Chewing over Obama's 'mutt' reference

Newsflash people - He is the President of the United States – The most powerful job in the world as well as the most criticized.

If you think that every word of his will not be criticized take a look at the walking comedy show that is our current president GW.

Everything he says and does will be criticized. Just because the US and the world fell in love with a charismatic person (not man or woman nor black or white) does not mean he gets a pass and can make off-handed offensive comments. Whether you think it's offensive is irrelevant, someone did find it offensive.

He's not a comedian, an actor, a CEO or one of your friends, he is the PRESIDENT. You always watch what you say when you're president – you have to, it is a job requirement. As president, you do not speak off hand, and when you do, you will be criticized if you offend a group of people or another country. Plain and simple.

Get used to it and stop defending him. He's a big boy.

(I am not a Democrat or Republican - I am an independent so save the - you just hate Obama reply nonesense)

Get a grip! I'm more "mutt" than our new President will be. Within our "doghouse" we have many names and laugh at ourselves.

The favorite is "zebra" with alternating stripes of Red, White and Caramel. We've tried to make the Caramel- "Black" and will continue to work on that. It make take the next generation to sort it out.

The Ancestors did a lot of "night crawling".

Sheesh! I'm a mut; you're a mutt; everyone's a mutt-mutt. Lighten up is right, THW.

Oh boy, this is only the beginning. Granted all politicians open themselves up for ridicule by the people and the press but this guy.....this guy BS'd his way into the white house and the american people are unfortuneatley -not that smart. I did not vote for him so I can't be blamed for his antics over the next uh 4 years. It's all water under the bridge and history but this guy is the real slim shady.Run for the hills America.

Ummm, Indians to Native Americans to Indigenous American Persons. Now black to mullato, to biracial. The english language and P.C. driven terminology are in a ridiculous overdriven state to avoid offense to even the most thin-skinned person in this country. People analyze everything to the point that they are simply looking for words to challenge, take out of context, and find offense. If these people even spent a fraction of the time to look at the context in which things were said, they might find that, perish the thought, OMG, but, the president-elect may actually have meant nothing by it. In addition, they were his own comments about himself. If you are offended by that, please crawl back under your rock and stop watching television. It's fried your brain.

His comments were hilarious. They remind you that Barack is human, and not some robot. I saw the press conference at Harvard, and everyone there was laughing about them - in a delighted way.

Oh, get over it. We are way to wrapped up in race in America.

I chuckled when Obama said that, that's what I call my self, so what I am too.

The Black, White,Asian, Latino thing is getting soooo tiring, let's start acting like the brothers and sisters that we really are. The constant racial harang is only a mechanism to divide and destroy.

I am shocked by the harsh and unfeeling comments (get over it, lighten up etc) that have been made towards this woman's concerns that the word "Mutt" in reference to Obama's usage of this word to describe himself might filter over into her life. I would like to tell her that I too am a mutt. Half Japanese and the other half- Heinz 57. Heinz 57 is another word to use instead of "Mutt" if you don't like the word. But I too have called myself a "mutt" in the past. I personally like dogs and having both pure bred dogs and mutts I can pretty much tell you that the mutts have always been smarter with less health problems. I hope this won't be interpreted as being racist to my dogs. I love them all! I believe that the world has changed since the 60's/70's when I was growing up and racial slurs are not as common as they were then. I still run into people who make "racist" remarks and it IS like a slap in the face but I take it all in stride. While I don't think we will ever live in an un racist world because I believe that everyone is a racist to some extent whether they believe that or not. It is up to us on how we decide to live respectfully with one another. So to the Korean American mother who is concerned- please do not give racists the time of day nor the power to make you feel less about yourself and definitely do not let a word hold you back or down for that matter.

statements

Rule 62 comes to mind..."Don't take yourself too seriously". Heinz 57....mutt...Colloquialisms as entrenched in American society as say....baseball. Jeeeeeeeze! Get over it. I'm French, Blackfoot, German and Welsh. My son, French, Blackfoot, German, Welsh, Hawaiian, Chinese and Portuguese. We're mutts (Heinz 57s) and I, for one, dont have a problem with that. He talks like us beause he IS us. I don't use american collquialisms when I speak to people in other countries when I've visted them because they aren't a part of their culture OR their speech...I'm sure Mr. Obama UNDERSTANDS this and won't either.

