When you hear "Elitist", you know you are "Uppity"

[omahas]

Recently, at the RNC Convention in St.Paul, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga, was conversing with reporters and said:

"Just from what little I've seen of her and Mr. Obama, Senator Obama, they're a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks they're uppity."

When asked to clarify that he actually used the word "uppity", Westmoreland confirmed it. "Uppity, yeah," the newspaper The Hill reported.

Uppity. Means "self-important, arrogant". Originates from a late 19th century reformation of the word "up". As in, trying to move up from your current class because you think you're more important than you are.

Yeah, uppity has been associated with class wars for a long time. The fact that Westmoreland has used that term in association with the term "elitist" (which, btw, comes from French and Latin "to elect") means that the Republicans want the term elitist to be associated not with someone who is part of the electorate, but someone who is trying to move outside their class without permission.

An angry black man who is not in his place.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

That, ah say, that Georgia so-called representative is about as sharp as a bowlin' ball. Makes me glad I'm *from* that state... as in, far away.

I think we all ought to get uppity. We don't *need* his steenking permission to make ourselves better. They gonna call us something? Let's live up to it. In spades.

"Uppity? Yer damn right, Mister Congressman. We are all about making ourselves better than the likes of *you*."

[codeamazon.livejournal.com]

The thing I find fascinating about that quote is the phrasing. "that thinks they're uppity". Parsed, it means he's saying that the Obama's they they are uppity. I've been puzzling over it and what I keep coming back to is that it suggests the use of the word was intentional, not inadvertent. The question then is why? Why is having a two-bit politician make such an incendiary statement worth the risk? They're going to inflame a lot of people -- possibly to action. They must think that they're also going to appeal to or crystalize the thinking of more people.

Or he's just so stupid he can't form a sentence.

[damiana-swan.livejournal.com]

I think it's probably both. :-)

The wingers have been floating the word "uppity" about Obama for several weeks (maybe months?) now, which I'm taking as code for "OMG he's a SCARY BLACK MAN!!!!!!!"

"Uppity" has a long history of being paired with "nigger", especially in certain parts of the country.

And yes, there is a distinct flavor of "he's getting above himself" to the whole thing.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

"uppity" to want to move above the station I think they should be in.

"elitist" to be (or believe they are) at the pinnacle of ones station.


...



I need a better dictionary I guess...

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In fairness, that's PROBABLY not what he meant by "uppity". What he PROBABLY meant was "one that intentionally causes controversy without a reasonable cause."

But yea. Word choice fail. BIG time.

[srmalloy.livejournal.com]

So am I the only one cringing at the horribly-crossed construction "they're a member of an elitist-class individual"? Plural, then singular, then a phrase implying being a component of a singular object... And then the last phrase, which as I read it declares that the 'elitist-class individual' (of which Senator and Mrs. Obama are collectively 'a member') thinks that Senator and Mrs. Obama are 'uppity'. Does Rep. Westmoreland have some personal acquaintance of this 'individual'?