Convicted Of Cussing; Brit Offender Burrowes To Get Free Tcket Home

[DavidOxon]

I am troubled by the racist accusation.

I had a google and found this quote which I think

reflects my thinking.

“I didn’t know (that calling somebody uppity is racist) either, and would point out that in order for someone to be racist they should actually have to intend to be racist. Attempting to call someone racist by intentionally misconstruing a word they use is just plain stupid.”

found here: http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/public_se...pity_is_racist/

David

[PhilHarries]

Well he has to look on the bright side of it all. At the least he'll make a good few grand selling his stories to the British Dailies who just love any chance to take a swipe a Johnny foriegner.

Alternatively he could go back to his martial arts and well endowed chums and when advancing years erode his abilities he can sit down and write a best seller "My 'x' months/years of hel_l in a Thai prison". The lenght of stay and details of offence he writes about will not matter a jot as in five years time only a percentage point of people will remember the case.

Of course he could always write a detailed guide about dealing with uppity immigration officials.

[Jingthing]

David, read the old threads about Simon. Full of racist attacks, most from BRITS. in the context of this case, and the RACE of Simon, calling him uppity simply was not cool.

BTW, googling a bit it appears uppity is used in a racist way against the dark skinned native peoples of Australia and New Zealand as well, but I am really not sure how widespread that is.

Edited May 14, 2009 by Jingthing

[JohnGotti]

Burrowes, on the other hand. was totally innocent but was pulled, accused and held in prison for far longer than was necessary because he was black.

Didn't his highly suspect passport photo have something to do with his being pulled aside and questioned?

This is the first time I have seen a shirtless passport photo, plus its taken from one side of the face, and not clear.

Its impossible to blame the Thai officials in this case for doing their job.

[redscouse]

the word 'uppity' was used in Blazing Saddles, I believe the quote was An uppity nigger went and hit me on the head with a shovel.. Maybe you are getting confused with this. If I was to say 'hungry nigger' does the word 'hungry' then become racist in your mind?

This reads as the offensive word being nigger and the word uppity is just used to refer to his state of mind.

The dictionary refers to it as:

up·pi·ty (p-t)

adj. Informal

Taking liberties or assuming airs beyond one's station; presumptuous: "was getting a little uppity and needed to be slapped down" New York Times.

Strange that the New York Times would use this adjective if it was considered racist in the USA.

On another note the language is called English, not American, what you choose to do with it is up to you but don't then try and slap down others for using the word with its original and oldest meaning.

[LeungKen]

My "Websters Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary" describes

uppity : adj, [prob. fr. up + ity (as in persnickity var of persnickety) 1; ARROGANT,PRESUMPTOUS.

It sounds like a perfectly good word to me.

[dave111223]

- You say a word is offensive in a certain sourthern American vernacular

No, you've got that wrong. It is understood as offensive generally in the US, not just regionally, and it is associated with racism against black people. This is of course especially true when the word is used when referring to black people. Perhaps also in Canada, but I am not sure.

I lived in Maine for 9 years and never heard the word uppity used in a racist manner.

So no it's not generally used across the US.

And even if it were a commonly used racist team across the entire US, it would still not give you the right to force your interpretation on to English speakers across the rest of the world, who have an entirely different interpretation.

I am in fact American myself, although i sometimes loath to admit it, and Mobi is entirely correct. Far too many Americans, such as yourself, travel the global thinking that USA culture/language etc.. is correct, and everything else is wrong.

How many times have i heard an American correcting a local on how to pronounce the name of a local town or place...

Or even how to pronounce their own language.

Or in this case educating "ignorant foreigners" on the "true" meaning of words.

[H2oDunc]

I don't now where you got your definition of Uppity from ? I did a Google search and got these, top of the list.

1 up·pi·ty (p-t)

adj. Informal

Taking liberties or assuming airs beyond one's station; presumptuous: "was getting a little uppity and needed to be slapped down" New York Times.

2 uppity

Adjective

Informal snobbish, arrogant, or presumptuous [up + fanciful ending]

3 Adj. 1. uppityuppity - presumptuously arrogant; "had a witty but overweening manner"; "no idea how overweening he would be"- S.V.Benet; "getting a little uppity and needed to be slapped down"- NY Times

overweening

immodest - having or showing an exaggerated opinion of your importance, ability, etc; "brash immodest boasting"

It seems some people will find racism and bigotry everywhere, even it isn't there. I certainly didn't associate it with the fact he was black ?

[JohnGotti]

Black people in America have been conditioned by their leaders (who basically exploit and control them for profit for the white powers that be) to be obsessed with race and the connotation of certain words. Then, instead of taking the proper steps to succeed in life and build something, they can sit back and blame other people and institutions for their problems.