I can't believe that this one little comment from the President-Elect has caused this much controversy! If this is the worst thing that ever happens then we are all pretty lucky.......give me a break! Get over it everybody. EVERY single one of us is a "mutt" of some sort. According to the Webster New College Dictionary, mutt is short for muttonhead or mongrel dog. A mongrel is defined as a dog or plant resulting from various interbreedings or a cross between two different breeds. And, of mixed origin or character. Hello everyone.........that certainly defines what America is, don't you think? The history books, when I was in school, called our country a "melting pot." By the way, the definition of melting pot is a place where immigrants of DIFFERENT RACES or CULTURES form an INTEGRATED SOCIETY. That about says it all.

you have got to be kidding me

I could understand some outrage if someone else had made the remark about him, but Obama SAID IT ABOUT HIMSELF!!!! This is a ridiculous controversy!

Wow, the withdrawl symptoms have set in with a vengence! We must dig deep for those news items. By the way Mongrel is the defamitory expression, mutt is just you typical happy go lucky family pet. I'm another one of those mutts, just a proud mix of many races and many and varied social ideals.

The man made a self deprecating remark. It was funny!!! Appreciate his self
confidence, he's going to need that and his sense of humor to survive the
next four years.

I don't have a problem with the comment at all. However, I feel that there are many other things in society--such as sports Indian names--that people should take more lightly as well. Those are no worse than referring to a "mutt."

Everyones a Mutt who cares what the guy said I voted for McCain and don't particularly like Obama too much yet but this has to be the stupidest thing to be focused on in timesl ike this.

GOOD GOD! Have we become so "sophisticated" in analyzing sensibilities that we have managed to turn the corner into IGNORANCE. Because, when you can no longer communicate, IGNORANCE is the result. I proudly own "mutts" and won't mind one bit if the President-elect counts himself among that distinguished heritage. As for all those who endure such angst about every freakin' word, I can think of an appropriate phrase to utter that should offend, and would be intended to offend. But, I don't want to offend anyone....

Just get over it. We have other issues to worry about. (Economy, etc...)

This is for the two skinheads, evidently on crack...one calling President elect Obama an "empty suit" and the other requesting for his impeachment.
Bush is the "emply suit". The guy can't even say his own name when making a speach without looking down to the written speach made for him. He should have gotten impeached for lying to the nation about Iraq and creating a war for his own and cheney's oil greed, hence, causing the deaths of thousands of our soldiers and innocent iraqis.

Tiger Woods got grief for referring to himself as "cablinasian." People need to chill a bit.

He's more of a mongrel, right?

I appreciate the fact that he can be candid and self-depricating, makes him seem like a real person, instead of some regal privileged child that was bred for this role. We're a land of mutts, most of us with very little ties to our ethnic backgrounds. He shouldn't apologize for anything, I'd find him more likeable if he were less apologetic about being a regular person like the rest of us.

I am so-called mixed race myself, and I have to admit that Obama's comment made me flinch a little. I don't see myself as a mutt at all, even in jest, but as a rich blend, if you will, of different ethnicities. Calling himself a mutt betrayed a self-consciousness about his mixed race status that I personally don't have. I don't understand why the racial thing matters so much to so many Americans, anyway. I see Obama as simply the guy who has just been elected US president. I do recognize, of course, that he was just cracking a joke at his own expense. It just seems to me to be a strange thing to say about yourself when it such terms have been used to denigrate people and so much work has been done to try to dispel such racist perceptions.
The Nancy Reagan joke would have been funnier if only he hadn't brought personalities into it. But I truly don't think he meant any harm. When so much is expected of you, it's not easy to come up with the right thing to say.

aren't most of us americans "mutts" one way or another???

what some people need is a really strong laxative.

