Some encouragement for the wishful thinkers.
~150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln:
We've come a long way. I think we can still go a long ways more. Keep wishing everyone.
Long ETA:
I don't want to bump this thread again, so I'm going to do a long edit of this post.
It has been pointed out to me that my position in this thread is not clear. Reading back, I agree; so please allow me to clarify.
To repeat again, I never said people cannot use the term "exotic" to define POC. Nor did I ever say people cannot have "exotic" sexual fantasies with POC.
My position is that people should acknowledge that using "exotic" to define POC based on nothing else but the C, is racism.
That's what I want right now, acknowledgment. If you are going to use a word in a racist way, then acknowledge it is racist. If you are going to have a racist sexual fantasy, acknowledge it is a racist fantasy.
(To use an extreme example, I also don't have any issue with people who have rape fantasies. If you can find a consenting partner who will act out this fantasy with you in the privacy of your bedroom, great. Have fun.
When the vast majority of these people come out of the bedroom, they know rape is wrong. They know it was a fantasy.
But when people try to justify/normalize calling POC "exotic", the fantasy doesn't end at the bedroom. Because people don't think it's racist, they are told by the industry, by entertainment, and by other people that this is just the way the world is--that thinking about POC as "exotic" isn't racism.
Putputt gave a good example of someone who didn't understand that the fantasy ended at the bedroom door. Unfortunately, her experience is not uncommon; and luckily, it has a semi-happy ending.
If the sex industry wants to keep making racist sexual fantasy media, that's fine. Have fun. But acknowledge it is a racist fantasy.)
It might not seem like a big deal, but for POC who do not think of themselves as "exotic", and for POC who are born and raised and educated in western countries for many generations, to be told they are still "exotic" for nothing else but our race... it is frustrating! And it continues to perpetuate the myth that they are never quite "normal", or really citizens, or at home in our countries. "Exotic" makes them different; it makes them the perpetual foreigners no matter what they do, they will always be the outsiders, the "exotic" people.
Maybe it is "wishful thinking", but I believe this can be changed eventually. And no, I am not advocating censoring the word, or changing peoples' sexual fantasies. I am advocating educating people. Even large scale social/cultural changes had to start somewhere. Even a small step like getting people to acknowledge "describing POC as 'exotic' based on nothing else but their race, is racism" is something.
As I said above: keep wishing--because if there are no wishes, nothing will change. Abraham Lincoln would have been right; there would be no Barack Obama, and quite possibly many of the people on this board. Keep wishing.
~150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln:
Today, we have Barack Obama.
We've come a long way. I think we can still go a long ways more. Keep wishing everyone.
Long ETA:
I don't want to bump this thread again, so I'm going to do a long edit of this post.
It has been pointed out to me that my position in this thread is not clear. Reading back, I agree; so please allow me to clarify.
To repeat again, I never said people cannot use the term "exotic" to define POC. Nor did I ever say people cannot have "exotic" sexual fantasies with POC.
My position is that people should acknowledge that using "exotic" to define POC based on nothing else but the C, is racism.
That's what I want right now, acknowledgment. If you are going to use a word in a racist way, then acknowledge it is racist. If you are going to have a racist sexual fantasy, acknowledge it is a racist fantasy.
(To use an extreme example, I also don't have any issue with people who have rape fantasies. If you can find a consenting partner who will act out this fantasy with you in the privacy of your bedroom, great. Have fun.
When the vast majority of these people come out of the bedroom, they know rape is wrong. They know it was a fantasy.
But when people try to justify/normalize calling POC "exotic", the fantasy doesn't end at the bedroom. Because people don't think it's racist, they are told by the industry, by entertainment, and by other people that this is just the way the world is--that thinking about POC as "exotic" isn't racism.
Putputt gave a good example of someone who didn't understand that the fantasy ended at the bedroom door. Unfortunately, her experience is not uncommon; and luckily, it has a semi-happy ending.
If the sex industry wants to keep making racist sexual fantasy media, that's fine. Have fun. But acknowledge it is a racist fantasy.)
It might not seem like a big deal, but for POC who do not think of themselves as "exotic", and for POC who are born and raised and educated in western countries for many generations, to be told they are still "exotic" for nothing else but our race... it is frustrating! And it continues to perpetuate the myth that they are never quite "normal", or really citizens, or at home in our countries. "Exotic" makes them different; it makes them the perpetual foreigners no matter what they do, they will always be the outsiders, the "exotic" people.
Maybe it is "wishful thinking", but I believe this can be changed eventually. And no, I am not advocating censoring the word, or changing peoples' sexual fantasies. I am advocating educating people. Even large scale social/cultural changes had to start somewhere. Even a small step like getting people to acknowledge "describing POC as 'exotic' based on nothing else but their race, is racism" is something.
As I said above: keep wishing--because if there are no wishes, nothing will change. Abraham Lincoln would have been right; there would be no Barack Obama, and quite possibly many of the people on this board. Keep wishing.
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