have you ever heard a white person called "exotic"?

[BklynChick]

I don’t know why I never learn not to turn on MSNBC in the morning.

I had 5 minutes to get dressed and stupidly, I turned on Morning Joe. Joe wasn’t even there and I got so pissed off. His minions, along with Pat Buchanan and Margaret Carlson (shame on her) are all sitting around calling Obama exotic, as if that’s a fine thing to be calling him. I think it started with the Karl Rove quote, or it could have been something else, and then Margaret Carlson busts out something like, “Well you have to admit, he is pretty exotic!”

In whose world, Margaret? Is it because he’s biracial and has white and black family members? Or is it because he has relatives from other parts of the world like Indonesia and China? Is it because he has a black wife and black children? That doesn’t make you exotic, that makes you American. The world has changed and is changing. By the year 2050, white people will no longer be the majority in the United States.

I guess I’m exotic too because my husband is black, my daughter is biracial like Barack, and I have family members from Iran, China and even a gay brother and bisexual sister. Jesus, what is wrong with these clowns? What world are they in?

I’ve always hated the term exotic and hated how the MSM, and others have exoticized everything that isn’t exactly like them. I feel like it’s just a coded word for other, different, unusual, BLACK. Here’s the dictionary definition. Just because he’s not white doesn’t make him exotic. I guess I need to start writing letters again… sigh.

ex•ot•ic –adjective
1. of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized: exotic foods; exotic plants.
2. strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance: an exotic hairstyle.

[dysfunctional press]

1. yes.

nt

[nc4bo]

2. Bo Derek came immediately to mind ;)

[Bacchus39]

3. yes, in other countries where white people aren't the norm

n/t

[Johonny]

40. yeah

[goldcanyonaz]

4. Yes, my best friend is exotic as in hawt, she is maltese, greek, german and polish

She is very exotic and by exotic I mean unique, and ever so beautiful, she is one of a kind, with lips that most white women and many black women would kill for,,, *sigh*

[jeff30997]

10. If your best friend is even half the way you describe her...

Then I would replace the x in exotic by an r. :)

[goldcanyonaz]

11. LOL, she is an erotic exotic, woof!

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

54. LOL, yes, this friend sounds quite intriguing ;)

[FrenchieCat]

5. I'm called exotic all of the time....

but then, I'm not White.

[Barack_America]

20. And I've never been called exotic...

But then again, I am white. (pasty white, don't even tan. so definitely not "exotic".)

[blogslut]

6. Again?

Didn't Pat get called on the carpet a couple of weeks ago about using that code word?

Barack Obama is a skinny black kid with big ears and a funny name. Margaret Carlson needs to be shown the door along with her little racist friend Pat.

[moriah]

7. Only with "dancer" right after it....

That is, unless said white person was not from the US.

[rfranklin]

8. No, but often described as "white bread" or

looking like something that just crawled out from under a rock

or

white trash

or

honky

or

cracker...

any others?

[crankychatter]

12. with fur on my parka and a full beard... I got called an "Ice Cave Man" once

pickin up some free cheese once, I got called a "catfish belly white, ain't never had no money, never will, inbred, low-life, red-necked, cracker MF," once.

that was my favorite... it's great being insulted by a pro

[genna]

17. You know what? I was trying to figure out why that whole why'd he controversy ring false.

These are the words that would be used in that context if an AA was going to used racial terms to describe a nonBlack person.

[jeff30997]

9. Yes.

Chimpy is extremely exotic:

2. strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance.

I mean that thing walks on two legs and speak barely better than

a parrot but what is it ?:shrug:

[demokatgurrl]

13. I have been watching ESPN every morning

for this very reason. Too many idiots before breakfast can lower my tolerance for them the rest of the day.

[bunnies]

14. Yes. I've been called exotic myself.

As someone of non-AA mixed background. And Im certain its always been meant as a compliment.

[goldcanyonaz]

15. Definitely a compliment, means you are very sexy

[Shakespeare]

41. Same here.

I'm as white as they come, but I get called "exotic" because (I suppose) of my eyes. I think it's mostly intended as a compliment, but I can also see how it could be used to marginalize non-whites.

[genna]

16. Exotic? No I have never heard a nonwhite person labeled exotic.

Yes, they do mean it as unAmerican.

I liked to think when Obama calls Michelle SPICY that he is trying to co-opt the language before it gets out of hand.

