Chanel watch on Tuesday night. Tally that with her $3,000 Oscar de la Renta dress.

So, yeah, a $3000 dress is just a rag that any waitress could pick up at Wal-Mart.

[aerosolben]

Originally Posted by Tsukasa Buddha

I mean, come on, they are a member of an individual? WTF?

To be fair, that's clearly an unpracticed verbal remark to an off-the-cuff question - I doubt you or I always speak in complete sentences when formulating thoughts on the fly. The meaning is clear.

That said, the whole "elitist" meme is still dumb.

[not_so_new]

I don't know guys, I am not buying this one. I think "uppity" has lost of little of it's zing.

I feel I am pretty well versed in history and colloquialisms, that was not the first thing that came to my mind (of course I am 40 so I am a little outside of that thinking and I am not from the South which has a good deal of racism still).

I just asked my 30 something girlfriend what she thought of that quote and in a cold review she didn't focus on the word "uppity" either. Again, her and I don't think that way, we are a little younger than that generation and we are pretty liberal in our views of race etc.

Of course on the other hand I guess we need to look at it in the eyes of the person who said it and I think that could be what he was after here... I just don't want to judge him on something he didn't say without knowing what he was really thinking.

Without getting inside his head I don't think anyone can say for sure so I think it's best to hang on to that racism card for a little bit.

[DavidJames]

Racist? I doubt it. I think it's a classic attempt to neutralize the McCain doesn't know how many houses he owns and thinks people making up to 5M are middle class criticisms.

[Puppycow]

Those uppity Obamas
The grammar is odd. He appears to be saying that the Obamas themselves think that they are uppity. But that doesn't make sense.

Quote:

“Honestly, I’ve never paid that much attention to Michelle Obama. Just what little I’ve seen of her and Senator Obama, is that they’re a member of an elitist class … that thinks that they’re uppity.”

I guess being able to speak the English language correctly makes you an uppity 'elitist'? Regular folks like Westmoreland don't believe in highfalutin concepts like grammar.

[Meadmaker]

Originally Posted by BenBurch

Correct, which is why I corrected that;



So, yeah, a $3000 dress is just a rag that any waitress could pick up at Wal-Mart.

It's unfortunate that people choose candidates based on their clothes, or jewelry, or bank account, but there's no denying that they do.

Still, when people call Obama an elitist, I don't think they are comparing income levels or lifestyles, and it is something that will cost Obama votes unless he can counter the substance of the charges.

ETA: Maybe "substance" isn't the right word. I just mean that Democrats, including Obama, have a reputation as looking down on some sorts of Americans. They put down Sarah Palin because she was just a small town mayor until recently, but in doing so, they make it seem like small towns, and the people who live in them, don't count. John Kerry thinks that shooting a goose will pull in NRA voters, and during his photo op hunting trip walks in and says, "Can I get me a huntin' license here?" Famously, Obama says that people cling to guns and religion. Democrats want to use the power of government to help people, but in doing so, it often comes across as, "You need my help." That's where the charge of elitism comes from.

[shuize]

Originally Posted by Meadmaker

It's unfortunate that people choose candidates based on their clothes, or jewelry, or bank account, but there's no denying that they do.

Still, when people call Obama an elitist, I don't think they are comparing income levels or lifestyles, and it is something that will cost Obama votes unless he can counter the substance of the charges.

ETA: Maybe "substance" isn't the right word. I just mean that Democrats, including Obama, have a reputation as looking down on some sorts of Americans. They put down Sarah Palin because she was just a small town mayor until recently, but in doing so, they make it seem like small towns, and the people who live in them, don't count. John Kerry thinks that shooting a goose will pull in NRA voters, and during his photo op hunting trip walks in and says, "Can I get me a huntin' license here?" Famously, Obama says that people cling to guns and religion. Democrats want to use the power of government to help people, but in doing so, it often comes across as, "You need my help." That's where the charge of elitism comes from.

