Everywhere Is Exotic Or Nowhere Is

Jul 11

At the opening of TED University, a pre-event of TEDGlobal 2010 in Oxford, England, TED Curator June Cohen emceed. During a technical difficulty, she filled the time on stage by asking us in the live audience of 600 gathered from around the world, "Who came the farthest to get here?"

A few people shouted out locations. Kenya. India. Los Angeles.

Cohen repeated into the microphone each place. When she said Los Angeles, she deflected it as a possible winner for farthest by saying, "LA isn't exotic."

But that wasn't the question she put to us. And --

Exotic is relative. The only way it belongs in a global mindset is as a constant for everyone. So, either everywhere is exotic -- or nowhere is. We are all exotic, or no one is.

For me, the moment highlighted an ingrained provincialism at a supposedly global conference dedicated to "pushing the boundaries of what is known and expanding the possible."

The idea of what global means is still badly under-developed, and like this instance, too often freighted with the most self-centric assumptions.

exoticismglobal mindsetJune CohenKebel CollegeOxfordOxford UniversityTEDTED Global

Anastasia Ashman

Anastasia Ashman has built a portfolio career across publishing, entertainment, technology, entrepreneurship and civic life in four countries. She now writes, researches, works on neighborhood readiness, and is developing the narrative nonfiction project Family of Mine.

Everywhere Is Exotic Or Nowhere Is

Exotic is relative. The only way it belongs in a global mindset is as a constant for everyone. So, either everywhere is exotic -- or nowhere is. We are all exotic, or no one is.

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