Who Are These White People?
The following is from Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions by Christian Lander. It's a New York Times Bestseller. I don't own the book, but a friend of mine let me borrow it.
The book describes 150 examples of stuff white people like. Here's a random sample: Coffee (#1), Asian Girls, Having Black Friends, Writer's Workshops, Microbreweries, '80s Night, Snowboarding, Brunch, Indie Music, Living by the Water, Kitchen Gadgets, Knowing What's Best for Poor People, Standing Still at Concerts, The Idea of Soccer, Graduate School, Having Gay Friends, San Francisco, The Boston Red Sox, Native Wisdom, Reusable Shopping Bags, Acoustic Covers, Not Having Cash, Singer-Songwriters, Eating Outside, Public Transportation That Is Not a Bus, Dive Bars.
Here's an example of the kinds of sarcastic descriptions the book offers. This is the second entry, right behind Coffee: Religions Their Parents Don't Belong To.
White people will often say they are "spiritual" but not religious. This usually means that they will believe in any religion that doesn't involve Jesus. The most popular choices include Buddhism, Hinduism, Kabbalah, and, to a lesser extent, Scientology. A few even dip into Islam, but that's much rarer, since you have to make real sacrifices and actually go to a mosque.
For the most part, white people prefer religions that produce artifacts and furniture that fit into their home or wardrobe. They are also particularly drawn to religions that do not require a lot of commitment or donations.
When a white person tells you "I'm a Buddhist/Hindu/Kabbalahist," the best thing to do is ask how they arrived at their religious decision. The story will likely involve a trip to Thailand or a college class on religion.
So, I'm interested in who these white people are. My guess is that they're not the people I saw at Wal-Mart this morning or the guys who changed the oil in my CRV. I'm also interested in who the audience is for this book. My guess is that they're the very white people the book is written about.
posted by mac | 6:58 AM
4 Comments:
I am on your side....... I also will not bother to buy it, it will probably be a new series on Fox in the fall - animated!!
This book seems to be pretty much all about the white people who are in the news media, entertainment, government, those west of the Mississippi River all of the north eastern states....and a couple of my neighbors.
Kabbala is not a religion. It's an ancient Jewish mystical text. The Jewish group that uses it most is the Hassidim-- those are the ultra-orthodox ones in the black coats and side curls. Does the author write about other topics with such a dearth of information?
I'd wondered about that, Roz, but I didn't know enough about it to be sure that it wasn't right. The author's purpose is certainly entertainment--whose, I'm not quite sure. What I certain of, however, is that the book has plenty of wrong information and right information twisted to maximize its entertainment value. But much of it is fun to read, if the reader doesn't take it too seriously.
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