I agree. I don't have any love for right-wing evangelicals, but if there's one thing that will keep me voting Republican, it's those on the left who make a habit of looking down on rural America. Along with Obama's "clinging to guns and religion" line, the attitude your post describes: "You stupid hicks are too dumb to know what's good for you" goes a long way in explaining why I do not care for the Democrats.

[mrbaracuda]

Would you have preferred 'toffee-nosed', Mr. Packer?

[Foolmewunz]

Hmmm... born in '50... staunch right wing conservative Georgian? Sorry, no way he doesn't know the connotation of "uppity" to the Civil Rights Generation. I believe it was a slip. He was probably heading for "elitist" or even "upper class", but his natural bent took him to "uppity". The fact that the interviewer caught it and brought it up just cornered him into pretending he said what he meant to say.

Anyhow.... Lynn Westmoreland? Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. This is the guy who co-sponsored the bill to post the Ten Commandments in the Courts or House or Senate (can't recall which) but couldn't name them when asked.


ETA: Here's the video.... It's all the way at about 5:40. I generally find Colbert's interveiw act is wearing thin, but the content is worth it.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/196817..._westmoreland/

[Cleon]

Well, if nothing else, this state is always entertaining...

Once again, Cleon's Law in action.

[PixyMisa]

Originally Posted by leftysergeant

An elitist who favors the desires of working people over those of investors. Riiiight.

The two are hardly mutually exclusive.

Which does not detract one iota from the asshattedness of the statement in question, of course.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by shuize

I agree. I don't have any love for right-wing evangelicals, but if there's one thing that will keep me voting Republican, it's those on the left who make a habit of looking down on rural America. Along with Obama's "clinging to guns and religion" line, the attitude your post describes: "You stupid hicks are too dumb to know what's good for you" goes a long way in explaining why I do not care for the Democrats.

LOL

Which is funny because he was talking about you then right?

Too funny.

Look, it's up to YOU how you want to take someone's words. No one makes you angry or happy you let yourself be angry or happy with how you choose to perceive the words of others.

If you honestly think that the Democrats are saying that you are "too dumb to know what's good for you" I think that says way more about YOU than it says about the Democrats.

News flash….. the Democrats are not elitists unless you want to equate elitist with educated, in which case I believe an educated president is a GOOD thing. All the other "elitist" BS is made up GOP rhetoric.

Stop looking at the BS from both sides and look at the real issues that matter to you. If the economy, health care for you and your loved ones, LOWER taxes for YOU and just about everyone you know, education, science, states rights (yes STATES RIGHTS), smaller federal government (yes SMALLER FEDERAL GOVERNMENT), and balanced federal budgets matter to you and you STILL vote Republican then while I highly doubt you are "dumb" I do think you might be misinformed.

I used to lean towards the GOP as well. I am a working stiff just like almost everyone on this board and at some point I realized that people like Cindy McCain standing at a podium with $300,000 worth of jewelry and clothing on didn't represent me and I WAS stupid for continuing to vote against my own interests.

Sorry for the rant, I just used to be you a while back, from rural America, raised on a farm etc. so I recognized a kinship.

[BPSCG]

Nice lying thread title, Alferd. Here, I have one for you:

It's official. Democrats think McCain is a Nazi.

Here's the proof.

"Wait a minute," you say, "that's just one guy who works for Obama. You can't go tarring the entire Democratic party just because of what one asshat says."

Yes I can. Sauce, goose, gander, etc. If one idiot Republican can be your standard bearer for the entire Republican party, then one idiot Democrat can be my standard-bearer for the entire Democratic party.

It's official. Democrats think McCain is a Nazi.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by BPSCG

Nice lying thread title, Alferd. Here, I have one for you:

It's official. Democrats think McCain is a Nazi.

Here's the proof.

"Wait a minute," you say, "that's just one guy who works for Obama. You can't go tarring the entire Democratic party just because of what one asshat says."

