Race-related blog causing controversy: Caucasian site is flooded with hits

The Houston Chronicle ^ | March 20, 2008 | CORILYN SHROPSHIRE

[2ndDivisionVet]

Asian women, fancy coffee, farmers markets, dinner parties and gay friends — these are just a sampling of life's pleasures — if you're white.

Excuse me?

That's according to Christian Lander, the (white) wit behind the Web sensation Stuff White People Like blog, an irreverent daily missive on the passions of posh urbanites of the Caucasian persuasion.

It's the latest in a string of racially charged blogs (first came theassimilatednegro.com, then angryasian.com) that act as a virtual shrink's sofa for those tackling the tricky topics of race and class.

Lander is not the only one who uses the Web site as cheap and easy therapy, though the 29-year-old admits that's exactly what it is for him.

Readers, hundreds every day, flood the site's comment section with alternating fury and delight.

To date, there have been 14 million hits, reflecting the nation's current obsession with race and gender, too. For confirmation, check out the comments and speeches by presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton just this past week.

Dean Rader, a pop culture critic who authors weeklyrader.blogspot.com, says readers flock to Stuff White People Like because it's hip and hot and the place to be seen and heard online. "It's just as much about class and coolness and yuppiness and consumption (as race)."

And yes, if the some of the posts push far beyond the boundaries of good taste, readers seem to find liberation in an environment unfettered by political correctness.

Take #11 on the list: "Asian Girls: 95% of white males have at one point in their lives experienced yellow fever. ... White men love Asian women so much that they will go to extremes such as stating that Sandra Oh is sexy, teaching English in Asia, playing in a co-ed volleyball league ... "

Ouch.

That post has received more than 1,550 responses.

Other posts — try No. 36, "Breakfast Places" and No. 63, "Expensive Sandwiches" — may seem a bit more benign, but the post and ensuing conversations carry just as much bite.

"To a white person, there is no better way to spend a Saturday morning than to get up late, around 9:30 and pile into your Audi or Volvo and drive to one of these little places and eat breakfast with friends," Lander writes. "Oftentimes these breakfasts last for an hour or more (hence the long lines and wait times). Some white people take it to the next level and bring their dogs, newspapers or even a laptop."

Lander says the blog's title has drawn more controversy than any of the posts. White people hate being lumped into a group that they don't feel a part of, he says, adding, "that's essentially the same thing that every minority has been dealing with for centuries."

The latest spinoff of Lander's blog — Stuff Asian People Like.

[2ndDivisionVet]

It is HILARIOUS!

[Content Provider]

Have you seen "Black People Love Us!" ?

[x]

It's not actually about White people.

It's more about a certain upper-middle class kind of person who's a bit insulated from realities, someone with certain aspirations and presumptions that neither they or the world live up to. Such a person doesn't have to be White.

In fact that's where much of the comedy comes in. This guy is talking about himself and people like him and pretending their likes and dislikes are representative of all White people.

[Enterprise]

Stuff White People Like

[Repeal The 17th]

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

[bill1952]

Here is the link:

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

[2ndDivisionVet]

I know, that's why it cracks me up! I see loads of pretentious people like this here in D/FW, but I'm sure it's even worse in the Northeast or on the Left Coast. The old “How did Nixon win, I don't know anyone who voted for him?” crowd.

[Pinetop]

That site is hilarious and it’s only been up for what a couple of months. I first learned about it from Wired. The entry about ethnic restaurants—that white people won’t go into a Chinese restaurant if other white people are eating there. The necessity of bottled water.

[2ndDivisionVet]

I obviously dated Asian women in my two tours in Korea. If I wasn’t already married, I’d run, not walk to the airport and fly to Manila, Shanghai or the like. You won’t be sorry!

[durasell]

It is what it is — most of those types work in high-end industries that are tightly interconnected. Their next client, job or customer may be sitting next to them at a dinner party.

[Richard Kimball]

You think you got problems? If I brought an Asian woman home my wife would kill me. Just think, Mia actually adopted one for Woody.

[Beckwith]

I obviously dated Asian women in my two tours in Korea.