Edited May 14, 2009 by JohnGotti

[H2oDunc]

Jingthing here is one for you.

2 guys at work in London. 1 black 1 white. Workmates. they go into work and find a bunch of bananas on the scaffold they are working on. In the toilets there are messages to F&^k off back home and when they go into the canteen to eat monkey noises are made. You and your ilk will immediately see it as racist attacks on the poor black guy! YES ??????????

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WRONG

its against me the white guy!

Simply because I am from the North East of England and so to the cockneys, ie residents of London I am just a Northern Monkey that should go back up North!

I got this everywhere I went working around London.

Did it bother me ?

Not in the slightest!!!!!!!!!

1 I'm a man and just got on with my job. You know stick and stones etc!

2 I like free bananas!

The big difference being I just got on with my job not made a big fuss over nothing and demanded compensation of thousands of pounds.

Things aren't always as the first appear.

[Jingthing]

Strange that the New York Times would use this adjective if it was considered racist in the USA.

Not strange. It is not a racist word in isolation. It is racist when used to refer to black people. As was the case here. It is otherwise a neutral word but because of the troubled racial history in the US, the word uppity is not a popular word for any use. It is really out of fashion. Occasionally, you will hear it used in a joking manner when not referring to black people. Cheers.

I lived in Maine for 9 years and never heard the word uppity used in a racist manner.

Maine. One of the most LILY WHITE states in the union. Good one!

Edited May 14, 2009 by Jingthing

[Electra]

Burrowes, on the other hand. was totally innocent but was pulled, accused and held in prison for far longer than was necessary because he was black.

Didn't his highly suspect passport photo have something to do with his being pulled aside and questioned?

Possibly, but only if you are so intellectually challenged or institutionally hidebound by a racial prejudice that you actually conclude that an apparent state of undress depicted in the photograph is sufficient evidence of forgery and that as a consequence it was not original to the document in which it was contained.

Had it been presented by any one of the thousands of white tourists passing through immigration at Phuket airport it would be a racing certainty the outcome would have been altogether different.

Edited May 14, 2009 by Electra

[mc2]

David, read the old threads about Simon. Full of racist attacks, most from BRITS. in the context of this case, and the RACE of Simon, calling him uppity simply was not cool.

BTW, googling a bit it appears uppity is used in a racist way against the dark skinned native peoples of Australia and New Zealand as well, but I am really not sure how widespread that is.

im australian and i NEVER heard "uppity" used towords australian aboriginals

i only know of mr. uppity from the dr suess books , he was a snob , thats the only meaning i am aware of

[Jingthing]

im australian and i NEVER heard "uppity" used towords australian aboriginals

i only know of mr. uppity from the dr suess books , he was a snob , thats the only meaning i am aware of

OK, thanks for that.

What if I told y'all I have been taking the piss, would you be offended?

[Electra]

Presumably, I am not alone in finding this irrelevant discussion upon the adjectival use of ' uppity ' and its social significance or otherwise to be unutterably tedious?

[Jingthing]

Presumably, I am not alone in finding this irrelevant discussion upon the adjectival use of ' uppity ' and its social significance or otherwise to be unutterably tedious?

Agreed! I tried to close it off at post 34 ...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2732274

Edited May 14, 2009 by Jingthing

[mc2]

im australian and i NEVER heard "uppity" used towords australian aboriginals

i only know of mr. uppity from the dr suess books , he was a snob , thats the only meaning i am aware of

OK, thanks for that.

What if I told y'all I have been taking the piss, would you be offended?

not offended and not suprised and i did suspect lol

[hgvneil]

,i like free bananas, LOL nice one h20dunc.... you old uppity northern monkey !!

[mc2]

Burrowes, on the other hand. was totally innocent but was pulled, accused and held in prison for far longer than was necessary because he was black.

Didn't his highly suspect passport photo have something to do with his being pulled aside and questioned?

nothing suspicious about it . I can clearly make out his features , thats what the passport is about , identification.

suspected forgery my ass, the motive for pulling him over was a racist one.

[OzMick]

enough of uppity, let's move on to bugger. As an Aussie, I understand it to refer to a person who commits buggery, a polite term for anal intercourse, usually but not always homosexual. Over the years, it has become used as a replacement for its 4-letter counterpart, but taken more light-heartedly.

Possibly, it would be more likely to get you the afore-mentioned punch in the mouth than uppity.

[Jingthing]

Yes it is obvious they were more on alert with a Brit who didn't fit their stereotyped perception of what a Brit is (white). Funny the passport didn't cause him a problem coming in.