Yes I can. Sauce, goose, gander, etc. If one idiot Republican can be your standard bearer for the entire Republican party, then one idiot Democrat can be my standard-bearer for the entire Democratic party.

It's official. Democrats think McCain is a Nazi.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=artslot

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/...t_the_building

[Tricky]

Growing up in the South, the word "uppity" was used in many connotations. Children who talked back to their parents were called "uppity". Women who tried to do a man's job were called "uppity". Poor people who put on airs of being high-class were called "uppity". Then of course, there was the more universally familiar term "uppity n-words". The final one was the one that became a kind of rallying cry for blacks who wanted equality. Because of that attention, the word became to be used as more of a slam against racists, and sometimes sexists. (My wife has a t-shirt that says "Uppity Women Unite!") I haven't heard in many years, anyone use the word without sarcasm, so Westmoreland really is a creature of a bygone age. However, I honestly don't think he meant the word in a racist context.

The great irony though is that people who use the word "uppity", even in a non-racist sense are in fact elitists who feel that people shouldn't try to rise above their position. That makes it even more sad/funny.

[BPSCG]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...l?hpid=artslot

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/...t_the_building

And this has eff-all to do with the topic how, exactly?

[Kestrel]

Originally Posted by Tricky

Growing up in the South, the word "uppity" was used in many connotations. Children who talked back to their parents were called "uppity". Women who tried to do a man's job were called "uppity". Poor people who put on airs of being high-class were called "uppity". Then of course, there was the more universally familiar term "uppity n-words". The final one was the one that became a kind of rallying cry for blacks who wanted equality. Because of that attention, the word became to be used as more of a slam against racists, and sometimes sexists. (My wife has a t-shirt that says "Uppity Women Unite!") I haven't heard in many years, anyone use the word without sarcasm, so Westmoreland really is a creature of a bygone age. However, I honestly don't think he meant the word in a racist context.

The great irony though is that people who use the word "uppity", even in a non-racist sense are in fact elitists who feel that people shouldn't try to rise above their position. That makes it even more sad/funny.

The term also dates back to a time when people believed your "station in life" was determined at birth. A son was expected to take on the same job as his father. A daughter was expected to be a housewife, just like her mother. Young men from the lower classes served in the military as enlisted men. Black people took jobs as laborers or household servants. Anyone who aspired to be something more than their parents was uppity.

[Earthborn]

Originally Posted by Alferd_Packer

Is there more than one connotation?

Wikipedia says yes.

Originally Posted by Meadmaker

It's unfortunate that people choose candidates based on their clothes, or jewelry

If that were true, why isn't this person the Republican candidate?

[Tricky]

Originally Posted by Kestrel

The term also dates back to a time when people believed your "station in life" was determined at birth. A son was expected to take on the same job as his father. A daughter was expected to be a housewife, just like her mother. Young men from the lower classes served in the military as enlisted men. Black people took jobs as laborers or household servants. Anyone who aspired to be something more than their parents was uppity.

Exactly correct. The term came from a time when attempting to "go up" from your station in a rigidly stratified society was viewed as wrong. That can have many implications, including, but not restricted to racism.

Great name/avatar, BTW. Kestrels are among my favorite birds.

[BPSCG]

Originally Posted by Earthborn

Wikipedia says yes.

Yeah, but "uppity" attached to a black man means only one thing: "He doesn't know his place, which is the back of the bus, at the end of the line, or stepping off the curb into the street when a white woman approaches from the opposite direction."

It is, at best, a singularly poor word to use in this context; at worst, a deliberate, insulting racial provocation.

Quote:

If that were true, why isn't this person the Republican candidate?

Stylish taste in women's clothing didn't outweigh bad campaign strategy to put all the eggs in the Florida primary basket. Plus there's no way the Republicans would nominate a Code Pink lunatic.

[Alferd_Packer]

Originally Posted by not_so_new

I don't know guys, I am not buying this one. I think "uppity" has lost of little of it's zing.

