"Uppity"

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I was getting annoyed with MS Word today, as ever, and decided that it needed a toggle switch to stop it doing more than the basics, i.e. so that it wouldn't format things as if it knows best. I was wanting to call this Uppity/Non-Uppity Mode, but I commented to my boss that the word had nasty associations. He had no idea what I meant, but I always think of a particularly horrible usage. I don't want to name it, because I'm not trying to discuss that unutterably dud phrase, and I don't want to propmt you, because I'm trying to find if it has particular connotations for lots of people or if I'm weird. So I hope you can tell me if it has no or neutral connotations for you or, as for me, deeply nasty ones.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 10 July 2003 10:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Mr Uppity = fudge yoghurt = grebt,

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 10 July 2003 10:55 (twenty-two years ago)

None

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:02 (twenty-two years ago)

deeply nasty ones, ie uppity nigger.

― anthony easton (anthony), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:04 (twenty-two years ago)

As in olden US times? Yes. Wouldn't be able to use it either, unless I went around "reclaiming" it for a few months.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:05 (twenty-two years ago)

To me, it has connotations of being incredibly patronising - the only persons that would ever get uppity are women or natives or members of the lower classes or the like. To apply this to an inanimate object would be OK. But it's dud to apply the phrase to a person.

― kate (kate), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah it has those connotations for me too. But there's also Mr Uppity to take into mitigating account

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I've just realise. Uppity was chocolate yoghurt (which with the connotation used above now seems dodgy).

Mr Lazy was fudge - obv.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

None at all.

― Sam (chirombo), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Wordpad, Martin?

― Ed (dali), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:42 (twenty-two years ago)

One of the only things I won as a child was a Mr Men lunch box from entering a competition on the side of a Mr Uppity chocolate yoghurt. So for me uppity has lovely lunchy connotations.

― Emma, Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Enid Blyton to thread!

― suzy (suzy), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:52 (twenty-two years ago)

The Mr Men connection was the only connection my boss made too. It was Anthony's thought that struck me, and that made it unusable.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 10 July 2003 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah the race connotation is a landmine, but classwise, the meanness of it sort of makes the point; there should be a mode where microsoft's product does what it was made to do: serve me and do as I say unlike now where it decides it knows better. by calling ms uppity for how they make their crap program behave toward you, you are being uppity yourself! yay! we are all aristocrats, don't take no guff etc

― g--ff c-nn-n (gcannon), Thursday, 10 July 2003 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

What Kate said, re: relegating people to their "proper place." The negative associations have been partially reclaimed as a positive -- a popular bumper sticker reads "Uppity Women Unite." It's an accurate description for Microsoft Word, which actually does have a "proper place" to get uppity about. On the other hand, if I were, say, redesigning Microsoft Word, I would not use that description, because in any large enough group of people there will undoubtedly be someone who is, for whatever personal reasons, distracted or offended by the association. (I would call it All Up in My Business Mode.)

It seems to me that people stopped saying "uppity" in general once they stopped applying it to certain groups of people. I don't know if that means people don't use it because of the associations, or that the associations were strong enough that it really didn't have other, legitimate puposes.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 10 July 2003 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

(I would call it All Up in My Business Mode.)

GENIUS

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 10 July 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

this is pretty interesteing - the word doesnt have any of these connotations for me, or rather i am not aware of them, particularly the racial one. the only usage i can think of is the mr. men. but come to think of it he was like a sort of purple faced major with a top hat and monocle wasnt he?

― ambrose (ambrose), Monday, 14 July 2003 07:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never heard of it being used as part of a racial slur, either. 'Uppity' always had rather sweet connotations in our household - a sort of gentle rebuke, not malicious at all.

See also : Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, they go uppity-up-up they go down-diddly-down-down

― C J (C J), Monday, 14 July 2003 08:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Miss Jean Brodie: uppity surely?

― Cozen (Cozen), Monday, 14 July 2003 09:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I think we're seeing a Europe/North America divide over the word "uppity", much as you would see with the word "niggardly".

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 11:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh no, not the niggardly debate again. If we are going to get onto that I'll probably start sniggering.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 14 July 2003 12:01 (twenty-two years ago)

It's a niggling thing, isn't it?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 12:32 (twenty-two years ago)

(I fear I am falling into a terrible trap here. What about racoons?)

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 14 July 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)

(Haha Ptee's getting spooked!)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I look at this debate as through a glass darkly.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

"through a glass dark(l)y"?

(Okay, let's call a spade a spade; that was awful.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan, surely you recognized my reference was entirely intentional. Alas, your sensibilities are lost in a mental jungle, baby.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned chucks a spear into the heart of the matter!

(At what point does this stop being funny and start being appalling?)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

(I think we crossed that line, dug it up, animated it and then killed it thoroughly for good measure.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

One day 'go.

― Sam (chirombo), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

HOORAY

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought we needed a new slant on the whole thing.

― Sam (chirombo), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes I stopped thoroughly appaled at myself trying to think up other racial slurs I could fit into other words. I fear you people have uncovered a chink in my armour.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 14 July 2003 13:57 (twenty-two years ago)

You could use a good whop in the head for that, Ptee.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Well don't get any blood on the floor. We like to keep it spick and span round here.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 14 July 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

And if you don't keep it clean, Pete will poleaxe you, mark my words.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 14 July 2003 14:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Every time I think my appetite for this nonsense for this nonsense has ben whet, back to to thread I go.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 14:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Now you're taking the mick.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 14 July 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

(Damn, I'm typing like I've been licking frogs.)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 July 2003 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

uppity has those connotations for me also. i am surprised there are british people who are unaware of this usage

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 14 July 2003 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I've seen "uppity gays" used occasionally (in print!) in the past few years.

(but yeah, racial associations are still the strong ones)

― Ess Kay (esskay), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 02:26 (twenty-two years ago)

But gays *are* uppity! And proud of it, baby! They raise property values, yeah!

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 04:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I sometimes use 'uppity' (with dripping sarcasm) to describe myself when I am trying to start an argument with someone (usually male) who I suspect would like to use the word towards me, but isn't game to because it would leave them too wide open.

Of course my arse-head ex hubby used it to describe me, Aboriginal activists, workers who took industrial action, and anybody else who dared hold a higher level of self-esteem than he considered justified.

(I have referred previously to my AHEH from time to time, and to save time I'll use that abbreviation from now on).

― Karen, Tuesday, 15 July 2003 05:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Hm... Am I going to hell for referring to my own socioeconomic niche as "art niggers"? I'm white. Also, do they have MS Word in hell?

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Not hell, Ann; I'm afraid you'll just have to settle for annoying people.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm already up to my NECK in annoying people!

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 18:34 (twenty-two years ago)

"You are going to Annoying People" is my new curse.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

"The President foundered in an Annoying People of his own making"

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

In hell, you can't switch off any of Word's most 'helpful' features.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 20:22 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.uppityblueswomen.com/

― Layna Andersen (Layna Andersen), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

You bastards: my quip was fine as is. Ann will not go to hell for using the term -- she will just annoy people. And look like a smug horrid font of flouncily self-satisfied idiocy. At least that's what I personally would think, seeing that argument in print.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

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