Buggery? I am not going there at least in public, but you are welcome to all the buggery your heart desires. I recommend Astroglide^TM (pricey but you don't want to skimp with such important matters). BTW, in the US it is considered a quaint, ancient word, and almost never used.

Edited May 14, 2009 by Jingthing

[LeungKen]

Toyota Ute (pick-up) commercial

"Bugger"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-Y3AsZ19Hc

[JohnGotti]

Burrowes, on the other hand. was totally innocent but was pulled, accused and held in prison for far longer than was necessary because he was black.

Didn't his highly suspect passport photo have something to do with his being pulled aside and questioned?

nothing suspicious about it . I can clearly make out his features , thats what the passport is about , identification.

suspected forgery my ass, the motive for pulling him over was a racist one.

Yeah, when they scanned his passport and it came up 'no information' or 'fake' or whatever came up, they then decided to be 'racist' by preventing him from moving forward.

[Jingthing]

Yeah, when they scanned his passport and it came up 'no information' or 'fake' or whatever came up, they then decided to be 'racist' by preventing him from moving forward.

There is no information that what you described actually happened. Again, if they are doing that, why didn't it come up on ARRIVAL? In this case, the no information problem happened when they called the UK embassy, but I think you knew that already ... If he hadn't received special scrutiny there would have been no occasion to call.

Edited May 14, 2009 by Jingthing

[JohnGotti]

You are being silly. The fact that he is already in Thailand is not evidence that said passport is real. It did not work, the phone call or whateve back up plan to checking a passport also failed. He is shirtless in the passport photo... How could they have let him go through?... Once he decided to break the law, the passport issue becomes a secondary matter. At the end of the day, we are subjected to the results of our personal choices.

[H2oDunc]

,i like free bananas, LOL nice one h20dunc.... you old uppity northern monkey !!

Hey!!! I resemble that remark.

Seriously people need to get a grip on what is important in life and not this inane " He called me names " CRAP

Oh and wheres my bananas

[brahmburgers]

The money sent to Simon to help him out, was indeed from a Thai woman, however Phuketwan states:

"The money had come via an acquaintance, the mother of a friend, a Thai woman that Mr Burrowes knew back in Britain."

a copy of Simon's passport page: Thai authorities said he looked so much younger in the photo. However, I don't see a difference between his current photos and the passport photo. It does look as though he's shirtless, though he could have a strap t-shirt on. Who really cares, except people (like Phuket imm. folks) who make a living out of making mountains our of molehills.

[sriracha john]

Burrowes, on the other hand. was totally innocent but was pulled, accused and held in prison for far longer than was necessary because he was black.

Didn't his highly suspect passport photo have something to do with his being pulled aside and questioned?

Possibly, but only if you are so intellectually challenged or institutionally hidebound by a racial prejudice that you actually conclude that an apparent state of undress depicted in the photograph is sufficient evidence of forgery and that as a consequence it was not original to the document in which it was contained.

Had it been presented by any one of the thousands of white tourists passing through immigration at Phuket airport it would be a racing certainty the outcome would have been altogether different.

So a highly unusual passport photo of a shirtless man taken from an unusual angle and doesn't match the normal standard of the thousands of passport photos that pass in front of immigration every day wouldn't arouse suspicion as to its authenticity..

except if it's a black man involved???

I find that impossible to believe.

[sriracha john]

Burrowes, on the other hand. was totally innocent but was pulled, accused and held in prison for far longer than was necessary because he was black.

Didn't his highly suspect passport photo have something to do with his being pulled aside and questioned?

nothing suspicious about it . I can clearly make out his features , thats what the passport is about , identification.

suspected forgery my ass, the motive for pulling him over was a racist one.

hahahaha... nothing suspicious???

Good grief, what do you think immigration is looking for when they inspect passports? How do you think they detect forged passports? It's because they TYPICALLY don't match what is normally presented to them thousands of times a day.

In the closed thread prior to the posting of the photo, there were 300 posts that decried having a shirtless passport photo was IMPOSSIBLE !! and that they never heard of such a ludicrous claim... and that it would never be accepted by the passport agency... and that it must have been an exaggerated claim or even an outright lie from immigration officials... and... and... and...

and yet, once the shirtless passport photo was posted, they all shut up.

until now...

Edited May 14, 2009 by sriracha john

[Patsycat]

My mum used to call me an 'uppity little so and so' when i was little. She probably still does now - but I'm bigger than her!!

Good luck to Simon. He now has to rebuild his life - job, flat etc. I am sure the Sun and News of the World will be reporting his return this weekend.