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Stuff White People Like
By Lindsey | August 5, 2008
Author examines white people and the stuff they like
By Lindsey Rivait
Lance Arts Editor
August 6, 2008
White people like all sorts of things—expensive sandwiches, eating brunch, ‘80s nights, and not owning TVs, among a list of 150 things as outlined by Stuff White People Like author, Christian Lander.
These aren’t just any white people, though. The list consists of stuff left-wing hipsters enjoy. Whether you identify with that class or not, the book and blog it is based off of are worth the read. Since the book’s release, updates to the blog have been slow, but Lander promises that new content lies ahead once his busy schedule dies down. “The study has not been completed by any means,” he said.
As for how white people react to the long list of stereotypes, Lander says most of them get it. Most people say they laugh out loud at some entries, but some entries make them cringe because they feel guilty.
“Some people get offended and say, ‘Well, I don’t like sushi, so I guess I’m not white,’ and they get upset, like ‘How dare he make generalizations about white people that don’t apply to me, I’m really offended by that.’ That’s always my favourite reaction,” Lander said.
Lander gets his inspiration for the entries from his own life. “I go after myself on this,” he explained. Lander digs into himself in the entry about bikes. “I ride a six-gear bike, so I know how pretentious I am for doing that and I know how pretentious it is for me to talk about how much I love it. So, I had to call myself out, and it hurt a bit. And the ‘Knowing What’s Best for Poor People’ one, my family grew up voting NDP, so that one hurt me,” he said.
While the chief purpose of the blog is to make people laugh, Lander, an aspiring comedy writer, says it inspires discussion about class and the changing face of North America. “I think by breaking it down to stuff, I mean, it’s just stuff, sandwiches, strollers, Priuses, these are just things. It makes people a little more comfortable to talk about race because it is just things. It’s done in a humorous way. You’re meant to have a laugh here, and not a mean-spirited laugh,” Lander explained.
In the back of the book is the “How White Are You?” quiz, where readers can calculate their white percentage. Lander says his is in the 92 per cent range. “But, I don’t like outdoor performance gear,” said Lander, who is adamant about staying indoors and not camping.
As for Lander’s top white people guilty pleasure, he’s a big fan of the TV show, The Hills.
“I live in LA. They have those establishing shots in the city. I ride my bike everywhere, so I’ve always wanted to be one of those bicyclists who bikes past Lauren and Audrina having lunch or something, but it’s never happened,” said Lander.
Lander’s other projects include a clip-on bin for garbage cans to make the world a little more efficient for those collecting cans and bottles with a return value.
“In Ontario it’s super easy, you just bring it back to the Beer Store and buy more beer. In the U.S., the supermarkets don’t take back the cans; you have to bring them to a recycling centre. A lot of people throw them in these big recycling bins that look like garbage cans,” explained Lander. The bin would have an indicator on it to alert can collectors when it was empty or full.
For more information about white people and the stuff they like, visit Lander’s blog online at http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/.
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