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[Akka Homestead <akkabhomestead AT yahoo.com>]

Robert Walton wrote:

> 
> Aren't you in Georgia? Uppity commonly applies to blacks (and white 
> trash) that are not staying "in their place". It also can be used do 
> describe anyone that is not "staying in their place".

Yes, I have lived in GA all my life.
I just have never heard the word Uppity used like that.  As far as I am 
concerned, it has nothing at all to do with 'staying in their place', but 
more to  "thinking you are better than someone else, regardless of where you 
are in life or where you came from or where you are going."
To me, it is like snooty...Have you ever heard snooty, or
snooty-patooty?  Uppity is the same.


> 
>> When did 'uppity', a word I have used all my life to describe
>> people who flaunt money and/or their upbringing(like the whole
>> debutant thing), become a racial slur? Was this idea imported from 
>> another part of the country?

While the 'racial' use is not in the dictionary, I did find this:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=uppity&searchmode=none

"originally used by blacks of other blacks felt to be too self-assertive"

Even that doesn't convey the "in their station" part of the idea.
As I watched CNN interview folks on the street, there was one older black 
lady who claimed that she was uppity and proud of it.  Hearing her say that 
made me think that maybe this use of the word originated in the black 
community.  The same word could be used by the black community and the white 
community and have totally different meanings.  I think this must be the 
case, because I certainly was not aware, before yesterday, of this meaning, 
and I am certainly glad that I infrequently use the word at all.  I think the 
last time I used it I called my neighbor uppity...riding down the road on his 
big ol' John Deere. (I'd better say
that he is white)  Thinking aloud now, I'll bet that the word originated 
during the slave days, as certain slaves lived and worked UP at the house as 
opposed to DOWN on the farm/fields..just a guess... I notice it is getting a 
lot of play on various boards and blogs.  Many don't believe that you can 
grow up in the South and not know this, but I  assure you that you can.  At 
least I'm not the only one who was clueless about it. You learn something new 
everyday.




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> >I just have never heard the word Uppity used like that.  As far as I am
> concerned, it has nothing at all to do with 'staying in their place', but 
> more
> to  "thinking you are better than someone else, regardless of where you are
> in life or where you came from or where you are going."
>

Correct.  The proper term for not staying in your place is "Getting above
your raising,"      </HTML>