Stuff White People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions

Lander's satire is brilliant. As another reviewer suggested (albeit in a negative light) Lander thinly disguises narcissistic pretentiousness under a thin veil of irreverent self depreciation. Unfortunately, I think this other reviewer missed the point; you see, as Lander states many times throughout the book, "it's a win-win situation...white people just can't lose." The association of author, content, form, and tone are so tightly wound it's no wonder that the book's significance can only be fully accessed and appreciated by those millions who share the author's "unique taste." As a proud member of Lander's cohort army of unread NEW YORKER collecting, Che Guevara admiring, Canadian emigration threatening, Asian girl loving, knowing what's best for poor people thinking I say we should all grab a copy and ride our bicycles to the nearest independent fair trade organic coffee house (the one overlooking the water), open our MacBooks to illuminate the requisite logo on the backside of the LCD screen, while proudly holding STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE (SWPL) open at face level for all to see our superior creativity and uniqueness. I leave you with a true story: This morning, in ironic fashion, I actually rode an LA METRO Bus to my work (a non-profit where I hold a management position), and proudly read SWPL without shrouding its cover. As you can imagine, the befuddled looks about the faces of my fellow bus riders (all non-white people) were the stuff of hilarity... not to mention how awesome it was to be the only white person around!

Christian Lander - with some photographic help from his wife Jessica Lander - has succeeded in transforming into book form his blog site STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE and the result is a compendium of 150 idiosyncrasies that mark white people as a groupie well worth 'mocking'. Lander writes so well that his zingers remain on target while providing entertainment for the reader instead of producing a mockery or lambast too personal to continue. The first clue to his universal approach is the subtitle of the book, 'A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions', and if you don't catch the humor in that then much of the book will be lost on you! After reading some of the 'Stuff' Lander lists we begin to feel the artifice of Lander's thinking; the long list of everyday items, as defined or described by Lander, spreads in comic relief the pretentiousness, the shallow desire to be 'with it', the countless fads we indulge while denying the commonality of those items, and the way 'white people' are perceived by the world at large - both at home and abroad. It has been said that nothing is funnier than reality and this book proves that statement 150 times - with many more thoughts initiated by the book that extend the depth of comedy in the 'unique tastes' we claim. For instance, one favorite thing to discuss is public transportation, heralded as a big city luxury worth expanding into the little cities, but stopping short when the word 'bus' enters the conversation. 'When it comes to the subject it's best to understand that white people do not recognize public transit as a viable option until a subway line is built that runs directly from their house to their work. Until that time, public transportation is a luxury only for New Yorkers and Europeans, sort of like opera.' Other topics addressed range from Netflix, Veganism/Vegetarianism, Microbreweries, Yoga, Tea, Black Friends/Gay Friends, Portland, Oregon to San Francisco prejudices, Bakeries, Hardwood Floors, Integrity (versus 'selling out'), Natural Medicine, Plays, Cheese, Therapy - the list seems endless. From Following Their Dreams, to where to visit/vacation (Third World Countries for all the wrong reasons) to the importance of knowing how to give 'the good dinner party', Lander finds truths that cause us to ache a bit in acknowledging but force us to relax and really laugh at how each of these item is so very true. To continue on another thing ('stuff') that Lander addresses, Awareness of just how each of these traits define us in the brush with reality that will perhaps not only entertain us while reading this wisely humorous book, but will also turn on the light to the acceptance that 'white people' have become as marginalized as other social groups who have long since found audiences who delight in the 'truth confessionals' that fill our computer YouTube and TVs - oh, but then real white people don't own TVs.... Christian Lander has a major hit on his hands. Read this and share this.

The blog is hilarious, and the book is too. I'm very glad he got a book deal so people who never would read a blog will read this book. My friends and I point out parts of it that are us- sometimes by stuff we've said in conversations before reading the section in the book that sums it up! I'm hoping for a documentary next, and then an accompanying film festival. I will then get the DVD on Netflix to show it at a dinner party :)

Stuff People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions, by Christian Lander, is laugh-out-loud funny. The book jumps right in with 150 things white people like. There are black and white photographs throughout, many of which were taken by his wife. The end of the book has a handy list of the 150 things white people like and a checklist to see what percentage of white you are. Note: this is not a book about all white Americans, but a book on the white cultural creatives (cc's) (if you know who they are, then you are probably one of them,) that make up over one-third of the population. Many of the defining characteristics of the cc's can be found in the "stuff" Landers writes about, like enjoying the outdoors, organic food, being an environmentalist, caring about education and so on. Another defining characteristic of the cc's is the belief that they are a unique and authentic bunch--something Landers has too much fun poking at. There are tips throughout for those seeking to befriend a white person that are hilarious. The following excerpts will give you a taste of the book: * Coffee: "For the most part, white people love Starbucks, although they will profess o hate how the chain is now a multi international corporation." * Organic food: "Because of the balance of global wealth and power, there is a general assumption that white people are pretty shrewd. And for the most part, history has proven this to be true. But white people have one great weakness: organic food." * Having black friends: "...an abundance of black fiends (defined in white culture as two) also enables a white person to be the resident expert on African-American issues when there are no black people around." * Multilingual child: All white people their children to speak another language. There are no exceptions." Dinner Parties: Outside of dictatorships and a few murder trials, there might not be a more rigorous judgement process in the modern world." I love that the bio on the back cover includes the fact that he is a Ph.D dropout. I was also impressed that Landers is up on the water bottle and paper/plastic vs. canvas bag wars. He knows his culture. Highly recommend. From the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.

I was worried that the book may not live up to all the hype surrounding its publication and may not be as good as the material in the blog, but it does not disappoint! Although all photos are black and white, they enhance the essays.