Originally Posted by Tricky

However, I honestly don't think he meant the word in a racist context.

Eenie, meenie, minie, moe. . .

[Redtail]

I would have to say this is a combination of what Tricky and beeps said. "Uppity" is used on many throughout the south but when referring to a Black person it's a very poor choice of words.

For example, in my hometown, our high school had a Coach Hendrix who was the DC for football. One of his favorite terms was "Ya'll need to get back in the kitchen!" What he meant by this was we weren't done with the game/practice yet. Now, let's say a Dem politician who had him as a coach used that line in a discussion about Palin. I would instantly know what he meant but the rest of the country wouldn't and take offense, and it would be hard to blame them.

[Kestrel]

Originally Posted by Tricky

Exactly correct. The term came from a time when attempting to "go up" from your station in a rigidly stratified society was viewed as wrong. That can have many implications, including, but not restricted to racism.

Great name/avatar, BTW. Kestrels are among my favorite birds.

They are one of my favorite birds also.

My avatar was created from this photo taken last month.



This kestrel is a very luck bird. I found it in my basement, most likely stashed there by one of the cats. It was released a moment after the photo was taken and flew away.

[Alferd_Packer]

I had an opportunity to rescue one, two years ago. She had flown too close to a landfill flare and gotten her feathers singed.

I took her to a wildlife rescue center where she was cared for then eventually returned to the wild.

[MattusMaximus]

Actually, to be fair, it's only one Republican.

But wow, talk about a "Macaca" moment.

[not_so_new]

Okay, I didn't realize this was the same guy Colbert interviewed a while back.

Lynn Westmoreland is a complete tool and honestly he is not very bright judging by this video and the quote above so I would not be too surprised that this "uppity" business was a racial slur.

http://www.comedycentral.com/colbert...videoId=180282

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by BPSCG

And this has eff-all to do with the topic how, exactly?

To me it shows a party that is not very inclusive of other races or ideas. They portray themselves as the Good Old Boy party with "small town values" so I think these photos and articles show the ramifications of that mindset.

I have thought about Westmoreland's comments for a few days. I am VERY cautious to play the race card because I feel it is overplayed (as are a few others) but if you look at the GOP as a whole it shows a pattern of behavior towards race relations.

These two articles go towards that pattern of behavor.

[Tricky]

Originally Posted by Kestrel

They are one of my favorite birds also.

My avatar was created from this photo taken last month.

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting...1bf1e63364.jpg

This kestrel is a very luck bird. I found it in my basement, most likely stashed there by one of the cats. It was released a moment after the photo was taken and flew away.

Way cool! This was the closet I ever got to one. He was just posing for me on the wire, not nearly as skittish as most kestrals I've seen. I couldn't tell if he was just standing on one foot, or if he'd lost one.

[ZirconBlue]

Originally Posted by shuize

I agree. I don't have any love for right-wing evangelicals, but if there's one thing that will keep me voting Republican, it's those on the left who make a habit of looking down on rural America. Along with Obama's "clinging to guns and religion" line, the attitude your post describes: "You stupid hicks are too dumb to know what's good for you" goes a long way in explaining why I do not care for the Democrats.

Obama is free to look down on me. He's certainly accomplished a lot more in his life than I have. Ditto for John McCain. You have to have a pretty big ego to think you're qualified to run the USA, IMO. But, I care about their plans for the nation, not their opinion of me.

And, I think there's a kind of "reverse elitism" in people who turn their noses up at "arugala-eaters".

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by ZirconBlue

Obama is free to look down on me. He's certainly accomplished a lot more in his life than I have. Ditto for John McCain. You have to have a pretty big ego to think you're qualified to run the USA, IMO. But, I care about their plans for the nation, not their opinion of me.

And, I think there's a kind of "reverse elitism" in people who turn their noses up at "arugala-eaters".

I agree. As I said above, I think the elitism stuff says MUCH more about the people making the comments than it says about the candidate.