Sorry about this one, last, off-topic post.
Epidemic,
I never meant to imply that large numbers of people are in prison because they broke no laws. The reasons why our prisons look like they do are complex, and have to do with social and economic history in the 19th and 20th centuries. I apologize for being vague--I don't have time to get into it now. If I can I'll start another thread or pm you later with some stuff I think is relevant to the issue.
jokostel and Toadman,
As far as "uppity" is concerned, it is the contextual use of the word that is the problem, not the word itself. As for being "educated yet ignorant", on this particular subject my education is growing up in Atlanta during the 50's and 60's.
Being "uppity" in those days was dangerous. I remember sitting in small, rural, wooden churches at night pretending to do my homework while my mother registered people to vote. You could feel the fear as people crept in to sign their names to voter registration cards, as well as the pride they felt when leaving. They had good reason to be afraid; and my mother, as a civil rights activist, received death threats as well--which, I am proud to say, she ignored as she carried on with her work.
The ugliness of the word "uppity", when used in certain contexts, still resonates. I will, therefore, continue to object to its usage in those contexts.