I've had it with big shots who call us "small people", "the little people", "the little guy" or

[Better Believe It]

or similiar degrading terms. Senator Isakson, a right-wing Republican from Georgia, refers to constituents as the "unwashed" masses! These are the sorts of terms used by most corporate tycoons and rich politicians to describe us.

And I don't like it one bit!

Unlike us "ordinary" folks they consider themselves to be very, very special!

And they really don't want to hear people use terms like "working class" and "working people" because that encourages, according to their way of thinking, class warfare!

Well, all I can say is maybe it should, because right now Wall Street and corporate America seem to be winning that war big time!

Justin Taffinder of New Orleans was not amused by the BP's CEO calling us "small people".

'We're not small people. We're human beings. They're no greater than us. We don't bow down to them. We don't pray to them,' Mr Taffinder said - his feelings echoed by many others up and down the Gulf.

Of course, if anyone is making reference to "little people" such as seen on the TV shows "Pit Boss" and "Little People, Big World" that's a perfectly acceptable use of that term.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1287327/BP-oil-spill-Svanberg-sparks-fury-Tony-Hayward-gets-set-testify-Congress.html#ixzz0r9TlfYRc

[tekisui]

1. Recommend.

[SidDithers]

2. Agreed & recc'd...

But how is that different from you calling them "big shots"

Sid

[Better Believe It]

3. Sorry. I meant "Big Shits"

Or rich assholes.

Which would you prefer.

In any case it's different when we use derogatory terms to put down the greedy Wall Street crooks and corporate tycoons who are responsible for this economic crisis and our falling living standards, and wars, and pollution, and unemployment, etc., They deserve it, we don't.

:)

[tabasco]

9. You can't be that stupid

can you?

[SidDithers]

12. I find hypocrisy funny...

names are OK when it's people we don't like.

Sid

[William Z. Foster]

14. all of the difference in the world

What you suggest here is similar to the reverse racism arguments.

The big shots have the power to harm us. That is the difference. Were that not the case this would not even be an issue.

This is a false "equality" you are proposing - the same false equality that the opponents of the Abolitionists used back in the 1850s - that the slaves and the slave owners need to be equally polite and considerate of each other, that if the owner beats and whips people that is "unfortunate" and "we are working on it" and "don't get me wrong, I oppose that," but if the slave retaliates, that then is called hypocrisy and the argument that "not all slaves are saints" and "not all masters are evil" can then be used.

When you ignore and ask others to ignore the power imbalance, you are protecting and defending the power imbalance. The power imbalance is the root cause of the problem. Were it not for that, we wouldn't be talking about this. we would not even know what the asshole had said in the first place.

So, no it is not hypocrisy for someone here to call that guy a big shot. It isn't hypocrisy to call him an asshole or anything else. People are objecting to the arrogance of those who hold power over us, not complaining about impolite chit chat or offensive use of language.

Do you really expect people to believe that destroying the Gulf and then speaking derogatorily about the people whose lives are being ruined by that is equal to me calling him an asshole and that I am a hypocrite for calling him an asshole?

All depends upon which side you are on, I think.

[scarletwoman]

15. Right on! Well said!

[Better Believe It]

22. Thank you. You explained it better than I did.

It does depend upon which side you are on.

[William Z. Foster]

23. the upper class bias

There is a distinct upper class bias that surfaces often. Successful or wealthy people are to be seen as innocent until proved guilty, the rest of us are all guilty until proved innocent. With wealthy people we are told "prove that he is evil!" before we can criticize them, but when it comes to us it is "prove that you are a saint!" There are a variety of forms of this - critics of BP are confronted with demands of "oh yeah, what are YOU doing to help?? Get your butt down to the Gulf." But the powerful people who could actually do something are apologized for - "he is doing all that he can."

[RagAss]

4. Tell them to look in their shorts for the "Little Guy".

[Better Believe It]

6. Now that was a good one!

:)

[Maru Kitteh]

7. That's excellent. n/t

[woofless]

5. Add to that the fact that ALL wealth comes from

our hard work and expertise. Not so damn small after all.

[HipChick]

8. Britain is built on a class system ...that will never go away

[BanzaiBonnie]

10. We are citizens...

of the United States of America. And when enough of us are fed up with your rape of our country, we will rise up and you will feel our fist slam down on your pointy little head.


Ohhhh, did I say that? I must be angry.:banghead:

[HughMoran]

11. Your post doesn't match the article

I can't tell what you wrote and what's paraphrased from the article.

[Obamanaut]

13. How about 'rank and file' - this is a fairly common term, but indicates

a whole bunch of 'common folk' all lined up nice and neat.

[IDemo]

16. I'd call them Freudian slips, but that would mean

they didn't really mean to say it.

[scarletwoman]

17. No, actually it means: this is what they really think.

Of course they didn't really mean to say it out loud, but it IS how they view the "masses" -- "the small people".

[IDemo]

20. That's what I meant to imply

They said what they meant, just not what they meant to say.

Know what I mean?

[scarletwoman]

21. Yes, that is the meaning of a Fruedian slip: saying what you mean without meaning to say it.

We're cool, I hope. :D

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Agreed, even if in this case

it was a major gaffe on the part of BP to put a man that does not speak English as his first tongue a major PR mistake. He should have slowed down and NOT used the term though...

But look on the bright side, at least you got to see what they really think. Even if this was a gaffe from a man that does not speak English as a first tongue.

(Yes I have made very similar gaffes with the English language for a similar reason by the way, but I am sure he believes that)

[Odin2005]

19. K&R

[northernlights]

24. don't forget Joe Sixpack and Joe Lunchbox

their sense of superiority is really quite stunning. Egotistical, self-important morons, the lot of them.