[Shawn]

Jay, I think your friend may have gotten upset because when white folks used that termed to describe black folks it was, and still is to some extent, done in a derogatory manner. When white folks use that term,its to say that we've gotten above ourselves or 'stepped out of our place', meaning we dare challenge a white man's opinion, we dare think for ourselves, we dare not be intimidated, and not shrug off racist comments and jokes with a smile. So, instead of calling your friend 'uppity', how about calling him 'confident' in who he is.

User Detail :  

Name : Shawn, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 31, City : Baltimore, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : MIS Programmer/PC Specialist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jay]

Why is it such a bad thing to call a black person "uppity," even when they are being uppity? A black colleague freaked when I jokingly called him that. I have no idea what the word's connotations are.

User Detail :  

Name : Jay, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 31, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Stacey27924]

I always thought the word uppity meant you thought you were better than everyone else or too good to be around. Mostly the meaning is to be snooty.

User Detail :  

Name : Stacey27924, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 27, City : Birmingham, State : AL Country : United States, 

[J. I.]

As I recall, blacks in the Jim Crow era who talked back to whites or who behaved as though they deserved the same status or respect as whites, were called "uppity" - by whites. Nowadays, I'm told, the word is used among blacks to criticize other blacks who "act white" or fail to "keep it real." It would follow, therefore, that a white calling a black "uppity" would be doing so at his peril. Since my perspective is that of a middle-aged white guy, I'd love to have these impressions verified by people in a position to know first-hand.

User Detail :  

Name : J. I., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 56, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Voiceover, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Kim H.]

It's because most of white America does not honestly know how American history is experienced by people of color. I can see how a white person would think the word "uppity" was a pretty benign word. In American white society, certain rules and values were established to keep whites in power. A lot of these rules were known as Jim Crow laws: Restricting blacks from certain employment opportunites, education, health services, you name it - from having blacks sit in the back of a bus or train or in the balcony of a movie house so whites would not have to be disgusted by seeing blacks when they did not feel the need to - all the way to "never looking a white person in the face" - especially if you were a black male speaking to a white female.

Any time a black person challenged a rule set down by whites, he or she was seen as over-stepping themselves - not knowing their (subservient) place - trying to be equal to whites, when it was clear by white people's judgment and standards that blacks were inferior and would never be equal.

So, in calling your colleague "uppity," even in a joking fashion, you are telling him that he is over-stepping himself and has no right to believe he is equal to you. We blacks rarely use that term "uppity," and never use it to mean anything positive. It is definitely considered a slight.

User Detail :  

Name : Kim H., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Humanist, Age : 43, City : Minneapolis, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Actress, Playwright and Director, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Amanda31522]

I'm really curious to know why you felt that it was some sort of 'black thing' to be offended by being called uppity. To my understanding, the word describes a behavior that is snobby, generally regarded as an undesirable trait by most. I can't understand why you would come to the conclusion that a whole race of people, and only that race, would react one way based on an isolated occurence.

User Detail :  

Name : Amanda31522, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 19, City : Boston, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Author]

Posts