disturbing the comfortable

[sophiaserpentia]

Stuff White People Like

Oh, this new blog ruffles the feathers in all kinds of ways. It's brilliant. The comments on each post are proof that it's working. Yes, the criticism that this really mainly applies to yuppies is true, but since they are dominating a lot of the urban cultural dialogue it's still funny and informative to observe the squirming.

Recycling is a part of a larger theme of stuff white people like: saving the earth without having to do that much.

Recycling is fantastic! You can still buy all the stuff you like (bottled water, beer, wine, organic iced tea, and cans of all varieties) and then when you’re done you just put it in a DIFFERENT bin than where you would throw your other garbage. And boom! Environment saved! Everyone feels great, it’s so easy!

... If you are in a situation where a white person produces an empty bottle, watch their actions. They will first say “where’s the recycling?” If you say “we don’t recycle,” prepare for some awkwardness. They will make a move to throw the bottle away, they will hesitate, and then ultimately throw the bottle away. But after they return look in their eyes. All they can see is the bottle lasting forever in a landfill, trapping small animals. It will eat at them for days.

Comments

Re: *snickers*

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

It really is a kind of interestingly funny breakdown of white culture. Ever notice how no one talks about "white culture"? People will talk about Asian culture or black culture, but white culture is just... normal. And white kids will tell you "we don't have a culture." Well yeah, you do. If you don't know what it is, maybe you should read that blog to find out. :P

And of course not every white person fits every stereotype in there - just like every black person doesn't fit every black stereotype. But at least half of the things I browsed through are things I've done. I was amused.

Maybe they should add an entry for "white people like to think they are the exception" :P

Re: *snickers*

[kumbunny.livejournal.com]

I have heard white-fellas say "We are not a race".

That's when you know that horse blinders should be on the stockmarket.

Re: *snickers*

[sophiaserpentia.livejournal.com]

Heh, i wonder how long it will be before there's an entry for "linking to this blog" as another thing white people do to avoid feeling guilty while changing nothing.

Re: *snickers*

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

Or the assumption that white people are the ones who ought to be changing things, deciding what needs to be changed, and... oh wait I think that was covered in "non profit organizations".

Re: *snickers*

[sable-twilight.livejournal.com]

Maybe they should add an entry for "white people like to think they are the exception"

or say that they are portion of some other race...

Re: *snickers*

[deifire]

*snerk* This reminds me of the all-white academic seminar on white privilege in which it was determined by general consensus that I was the only person in the entire room who had a culture. (Apparently, blue collar, rural and southern is just enough of a shade off "normal" that white college students can actually see it. Seminar conclusion: Okay, so embarrassing and occassional identifiable "ethnic" varieties of white culture exist--and some people are Jewish--but the rest of "us" don't have one. Are we lacking something?)

Of course, I've since grown into the type of person who can't go out to buy beer for the Daytona 500 without coming home with stout brewed with love and fair trade organic coffee by the local microbrewery...

Re: *snickers*

[stacymckenna.livejournal.com]

Starting with Post #1 I found myself thinking:
"But I hate coffee...
I still serve on the church council of the religion I was raised in...
I don't enjoy film festivals or most "arty" films...
I don't play team sports, but I guess I like assisting in non-sports areas...
Farmer's markets are a pain in the kiester, I'd rather grow my own...
I never pay for organic...
I often wonder sadly at my lack of social racial diversity...
I like Barrack's approach to problem solving regardless of color...
I often insist in staying inside out of the heat...
I've never even seen a Wes Anderson film on purpose (though I did see Bottle Rocket in college during our new releases class)..."

Yup, prime candidate for the "like to think they are the exception" category.

Re: *snickers*

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

Hee hee :)

Of course a larger point to be made in all of this is that of course such racial stereotyping is bound to be inaccurate when taken to cases. It is maybe more to the point that white people don't think of themselves, typically, as a "race" - they think of themselves as the norm, and being labeled as a race with a culture - just as white people typically do to every non-white person - makes them really uncomfortable. It's a tiny taste of what we do to others.

Re: *snickers*

[stacymckenna.livejournal.com]

Yup. I actually started labeling myself as Swedish (despite being born a Mc) when I started recognizing distinct cultural distinctions between myself and non-Scandanavian whites around me. I was so stereotypically Swedish-American that it would have been ridiculous not to. But that's a hugely different thing than having outsiders note a trait and then jump to "you must do these other things, too".

Re: *snickers*

[stacymckenna.livejournal.com]

hahahahaha!!!

I'm an engineer, who used to work for an Oil Company. According to item #47 I've officially "los[t] white person status (and can only be regained by working at a non-profit)".

That explains everything... ;)