I am not an Obama fan and I voted for "W" but you have got to be kidding me. If people are going to get upset over the "mutt" comment then we have really gone over the edge with PC. Didn't we all laugh in stripes when Bill Murray refered to Americans as Mutt's the reched refuse because we have been kicked out of every decent country in the world. It is a reference to mixed national & racial heratige. Nothing more nothing less.

Wow, the Boston Globe is really searching for a story, huh? Pathetic. People like this author are way too sensitive and self-absorbed. Let's get back to issues that actually matter.

I like mutts. I do have a problem with socialists.

Please, oh please, stop this. He hasn't even been sworn in yet and people are trying to rip apart every little thing he says. He used the word "mutt", big deal! And he used it to describe HIMSELF, not using it as an insult aimed at another party. Whether you like it or not, Mid January next year, Barack Obama is gonna be the President of the United States of America with Joe Biden as his right hand man. Lets hope he can change things for the better but lets at least give him a chance to see what hes made of!

My God! You would think people would have somthing better to do with thier time. A comment like that , not meant to be serious, is only "harmfull" to children if you let it be. If you take it, not as an insult, but as praise then you change the meaning of the word and deny bigots the power to use it as a pejoritive term. Wr can make the phrase harmless. You can do so by joining with me and our future president in saying I'm a mutt and I am proud.

What is wrong with the people who are concerned with these remarks?

The Nancy Regan remark was funny. Obama's apology was perfectly appropriate and likely necessitated by critics ready for any blood. I bet he called Nancy in order that she not be blindsided by media questions. Rather decent of Obama, me thinks.

The "mutt" remark was both hilarious and, together with the Nancy joke, proving that Obama is actually a human being.

We've suffered 8 years of reptilian brain stem from the current mal-administrator. There's so much material, books have been published, just on the gaffes. Now we have someone who not only has a brain, but is not so aloof or above himself that he cannot demonstrate his humanity. Already he is being cut down. How pathetic.

I would suggest the critics, likely Republican, look into something else such as (borrowing from Bill Marr) a mirror.

Hello, America is a nation of mutts.

This is just the beginning. He is awful in an unscripted environment. I can't wait...let fun begin.

Mutt is the way to go. Mutt is better than "PURE" breed because pure breed is INBREED.
Mutt is prestigeous and full of mostly wonderfull posibilities.
Pure breed is decadent and produces only the degeneration that can be observed on msot all these "purebreeds".
Put some thinking and science behind the term and you will be proud of being called a mutt. You will not find it so elegant and elevated when someone associates you with a "pure(IN)breed".

dyou aabout being an inbreed.

For that Korean-American mother who has felt the sting of dicrimination, it's easy to understand her sensitivity to racial slurs.

For folks who have been here for generations, there is a pride in being an American mutt. It signifies a throw away who came back against all odds to build, by force, an incredible country. Many call it the best.

This is one of those things where if you are a member of a group, you can embrace words to describe yourself that would be considered a slur coming from a person who was not part of that group. If someone else who was not of mixed race called Obama a mutt, that would be different, because most likely it would be taken as a slur. And even then...the connotations of "mutt" versus "the N word" don't seem all that bad. Mutts are adorable, lovable, and genetically superior animals to highly inbred "pure breds". Another example of this concept...as a lesbian, I can call myself or my lesbian friends a "dyke" and that's OK, because my friends and I have reclaimed the word to mean something positive. If I'm walking down the street and some stranger calls me a dyke, then I'm pretty sure their intent is malevolent. Whether or not a word is a slur often boils down to context and the intent of the speaker. Straight white people, esp. males, have a really hard time understanding this concept, I've found. But it makes perfect sense to me. Oh, and the Nancy Reagan thing...HILARIOUS! I love Obama more all the time. :-)

You who are offended by Mutt - need to get a LIFE. Read a book or volunteer for a charity.

I never heard the word "Mutt" when he was campaigning?

I can't believe how many people have opined on this so-called issue. I watched him say it and it rolled right off my back. Some humor can go a long way during these times. You neo-cons need to get a life. That is all!