[NatBurner]

18. it's a left-handed "compliment"

i hate that shit-

it's akin to being described as "articulate"

and the only time white ppl are called exotic is when they have ethnic features-
jolie's lips come immediatly to mind

[BklynChick]

21. I agree. I don't think it's a compliment. I think it's all about marginalizing someone and saying

they're different in some way.

[TlalocW]

19. Yes - A blonde college friend of mine

When we took a Spanish college course in Oaxaca, Mexico. She got a lot of attention down there, and our professor told us it was because she was exotic.

It got so bad that at times I had to pretend I was her brother to get guys to leave her alone. This worked because 1.) I was the most Spanish proficient of the students on the trip 2.) The guys respected the brother-sister family dynamic and 3.) I think I was the biggest person in Oaxaca while I was there. I also had to "pretend" that the Mexican-American girl on the trip that I was dating (but we weren't telling anyone so no one would feel like a fifth wheel) was my girlfriend for the same reason, but she wasn't "exotic" in their eyes. :)

TlalocW

[wyldwolf]

22. of Western European descent, no. But many other Caucasians, yes.

My wife is Italian (Sicilian) and has been called exotic-looking (for example.)

[hokies4ever]

23. "exotic" is Pat's code wode for "black"

[Eurobabe]

39. ding, ding, we have a winner

Pat Pukecannon is a jerk. :eyes:

[grasswire]

45. no, you are wrong

It's the right wing's code for UN-AMERICAN.

That is a worse smear to them than being black.

[hokies4ever]

59. No, it's his code for 'black'

Pat described Obama as 'exotic' during Dan Abrams show during the VP selection team controversy. At first it sounded like it was code for un-American, but then Pat accidentally used the word again when describing Eric Holder without trying to portray him as un-American. My conclusion was that it is code for 'black' that they want people to also just assume makes them un-American. So I'm not disagreeing with you, but it's slightly more nuanced of a definition the way people like Pat use it.

[loyalsister]

24. "Unfamiliar"

is not and should not be a synonym for exotic.

However, I fear it has been used as such.

Part of political propaganda is the art of twisting meanings.

Is it possible to recognize it and vigilantly correct it whenever possible?

[BklynChick]

25. I do all the time IRL. It's a put-down IMO and a way of marginalizing someone.

[Hepburn]

26. Yes....

...I have heard white people ~~ male and female ~~ referred to as "exotic." IMO, nothing racially biased about that.

[kwassa]

27. "exotic" also implies "outside the norm"

an impression the Republicans are working very hard at creating about Barack and Michelle.

[AspenRose]

28. "Not native" = 'not a 'REAL' honest-to-God (white) American'

Out-of-touch clowns. I hear you. I'm in a mixed marriage; my kids are mixed; my brother in law is from India.

[AlCzervik]

29. i've been asked many times if i'm mexican, does that count?

[Hoof Hearted]

30. Angelina Jolie

I was exotic when I lived in El Paso. My daughter is bi-racial too. I think the word exotic has positive connotations. Not every single word used to describe a person that anyone, anywhere, might possibly construe as possibly having a connotation or component of race is a bad word.

[Lucinda]

38. Jolie was my immediate thought as well...

Obama's background IS exotic compared to middle America. His parents were from different countries, he lived in Indonesia for a while, and grew up in HI. That's gonna be seen as exotic in many parts of this country.

I also don't see it as a negative/racial attack. But then again, most of the things that have been labeled as racial attacks in this cycle haven't been "racist" IMO.

[ErinBerin84]

31. Pat Buchanan is such a trip

I love when he gets all "outraged" about people being oversensitive to the politically incorrect. Because we all know how many times a day Buchanan says something "politically incorrect". Of course, he gets all puffed up when Rev Wright or Obama say something "politically incorrect".


I don't know even really know how to react to the newest Imus thing since I don't really care about anything he does ever, but as much as I find Mika annoying, I appreciated her trying to combat Imus' MSNBC cronies on today's Morning Joe against their defense. Pat said "George Carlin said politically incorrect things all of the time, and he's treated like a hero now when he dies!" and Mika said "I think the country's going through a transitional phase, and what may have been acceptable in the past is not acceptable now."

[Evoman]

32. Yeah, several times. You just need to go to other countries. Also, a friend of mine once (white)

thought that the lady from Law and Order (Mariska something or other?) was "exotic" looking.

[Buzz Clik]

33. yes

[highplainsdem]

34. David Bowie

[marshall]

35. In a proper context I would agree with the term

Obama is radically different than anyone else who has been this close to the presidency--and that fact is one of the major elements of his campaign. I think he should embrace the term.