Dated?????


Number one, short-time, slicky honcho
2nd BG, 3rd Inf
Camp Kaiser
Unchon-ni, Korea
1962-1963

[Digital Sniper]

I’d take home Boomer. Hoshi couldn’t fight her way out of a wet paper bag. If you ain’t knockin’ boots with a girl who can kick your butt, you just ain’t livin’ right! ;-)

[M203M4]

The list of things white people like, LOL:

* #90 Dinner Parties
* #89 St. Patrick’s Day
* #88 Having Gay Friends
* #87 Outdoor Performance Clothes
* #86 Shorts
* #85 The Wire
* #84 T-Shirts
* #83 Bad Memories of High School
* #82 Hating Corporations
* #81 Graduate School
* #80 The Idea of Soccer
* #79 Modern Furniture
* #78 Multilingual Children
* #77 Musical Comedy
* #76 Bottles of Water
* #75 Threatening to Move to Canada
* #74 Oscar Parties
* #73 Gentrification
* #72 Study Abroad
* #71 Being the only white person around
* #70 Difficult Breakups
* #69 Mos Def
* #68 Michel Gondry
* #67 Standing Still at Concerts
* #66 Divorce
* #65 Co-Ed Sports
* #64 Recycling
* #63 Expensive Sandwiches
* #62 Knowing What’s Best for Poor People
* #61 Bicycles
* #60 Toyota Prius
* #59 Natural Medicine
* #58 Japan
* #57 Juno
* #56 Lawyers
* #55 Apologies
* #54 Kitchen Gadgets
* #53 Dogs
* #52 Sarah Silverman
* #51 Living by the Water
* #50 Irony
* #49 Vintage
* #48 Whole Foods and Grocery Co-ops
* #47 Arts Degrees
* #46 The Sunday New York Times
* #45 Asian Fusion Food
* #44 Public Radio
* #43 Plays
* #42 Sushi
* #41 Indie Music
* #40 Apple Products
* #39 Netflix
* #38 Arrested Development
* #37 Renovations
* #36 Breakfast Places
* #35 The Daily Show/Colbert Report
* #34 Architecture
* #33 Marijuana
* #32 Vegan/Vegetarianism
* #31 Snowboarding
* #30 Wrigley Field
* #29 80s Night
* #28 Not having a TV
* #27 Marathons
* #26 Manhattan (now Brooklyn too!)
* #25 David Sedaris
* #24 Wine
* #23 Microbreweries
* #22 Having Two Last Names
* #21 Writers Workshops
* #20 Being an expert on YOUR culture
* #19 Traveling
* #18 Awareness
* #17 Hating their Parents
* #16 Gifted Children
* #15 Yoga
* #14 Having Black Friends
* #13 Tea
* #12 Non-Profit Organizations
* #11 Asian Girls
* #10 Wes Anderson Movies
* #9 Making you feel bad about not going outside
* #8 Barack Obama
* #7 Diversity
* #6 Organic Food
* #5 Farmer’s Markets
* #4 Assists
* #3 Film Festivals
* #2 Religions their parents don’t belong to
* #1 Coffee

I’m a match with #1, 11, 28, 50, and 83. This makes me under 5.6% white! Pretty funny site.

[AirForceBrat23]

Please see #62 - “Knowing what’s best for poor people”. My favorite post on the site!!!

[CholeraJoe]

I kinda got a thing for Chiaki Kuriyama, especially if she wears the schoolgirl outfit she wore in "Kill Bill."

[FreedomPoster]

The original that boils it all down:

http://www.feanor.net/z0r/shock/whiteblack.swf

It’s as insightful on issue of race as much (most?) of what gets published out there.

[ANGGAPO]

Some time ago I worked in a business with black engineers and technicians. I don't remember any remarks about race. I suspect that education made the difference.

[x]

Virtually every white person you meet was a nerd in a high school -- it it is how they were able to get into a good arts program and law school. As such, their memories of high school are painful, but not tragic since they were able to eventually find success in the real world. Exploiting this information is your one way to ticket into the heart of a white person.