OH PLEASE ! HALF THE WORLD ARE MUTTS.
WHAT IS TRULY OFFENSIVE IS THOSE OF YOU CAN'T EXCEPT
HIS WHITE HERRITAGE. SHAME ON YOU. ( THATS RACIST!)

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T HAVE A CLUE
GET EDUCATED!!!

160 comments? I haven't bothered to read them, I don't need to in order to understand how ridiculous a topic this is. I can tell from some of the first few that at least some people agree.

Does an African-American president really have to mean that we need political correctness to the nth degree?? I can't imagine a more harmless, less significant, less offensive off-the-cuff remark. Surely there is something more signifcant to be discussed...

What a waste of News.

Get over it! People's opinions count in the voting booth and on actual issues, nowhere else. Other than that, quick yer squawking; you must have some work to do somewhere...

ABSOLUTE MORONS!!!

WHY DO PEOPLE HAVE TO GET THERE MUTT IN AN UPROAR!

Must be a slow news day.....

Bottom line; if Barack Obama wants to poke fun at himself, who is anyone to be offended? The majority of the population is made up of mixes whether ethnically or religiously. If you aren't a Native Indian or didn't come over here on the Mayflower...guess what!!!

Juxtaposing it with a white-supremacist's "pure" view of a human being, it's no suprise to me this comment was flagged. I thought it was funny. It showed his sense of humor. America is made up of mutts of all types.

Ain't America great! Any doofus with a computer (and a lazy reporter who apparently thinks journalism consists of the ability to Google the words Obama and mutt)) can get his or her views out to millions of readers, who then (understandably) feel compelled to comment. Thereby giving unintended but apparent credence to a view that was shared by almost no one, and creating an issue where none existed. The time has come to ignore nonsense, on the left as well as the right.

You can't please everybody, and if you say anything you're bound to offend somebody. The whole "issue" is stupid. So is the apology over the remark about seances. Nancy Reagan is a foolish woman who with her senile husband believed in nonsense such as astrology.

you are a bunch of crack heads, if the silly remark offends you. Go fix your kids supper!! Hey, do you have enough for 1 more?? Huh?

Get over yourself, not everything has a huge political agenda, if anything this article makes it worse off for yourself. I love Mutts! But I don't care for people who try to be the center of attention and complain about stupid stuff

I'm glad he referred to him self as a MUTT because quite frankly that is what most of us American's are, a mixture of multiple nationalities. Welcome to the great American Melting pot. Let's face it this day and age it is rare to find anyone who is truly 100% of any one kind of nationality. Even in other countries in the world. So get off your high horses and just deal with it. Really, if you are offended by this comment then maybe you shouldn't be in a country with such a wide diversity and freedom of speech.

A self deprecating president. What more could you want ? In a stroke he completely broke the ice around the issue of his origins. Once you can reduce such a profound issue to an utterly human, honest, unassuming expression on such a public stage, you gain my admiration. The comment was pure genius.

People need to lose this complex of searching for a cause for one's personal offense. They were his own words about himself for God sake.

I am Caucasian and when people ask me about my ethnicity I say I am a "mutt" because I am a mix of Irish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Spanish, Scottish, and English decent. I don't associate the term with race at all.

Unbelievable, Give the guy a break. So many people are looking to be offended or spending to much time protecting their "dignity" until they have none. That man is one of the classiest political persons I have seen.... In my neck of the woods and probably in his a mutt is where the best the most character comes from. It is the purebreed that has all the troubles..... Gee I am a scottish, flemish, irish, indian american.... guess I am a mutt also.... as most of us

Reactions are just hyper-sensitive because he happens to be black. When I'm asked about my heritage, which has traces of everything from Native American to Latvian ancestries, I've also joked that I'm a "mutt." It's certainly never raised any eyebrows, and I don't see why it should.

What is the big deal !!! I am so sick and tired of everything anyone in the media says being over analyzed. And by everyone being offended by everything. Get over it. There are so many serious problems in the world, try worrying about something important.

He is a mutt as so many of us are. There are very few people out there who can say I am absolutely 100 % ___________ fill in the blank. And good for you if you are…(lots of other people don’t really care) As anyone call tell you that has owned a dog there is no better dog than a ‘mutt’ they tend be faithful, have fewer health problems, live longer and shelter mutts seem to understand that they have been rescued and are grateful for it. I have a shelter mutt and I would not trade her for any purebred out there……..

