A brief note on Uppityness:
Obots have attempted to spread the meme that anyone who considers the Lightbringer arrogant, haughty, or overly ambitious is, in essence, calling him "uppity." This is a specious argument, designed to exempt Obama from the same standards of judgment that apply to everyone else.
Uppity is an old-fashioned term, now seldom heard, which was once commonly used by bigots to describe someone who acts as though he deserves a station beyond that supposedly assigned by birth. The term was usually applied to black people, although it was sometimes used to describe poor whites. The word's racist overtones are a matter of connotation, not strict definition.
Arrogance, by contrast, has no station. It is a sin that traces back to Cain. Any human being may demonstrate that failing -- and all human beings do, at one point or another.
The false Arrogance=Uppity equivalence tries to convince the world that calling Obama arrogant is tantamount to saying that no black person should run for high office. Readers of this blog know that I voted for Jesse Jackson in 1988; I still feel that he should have been my party's standard bearer in that year. I've also said, many times, that Colin Powell could have taken the White House easily in 2000 -- and Lord knows that the world would now be in better shape had he done so.
On the other hand, we can correctly apply the word arrogant to any candidate -- of any race or background -- with an onionskin-thin resume who acts as though the presidency is his birthright. And I certainly have no problem applying that word to anyone who allows himself to become the center of a cult of personality.
We often see this principle at work in the realm of religion. Sai Baba, Jim Jones, Shoko Asahara, L. Ron Hubbard, Father Divine, Sun Myung Moon and Louis Farrakhan have all proclaimed themselves to be prophetic or messianic figures. All, in my opinion, were/are arrogant. "Uppity"? No. The connotations of that term make it the wrong adjective to describe the individuals listed above. But arrogant? Surely.
15 comments:
well said. language seems to be going the same way as the rule of law, completely malleable, no truth or facts necessary.
Don't forget we're not allowed to call him presumptuous either. This was the week when Digby officially ceded her last scrap of credibility by ranting that the word "presumptuous" was really a dogwhistle for "uppity."
BISHOP: O Lord, in thy presence I am but nothing.
PRIEST: O Lord, in they presence I am but nothing.
ALTAR BOY: (squeaks) O Lord, in they presence I am but nothing.
BISHOP: (to PRIEST) Look who's saying he's nothing.
In the Milton Berle tradition, Golda Meir used that joke famously: "Don't be so humble - you are not that great."
Sparky
It was a revelation to me to find out that John Kerry - the quintessential beneficiary of that epithet was in effect black. Who would have thunk it?
Careful. Your host maintains his admiration for John Kerry.
I was angered when he did not support Edwards. But perhaps Kerry was in a position to know something unknown to most of the rest of us.
I am so confused now. Arrogant and presumptuous both = uppity?
I don't want to live in Obama's World. It's Orwellian, repressive and anti-American.
I can haz reality back now?
I recall that someone got their hands slapped for calling Obama articulate early on in the primaries - might have been Joe Biden (?).
So 'arrogant', 'presumptuous' and 'articulate' are out-of-bounds when describing The One. How about 'nebulous'? Fits him like a glove!
Perhaps we should refer to him as The Indescribable, since all other adjectives are racist.
down 9 points in 5 days. obama can’t withstand ridicule. mccain shows how it’s done.
http://londonamerican01.blogspot.com/2008/08/one-cant-withstand-ridicule.html
@Joseph re: Kerry
Whatever my personal feelings about Kerry, my point simply was that rightfully or not, he was called arrogant a lot during the 2004 campaign by the media/RNC.
It was one of their favorite attacks of him.
Uppity makes a direct hit here. One the tactics of the Obama camp has been to tag anything they don't like with "racist".
Obama's behavior rightly causes many to conclude he is arrogant.
Obama need to understand that Hillary has the monopoly on victimization.
Anyway, like Geraldine said, we all know he's only there because he's African American.
"Geraldine" never said anything like that, you lying anonymous Obot coward.
And Hillary never portrayed herself as a victim, although she is one of the most genuinely victimized individuals in recent American political history.
Well folks, politics is the art of the possible. Do we really want McCain running the country or nominating more federal judges? Consider the alternative! My vote for Obama is a reluctant one. I will not send money or campaign for him.
Obama has harnessed the political energy of a whole lot of very immature young people. The issue is whether they will have a corresponding influence in his administration. It is obvious that some have run amok on the internet. See the recent New York Times article on trolls. That deviant mentality has taken hold of too many.
I can't vote in the US and I voted for a woman in our last elections. So get lost if you want to paint me as a sexist Obot.
"Geraldine" never said anything like that, you lying anonymous Obot coward.
if the following quote is not true, you should correct her Wikipedia entry.
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept"
that's not denigrating him by saying he's ONLY there because he's African American ? If denigrating someone based on his race is not racism, I don't know what is. I'm sorry for her if she was only picked as a VP because she's a woman, but it doesn't give her the right to denigrate others on their race. It's not like being picked as a VP is a tough race where you have to display leadership and strong organizing skills. You're just picked to dance, based on demographic appeal, but you're not organizing the whole ball like a presidential candidate must do. So she can't compare her situation with Obama.
What I like the most is how easy it is to play the sexism / misogynistic card for the Hillary camp (basically, you can accuse of sexism anyone who disagree with you). But it's a deadly sin to call by name racist attacks on Obama.
Do you think Hillary got a trophy for being the "Greatest victim of all time" ? She would have been the first President elected because people felt sorry for her. "Poor thing, she's under unfair attacks, so I'll vote for her to become my leader...".
And don't worry, I wouldn't be an anonymous coward if you were not deleting comments and lying about their content. I can't trust you not to distort what I say, so there's no way I'm going to communicate in my name.
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