[intaglio]

36. Alexander Thynne, 7th Marquess of Bath

and boy is he exotic!

[LeftishBrit]

37. Yes; I've encountered white people being called 'exotic' quite often...

but usually they are members of minority cultures within their country, or a mixture of cultures. It usually implies some degree of perceived 'foreign-ness'; but not necessarily involving skin colour.

Obama *does* have more links to other countries and cultures than most American politicians do; and I think that's quite refreshing, especially after Bush who hadn't even travelled abroad until he became president, and knows NOTHING outside his own little narrow circle. (Actually, he probably knows nothing, period!) Understanding the world outside one's own country is important in a leader.

That being said, Pat Buchanan is a monster of pure far-right-wing evil, and I would instantly distrust the way HE uses any such expression.

[Kaylee]

42. Angelina Jolie...Uma Thurman

Usually, oddly strange-looking, but still beautiful people get this term.

But no I've never heard the term used for the person in general...well, maybe that actor who plays the bongos naked in front of open windows.

[book_worm]

43. Yes, Hedy Lamarr or was it Hedley Lamarr?

[Raine]

51. It's Hedy. I believe that she's

Creole, her family went back generations in New Orleans.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

52. Ava Gardner, too!

[David Zephyr]

44. Will Durant wrote in the History of Civilization that caucasians were exotic fish in a sea of color.

BklynChick, you are right that it reveals long ingrained cultural myopia. That's the beauty in Obama's candidacy: it strips away all of those hold-over perceptions.

And as odd as it may sound, I think that there are millions of white Americans who are subconsciously enjoying seeing Obama prove their old stereotypes wrong and why so many have been won over by him...he's making them better people and they like it and they are rooting for him.

[polichick]

46. Sometimes it just means colorful and interesting.

[Runcible Spoon]

47. In Buenos Aires, being a 5'10" blond hair green eyed woman is very exotic, but I see your point

I always admire the rich, dark hair and coffee and cream complexions of the people here, and they call themselves "average". It all boils down to contextual perception, I suppose...

In Buenos Aires, what Hollywood would call "exotic" is the norm, and what Hollywood considers the norm is exotic.

However, I see why this comment rubs you the wrong way. While "exotic" is largely a positive descriptor, it can veil people's perception that a candidate of color is somehow "out of place". It's a classic example of "Othering".

[faithfulcitizen]

48. I'm white & I've been called "exotic looking". But the again,

I've also been asked if I'm 1/2 black. :shrug: :) I tend to agree with what you're saying. But, it's not just because he is "BLACK". It is also because he raised in Hawaii, lived in Indonesia, and father was from Kenya. I personally think he's "strikingly unusual" in that he is going to be a once in a lifetime type of President.

[Raine]

49. Yes, I've been called "exotic"

several times especially when I was in my 20's. I'm very fair skinned and with hip length jet black hair, it was meant to be complimentary and I took it that way. I see your point though because I also knew it meant I was "different" and stood out. I liked the idea but for Obama I know it's meant to make him come-off as too "different". So "different" that the "average" American can't identify with him. :argh:

[anonymous171]

50. Kerry was called elitist, if I recall.

[sniffa]

53. That's how I describe my self on my resume and personal ads

I am quite exotic. And modest.

[Radical Activist]

55. Exotic is what white guys used to dating blond girls call an attractive hispanic or asian woman.

That's my experience. It was only after dating a woman who was routinely called exotic that I realized how idiotic it was.

[Genevieve]

56. Yes,

Me: when I was younger, all the time.
Not so much any more.

[debbierlus]

57. People have told me I have exotic features

If that counts - and I am French & Italian. Barack does have kind of exotic features, but I don't think the person who said it MEANT it in that context. There are going to be all kinds of underhanded comments about him being black. It won't do much. People KNOW he is black. Those who won't vote for him because of that won't vote for him because of that....unfortunate, but true.

[Bettie]

58. I use "exotic" when I'm feeling too polite to say "crazy"

But that is just my little quirk.

[Thrill]

60. Ed Schultz called this about a month ago. He said their wink wink words were going to be exotic and

Radical.

Racist assholes

[JoFerret]

61. Stop watching TV

.

[emilyg]

62. Yes.

[Super Soaker Sniper]

63. Topics like this

I see as little more than and "infer/imply" argument. I have gotten embroiled in these before and they are useless for any other reason than causing strife. My answer is usually, "I don't care how you took it, I know how I meant it."

[Rockholm]

64. YEs