QUESTION: What does "...he thinks he's better than us..." mean? Is this code word for uppity?

[uponit7771]

Why would someone care if another person is uppity to that degree?

Thx for any input

[aikoaiko]

1. Depends on context: Some people do have contempt for others...

...and the expression may be apt.

Other times people are trying to help other people do things differently and perhaps better, and then the expression may be code for "uppity".

[Mimosa]

2. Do yourself and everybody a favour and don't spread the manure.

It really stinks and we all know there is a solid stubborn racist minority in this country.

You can't reason with that loathsome mentality and we seriously don't need it on DU. We all know it exists. We know where it comes from.

Can you honestly be puzzled that low information, prejudiced people feel threatened by somebody they perceive as better than themselves? Envy is one of the 7 deadly sins.

[uponit7771]

3. I honestly can't relate to the mindset...I can admit if someone is better than me but this person I

....would NEVER think would say that about Obama.

I don't hang around many people who think like that and I have children nieces and nephews who aren't aware of this type of mindset either.

I'm not that young but I haven't been exposed enough to the culture of folk who can't come out with what the REALLY feel about others. I can't translate all the code words racist use.....

Thx for the input

[Mimosa]

9. Uponit, I apologise for sounding peevish or even condescending

I'm sick of the stupidity and hate coming from the right wing so-called conservatives who follow every drool or dogwhistle from the lips of Limbaugh, Beck, Levin etc. It's not new to me.

It's hate. A you know what family has no right being in the WHITE HOUSE. Nothing Obama does will ever be even acceptable.

On some message boards -in particular one called 'Yet Another Politics Board' on YUKU platform the spewed hate is nauseating.

Nobody can reason with the stupid haters. They are low information, to say it kindly. They believe Limbaugh and O'Reilly have been providing them with priceless educations.

I'm caring that YOU don't get as angry and bitter as I am about such regressive know-nothings. ;)

Wasn't there once a party in the US which bragged they were proud to be 'stupid know-nothings'?

[Le Taz Hot]

4. If you recall, they said the same thing

about Al Gore. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[uponit7771]

5. ...I don't recall, I've never meet anyone who would care if someone thought they were better than...

...them enough to verbalize it.

[Jackpine Radical]

7. I think this is a cultural thing.

Among the Ojibwe Indians, for example, "good-heartedness" is perhaps the highest virtue. It encompasses generosity and being "common," i.e. not trying to make oneself look better than others. One place where this virtue interacts negatively with the majority culture is when Ojibwe kids attend conventional white schools. If you call on one kid and he doesn't know the answer, none of the other Indian kids will "know" either; that is, they won't show up the first kid by giving the correct answer; to do so would violate their sense of "good-heartedness."

Believe me, in a lot of American subcultures, it is not a good thing for others to get the idea that you think you're better than they are. You will be ostracized.

Edited to add--

If the "he thinks he's better…" notion is applied to Obama, I think it's probably racist, and code for "he thinks he's as good as {us semiliterate whites} just because he's got a fancy Harvard law degree and an IQ somewhere north of 140."

[yellowcanine]

6. IMO that phrase is a reflection of the speaker's own insecurities about their competence.

People tend to use such phrases when someone demonstrates too much competence, speaks too well, achieves too much, etc. for the prevailing cultural norm. It is a form of self-hate.

"You got into Yale, I can hardly make it at the junior college, what makes you so much better than me?"

[rucky]

8. It's code for...

"he thinks he's better than us"