And I think his remark about dead presidents was pretty funny……and you know what I did NOT vote for him. I did not vote for either candidate as I vowed I would not vote for anyone who refused to deal with the illegal immigrant issue. But he will be president and I am willing to give him a chance.

GET A LIFE!!! What happened to our sense of humor???

Over-political-correctness is ruining our country more than the economy being in the toilet. It's about time we've had a president who is "real", one who's human and not afraid to show his sense of humor. People really need to get over themselves.

I think that, as is usual in an age where anything is news, things like this are bound to be blown out of proportion. I personally think that Obama's comment was funny, even clever. But I think that the important thing to realize is that MOST of us are mutts. I might be white, but I'm a combination of different kinds of white - Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian - and thats what mutts are, a combination. And honestly, everyone knows that mutts are better than inbred "purebreds."

Oh, give me a break.

I am Irish American and often refer to myself in the many self-deprecating terms many of my family have used to describe ourselves (which can't be printed) over the years. As in, "well, I am just a bog-Irish ****!!!!!!***^^%&%^&&, but here's what I think."

Stop the hand wringing, you insecure people and loosen up.

"Mutt" is compliment in describing our new president-elect after his ugly trashing of a former first lady. Nice manners.

Everyone in America is a mutt, and everyone has some sort of a multi cultural background. Where is the "victim" in this statement? Did anyone get hurt? No? THEN WHY IS IT A PROBLEM??? Stop trying to be a victim and try to use your energy for something more constructive

Who isn't a "Mutt"? No offensive to me... My daughter is now, Irish, German, Native American, Lebaneese, Sweddish, Norwegian, and Syrian. As AMERICAN's were all "MUTTS" and that's why our counrty is great!

I am of Ashkenazi Jewish, French Canadian (Catholic), Irish (Catholic), and English (Protestant) heritage. White "mutt" is derogatory (it's a toned-down "half-breed" for the 21st century), it's also an endearing term. "Mutts" have been, and are, here (and in the White House), and are the people of the future. All in all, Obama has done a brilliant job of embracing all his heritages.

The same woman who thought mutt was a slur posted her rant on Kimchimamas.com ?!?!?

Great journalism Foon Rhee. I know this is a blog and all, but you are the deputy national political editor for the boston globe and publishing the blog on the globe website. Can't you at least elevate your game a little bit over the likes of say me or my neighbor or any old arseclown with a blog?

I'm sure he will avoid these types of miscues in the future. This is really the first time I've heard him put his foot in his mouth and he accomplished it x 2 within minutes of each other. Could have been a little nervous or ill-at-ease.

He's got a lot of potential.

Jeepers, it was a joke, people need to LIGHTEN UP and not take themselves so seriously!

#176....are you impervious to the irony of your own message?

Agree completely with numbers 181 and 183. It was a funny and rather endearing comment. Those who are insulted should only be so if he or anyone else uses it against them rather than himself. As someone else said, get a life.

Gee whiz! Leave the "mutt" remark alone. In Amwerica, we're ALL mutts and less-desirables...that's the foundation of how we got here. If less than a mutt, we are inbred misfits from "Deliverance". I felt his comment was a refreshing bit of twist and added rationale for considering the "politically correct" idea of going to a dog shelter...where only perhaps 20% of the dogs are tempermentally fit for new owners, per my local experience with such places in Sudbury.

As a person who voted against Obama (knowing that in this state it really wouldn't matter anyway), come on people, lighten up. The guy actually got points with me for the mutt comment. I was a little more angry about the Reagan comment because I, originally thought he was talking about President Reagan's somewhat recent death (showing my true conservative nature) but after finding out what he was really talking about, I'm even OK with that joke. From someone that has a hard time taking up for someone who is so fundamentally against my values and what I believe the constitution states, this is far from something that anybody needs to get all pissy over.

God bless Obama and everyone with a sense of humor and a little bit of humanity. He may be a mutt, but he's also a mensch.

