Westmoreland calls Obama ‘uppity’
What was Westmoreland thinking?
THEHILL-Georgia Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the racially-tinged term “uppity” to describe Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Thursday.
Westmoreland was discussing vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s speech with reporters outside the House chamber and was asked to compare her with Michelle Obama.
“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,” Westmoreland said.
Asked to clarify that he used the word “uppity,” Westmoreland said, “Uppity, yeah.”
McCain graduated 894th out of 899 at the Naval Academy. Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law. I believe I’ll go with the smart one (we’ve had 8 years of an idiot already.) If that’s uppity I guess I’m uppity too
FYI
Rep. Westmoreland says he was clueless in making ‘uppity’ comment about the Obamas
LATIMES-Heretofore little-known Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia was born in 1950 in Atlanta and was raised in one of its surrounding communities.
Which means the Republican grew up at a time when the racial divide in the South was stark, a time when Jim Crow laws helped enforce a segregationist credo that limited opportunities for blacks, a time when — as an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article puts it today — “uppity” was “a word applied to African-Americans who tried to rise above servile positions.”
But to hear Westmoreland tell it, he had no clue he was using a racially tinged word when, as reported by The Hill newspaper, he said in Washington this week: “Honestly, I’ve never paid that much attention to Michelle Obama. Just what little I’ve seen of her and Sen. [Barack] Obama, is that they’re a member of an elitist class … that thinks that they’re uppity.”
The remark, the Journal-Constitution reports, quickly “zipped around the Internet, causing Westmoreland’s office phones to ring off the hook.”
That furor, in turn, prompted the two-term congressman to issue the following statement:
I’ve never heard that term used in a racially derogatory sense. It is important to note that the dictionary definition of ‘uppity’ is ‘affecting an air of inflated self-esteem — snobbish.’ That’s what we meant by uppity when we used it in the mill village where I grew up.
The Ticket finds it amazing that someone with such a sheltered upbringing could achieve such success in life.
– Don Frederick
Photo: Associated Press
Come on james, McCain is a completely different type of idiot! Give him a chance…
I’ve lived in Georgia for well over twenty years now and I’ve never known the word “uppity” to be racially tinged. I’ve only known it to be another meaning of pompous or pretentious.
Aubrey,
We’ve already been there. It is racist, despite what you say.
I’ll admit that I’m a long way from the “South”, but I think the only time I’ve ever heard the word uppity was when it was followed by the word nigger.
Since the first time I heard that Senator Obama was called an elitist, I felt it was code for “uppity Negro”. Of course I’m seeing this through my lens as an African-American woman.
I really feel like it is some white people’s (not all white people) way of saying: “Who the hell do you think you are Barack Obama with your Harvard Law Degree?” Who the hell do you think you are that you believe you can actually become president of the United States?
It’s sad to say but there are some people that think that black people are not supposed to be educated, well spoken, live in nice homes, or drive nice cars.
The sad thing is that when whites see blacks that are well educated, well spoken, and live in nice homes…it is considered an anomaly. To others, those blacks are considered uppity.
I say this because I have experienced the same attitude from some whites working in corporate America. I can only describe my experience.
This election is sparking interesting dialogue about our perceptions of each other. This can only be a good thing!
No one considers George Bush uppity. He is extremely wealthy (not bright but wealthy). No one considers Senator John and Cindy McCain uppity and she owns a company worth $100 million. No one considers President Bill Clinton uppity and he was a Rhodes scholar. He receives millions of dollars for speeches alone.
So why is Senator Obama considered uppity when he is less wealthy than all of the above? I believe he is called uppity because he defies some people’s expectations of what a black man can become in this country. He also has the ability to genuinely reach out to people that look and believe differently than he does to work toward a common goal.
Anita
Thank you for the comment and welcome to control congress!
David,
Yeah, we’ve been through this and the only thing we learned is that you are the authority on racism AND you think everything is racist.
CM,
WHERE have you heard the term before? Movies? The reason I ask is that I never saw a black person in New Hampshire (where my grandparents lived and I spent quite a bit of time); my wife grew up in Mass. and she can only remember a few black families in her town. I suppose that there are fewer black families in AK so the term “uppity n****r” wouldn’t have been used in day to day sppech – unless it was directed toward a person who was not black.
Anita,
I’m sorry you feel the way you do. You said, “It’s sad to say but there are some people that think that black people are not supposed to be educated, well spoken, live in nice homes, or drive nice cars.” I would say that these people are not, by nature, conservatives or capilalists. Conservatives and capilalists don’t care about skin color . . . we just want the best man for the job because that’s how the business becomes more efficient and, as a result, more profit is realized. Don’t forget what party Stephen Douglas belonged to.
As for Obama, he’s not seen as an elitist for the highlights on his resume. He’s seen as an elitist because of the way he talks to America. Our people aren’t stupid, they know double-talk and lies when they hear them. Just like Palin said, you can’t call people names behind their back one minute and ridicule them the next. He’s false, Anita, and Americans see it . . . easily.
And David, since you’re the expert on racial motivation, riddle me this: why are 90% of black people supporting Barrack Obama?
I grew up in the South and it still took forever to realize you should never (and I mean NEVER) use the word “boy” or when talking to an African American unless you’re trying to piss someone off. Of course you can still say “white boy” or “good ole boy” or “country boy” but only with white people. Hey if people want to be sensitive it’s their business I guess.
I grew up in a very multiracial environment and the word uppity meant snobbish or snooty, like they (”they” being the judgmental snobs in question) think they’re too good to play with us lowlifes. Race had absolutely nothing to do with it. I despise just about everything there is to know about Westmoreland, but I believe his claim he had no idea it was a racist word.
When’s the next edition of the racist dictionary coming out so we can know all the words others have ascribed racist connotations to so we can strike them from our lexicon? Let’s hope this edition has a world map in the front cover pointing out which countries have full respect for freedom of speech.
Aubrey,
90% of Black people generally support the Democratic candidate.
.
“WHERE have you heard the term before? Movies?”
Nah, I’ve got three uncles who live in the great state of Texas. Big Bush fans.
The only time I was ever spanked in my life was when I was 5 years old visiting family in Texas. When my dad heard me using the new word I learned: “nigger”, I promptly got a spanking. My dad is the odd one in the family, everyone else down there thought it was funny to hear me say the word. My dad is a pretty good guy.
David, you’re right. In ‘04, Kerry got 88% of the black vote.
CM, just curious, but how many black families reside in Wasilla? And did you grow up in Alaska or move there later in life? Again just curious. My own dad was raised on a dairy farm in up-state NY. He never saw a black person until high school. “Ni**er” was definetely not a part of everyday lexicon for him, either.
My grandmother was from Texas and didn’t have a hateful bone in her body but at the dinner table she did say “nigra” once which sounded very close to “nigger”. It was rather shocking. But this was simply a coloquialism apparently. You could easily make the case that many Southern coloquialisms are un-acceptable simply because they’re Southern.
Aubrey, there are very, very few black folk in these parts. I did see a good number (30 to 40) at our state fair a couple of weeks ago, which is held one town over in Palmer. I think most fair-goers come from Anchorage, which is a good bit more urban.
My dad was a Coast Guard officer, so we moved around. Most of my growing up time was spent in Maine, New Hampshire, and Alaska. Not too many black folk in any of those places.
Captain
Did you have to pay extra to see them.
My cousin is a coastie in Kodiak. If you are ever there and see a mustached dude on a four wheeler, disguised as a tree, give him a wave.