If you're not aware of Christian Lander's website Stuff White People Like , then you need to spend some time there browsing, grimacing (in self-recognition) and giggling. & Lander also has a book out called Stuff White People Like, which is a collection of his blog posts. & Basically, Lander identifies the cultural behavior and practices of white people based on what they like and then pokes fun at it. & I should say, he tends to focus more on the priviledged or middle class in white America and he LOVES to go after hipster culture. For example, Lander writes about why white people like dinner parties, modern furniture, girls with bangs, and... public radio! & What makes it genius, of course, is that by just identifying the behavior, he is turning the tables on white folks, who have long thought of themselves as the purveyors of ethnic behavior. & How white people define other groups has been the dominant narrative in our culture and Lander's website flips the switch.
A recent post titled Appearing to Like Classical Music is pretty funny. & He suggests that a lot of white people only pretend to like classical music. & What I like about this post is the way it points out that the value of high culture (symphonies, operas, museums, etc) is a cultural construct. & If we go to the symphony every weekend, we must be cultured. & The motivation to appear cultured is driven by class and social ambition. & Just because an arts event is packaged in an institution or tradition of high art, it is assumed to have worth and immediate cultural cache. & Of course, many great works of art do happen in those spaces, but they're happening in other cultural spaces as well. &
An excerpt from Lander's post:
If a white person starts talking to you about classical music, it's essential that you tread very lightly. & This is because white people are all petrified that they will be exposed as someone who has only a moderate understanding of classical music. & When a white person encounters another white person who actually enjoys classical music (exceptionally rare), it is often considered to be one of the most traumatic experiences they can go through.
Hilarious. &