I have said it myself, overseas, in describing myself to foreigners. Usually, I used it in humor, but also as a way to highlight that Americans are mixtures of the rest of the world.

Italian, Irish, English, French, American Indian, and who knows what else; and proud of it.

Why is this even a story? People in the US are too uptight. Lighten up. Obama didn't mean anything negative by those comments.

Why is this even a story? People in the US are too uptight. Lighten up. Obama didn't mean anything negative by those comments.

I'm an Arizona Republican, voted for McCain and most importantly,I am an American. God bless President-elect Obama. There is nothing to be gained by looking for shortcomings in our soon to be new President. We are all flawed. The votes have been counted. It is time to come together. President Bush has requested and acted to make this a smooth transition because he knows what the President faces. No one comes to this office without a profound love and respect for our country. Disagree with policy; stand united with our brothers.

My family tree stems from people coming from Ireland, Germany, Sweden and Native America. I'm a mutt... and I'm proud of it! I'm all of the above, and none. I'm a U.S. Citizen, and proud of it! We're all human, get off the offensive/defensive platform.

On the upside, the reality is we are a changed nation:

Blacks are finally willing to become as touchy as white professors of semiotics with way too much time on their hands.

While I do believe that comedically unamusing people ought best to leave comedy to professionals, and while I do think it best all joking be left out of the White House until the nation is closer to being in that "ha-ha" place- I still find it incredibly annoying that the Boston Globe could have so little intelligent news to report as to abuse my bandwidth with bad presidential wisecracks.

As a 'black' (note the lower case 'b') New Yorican I've been called mutt for many years. As a well educated 'black' (though clearly brown) male I've been called "Carlton", Irkle", etc by everyone to include African-Americans (or 'blacks') all my life. Any complaint I could come with has only ever garnered ridicule or worse still, castigation for negativity on MY part. This is true, I promise.

So my advice to any miraculously racially over-sensitive Asian-Americans (though never would we refer to them as 'yellows') or traditionally bigoted Republicans would probably be to sit the ______ down and shut the _____ up.

Oh, and have a nice day.

I am still on a post-election high, so nothing could kill my buzz right now. I wouldn't want someone at school calling my bi-racial kids a "mutt" but when you say it about yourself it's different. I know, you are saying it's still offensive, well he's not the type to say it over and over again so I definitely don't want to nitpick him while he's trying to be prepare to be president, it's a really tough and mostly thankless job. I am also happy he's considering a dog from a shelter, he deserves a lot of praise for that. It's just a cute comparison to himself in my opinion. I called myself a mutt, since, as most other people mentioned, many Americans are mutts in some way.

The Boston Globe is a conservative organization and has no sense of humor, so this petty non-story from them comes as no surprise. I expect there will more of the same on a regular basis. *YAWN*

As a multiracial, "Mutt", American im just glad Obama is president. I thought the comment was kind of funny, hes got a sense of humor. Perhaps a bit dry at times. Living a life with all that Obama has experienced creates a dry sense of humor. Mutt to me is less offensive than some other slurs ive heard. Maybe thats because my perception of mutt dogs is positive. They are usually make good if not better house pets and are often healthier and longer living than pure bred dogs. I thought it was funny and I love how Obama being president and being able to talk about things like this will help normalize being multiracial in the minds of the publice

Unless we are inbred to your cousins from the same tribe/bloodline or something were all mutts, I always called mysrlf a hienz 57 baby. On a more political note,
What if he was saying that he's not black or white, so he has neither a black nor white agenda, just an american agenda? HMMMMM???

With all the problems in the world, whining about Obama calling himself a mutt is just that: petty whining!!! If anything, the remark was a refreshing change from the usual political arrogance.

Most of you (including Obama) are all ignorant. I am biracial (white mother and black father) and it is DEFINITELY offensive for someone to refer to me as an Oreo, zebra, half breed, mixed breed or mutt. I have friends that refer to themselves as n*ggA's but who would never get on national t.v. and say it because they know it is ignorant and can be offensive to other people. I would expect Obama to also know that the term "mutt" is ignorant and offensive to people and not to say it on national t.v. even if he thinks of himself as one. Would you get over it if I called you cracker or n*gger?????? Wake up @ssholes.

Oh, mutter, what's the matter? Get butter?

lol give me a break. There will always be people with no sense of humor who hate jokes. That doesn't mean we have to cover them.

All African Americans are technically "mutts" and some scholars would argue a fairly sizeable chunk of the so-called white population in this country (due to lighter skinned Af/Am's and Native Am's passing as white). I think it's a silly way to refer to oneself, particularly at a press conference, but then again, a rather silly topic, don't you think? I imagine there will be a press conference solely to announce the final choice of dog. Such is the way of this country, that people care more about animals than people...

I didn't find it offensive, thought it was funny. I call myself a mutt, or heinz 57, meaning a mixture of alot of different races, black, white, and indian. Our whole family is a mixture of something, Asian all groups, Mexican, white, Black. Or we may refer to ourselves as the rainbow coalition. All in good fun, not meant to offend anyone, but to be happy about the fact we can appreciate every culture, because it is apart of all of us. Plus noone here in the US, is 100% pure anything anymore.

America is melting pot. Someone who's family tree sprouts through several different cultures is a mutt. Almost every Caucasian American is a 'mutt', so why is it degrading to be called such? People using it to describe themselves have thrown out the insulting meaning in it, and embraced the meaning of coming from a diverse background. I'd say that's admirable!

That's offensive? Get a grip.....between my husband and I we can come up with over a dozen nationalities. That makes our son a mutt...and nothing is stronger in the dog world than a mongrel. It's the inbred purebreds that have all the health problems. If Obama wants to call himself that let him. Would you prefer the outdated mulatto?

Man, you people need a sense of humor. Damn funny and shows a guy not obsessed with the labels and nuttiness of too many in the culture. As everyone knows, it's the pure breeds that have all the genetic defects. Mutts are healthier, smarter, tougher. And, it is clear, with a better sense of humor than most.

Maybe he should be taking his job a little more seriously. Being the president of a nation shouldn't be taken so lightly. One of the more important topics of his first press conference was his new dog. Should'nt it be about something more important like the "change" he will bring to our country. I would rather know what he is going to do for our country than what kind of dog is going to live in the white house. How does his dog affect me? It doesn't, thats how.

Biracial people from the time they are born to the time they die are constantly asked to choose their "primary" race, or others will do it for them. We are called offensive names like; yellow banana, oreo, mutt, etc., all meant to hurt who we truly represent, a nation of one blood.

If we as people were not concerned with language and how it can be degrading to one's race, then during the O.J. Simpson case why was the word once attributed to a race of people always referred to as the ‘N’ word.

A word from your mouth speaks volumes about your heart. When a person’s offensive language gets the best of him/her, it reveals the worst of them. Personally, he has an identifty issue of his being biracial that he is not comfortable in dealing with and that is why he tried to make fun of it. This coming from a President-elect could foster the will of others to use degrading words towards others who are biracial.

If we are suppose to lighten-up as some have stated then let us start making fun of the N-word.

Carl Jazz

People need to lighten up, REALLY!!! I'm triple minority: I'm LATINO (not "hispanic"), I'm JEWISH (not "hebrew"), and I'm a MUTT or MULATO (not "multiracial). Any of these three terms have been used as an insult, but I could not care less, and in fact I'm quite proud of each and every one of them. A term is pejorative only in the eye of the beholder. If you get offended by the word Mutt, then probably you have self-esteem issues.

Obama doesn't know that goldendoodles are mixed breed dogs? (from the puppy mills)
Obama doesn't know there is NO SUCH THING as a hypoallergenic purebred?
Obama doesn't know there are purebreds of every kind in shelters and rescue groups?

we're all mutts - americans are mutts, get over it. white americans have been calling themselves mutts for ages...

I have a mother who had a German mother, and a German-Swedish father, and a father with a Spanish mother and a Spanish-Mestizo father, and I, along with my parents, and many, many other multiethnic people I know call ourselves mutts.

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