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Stuff White People Like

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 9,809 ratings · 883 reviews

They love nothing better than sipping free-trade gourmet coffee, leafing through the Sunday New York Times, and listening to David Sedaris on NPR (ideally all at the same time). Apple products, indie music, food co-ops, and vintage T-shirts make them weak in the knees.

They believe they’re unique, yet somehow they’re all exactly the same, talking about how they “get” Sarah...more

ebook, 211 pages

Published July 19th 2008 by Random House Publishing Group

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Jan 24, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, i-learned-something-new

Stuff White People Like may be misleading to some because, from the title, they'll expect this book to be about stuff that white people like.

kentucky

Various white demographics weren't hurt in the making of this book.

This is not necessarily the fact. In Lander's own words (pulled indiscreetly from wikipedia), this book is "rather a stereotype of affluent, environmentally and socially conscious, anti-corporate white North Americans, who typically hold a degree in the liberal arts."

In other words: Hipster...more

63 likes · like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who's lived in the Bay Area

Recommended to Manny by: notgettingenough

Shelves: the-goodreads-experience, parody-homage, well-i-think-its-funny, pooh-dante

94. Goodreads

Goodreads combines many of the things white people like. They can hang out on the internet, talk to people who have similar views on Sarah Palin and climate change, feel their liberal arts degree is useful for something and put down other white people while pretending to have pleasant conversations with them. The very best part, though, is being able to show everyone the books they've read. If a white person has read a book, they really want all the other white people to know they'v...more

49 likes · like · see review

Mar 12, 2011 Paquita Maria Sanchez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: truthiness

In one of my more earth-shattering moments of glorious word-spinning, allow me to summarize the deepest oceans that are my thoughts on this book: "Umm...heh...this book was pretty funny, dude."

Let me tell you something else I learned...

As you may have noticed, I am, in fact, white. However, as far as these guys are concerned, I am, like, THE WHITEST PERSON IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. I'm like the daughter in that scene in The People Under the Stairs where the mom throws her in the boiling hot bath, onl...more In one of my more earth-shattering moments of glorious word-spinning, allow me to summarize the deepest oceans that are my thoughts on this book: "Umm...heh...this book was pretty funny, dude."

Let me tell you something else I learned...

As you may have noticed, I am, in fact, white. However, as far as these guys are concerned, I am, like, THE WHITEST PERSON IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. I'm like the daughter in that scene in The People Under the Stairs where the mom throws her in the boiling hot bath, only if the tub was full of bleach-water. I eat a lot of sushi, I trust that the Criterion Collection will make wise decisions and therefore rent the movies they release even without prior knowledge about them, I have been promising to learn Japanese for the last several years ("learning" for me being fits and starts that have in the end just translated to me being able to write out the hiragana syllabary and say hello, goodbye, happy birthday, "I am an American," etc), and one of my very favorite rap albums ever is Deltron 3030...a triple-whammy dose of "white" due to the fact that it is a semi-obscure, almost "indie" rap album by a rapper whose drug of choice is LSD, the album's lyrics all center around dystopian/sci-fi themes, and it features an appearance by Sean Lennon who is all at once an indie-rock star, approximately 50% white, and probably the the biggest fucking hipster ever.

I mean, just look at him with his scenester top-hat and jingle-jangle bohemian jewelry and his "how in the fuck is she so hot it's totally un-fucking-fair to the rest of the girl world" super megahot white-girl girlfriend and his "oh, I come from probably one of the most amazing tantric lovemaking sessions of all time between my parents who you may have heard of since they're only JOHN LENNON and YOKO ONO." These two lovebirds are so hip that they even get away with multiple, simultaneous faux pas...seriously, an Indian headdress? All that fur? Jesus, guys...way to take a crap on both animals and the infinite, storied miseries of the Native Americans by boiling it all down to overpriced fashion accessories. But I am getting off track here, so let me summarize:

1. Stuff White People Like is kinda funny.
2. Waaaait a second, that sounds like me!?!?
3. Buh buh I like ~~RAP MUSIC!~~
4. DAYUMN Sean Lennon is a hipster.
5. Is this book saying that Sean Lennon is more white than I am?(less)

19 likes · like · see review

Oct 09, 2010 Mariel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: scenesters

Recommended to Mariel by: my mommy

My mother got me this for my birthday. She's totally making fun of me! I'm gonna show her the entry on Noam Chomsky because that's her. We'll see who is laughing then. (She'll then point to the entries on glasses, Michel Gondry, vegetarianism and Arrested Development. Then I'll point to "hating your parents".) (Or she might've gotten this for me since one of my weirdo pasttimes is making my african parrot speak to me in a little voice I created for him: "Evil white man" [that's me] and rants on...more My mother got me this for my birthday. She's totally making fun of me! I'm gonna show her the entry on Noam Chomsky because that's her. We'll see who is laughing then. (She'll then point to the entries on glasses, Michel Gondry, vegetarianism and Arrested Development. Then I'll point to "hating your parents".) (Or she might've gotten this for me since one of my weirdo pasttimes is making my african parrot speak to me in a little voice I created for him: "Evil white man" [that's me] and rants on me being like Idi Amin. No wonder I have such low self-esteem.)
I laughed some times. Mostly, though, the observations were off because it presupposes it is "white people" and not the much more accurate "scenesters" (others say "hipsters", but I prefer "scenesters" 'cause I'm so cool and different [Hey, my twin wears those mass manufactured John Lennon fashion frames! {I'm jealous}]).. Poking fun at tastes snobs it is pretty damned funny at times.
The Japan entry made me laugh 'cause I've pissed kids off knowing more about anime than they did when they were trying to tell me all about it.
Of course the cynicism is off. I love Wes Anderson and The Wire 'cause they are great. It's like dismissing Woody Allen 'cause he had a hard-on for Ingmar Bergman and purposely not taking into account that he could be very funny. Angles, sigh. I think if a lot of the things mentioned are popular it is because it wasn't hard to find it out. In the early '00s almost all icons on internet forums were of Donnie Darko. 'Darko' is great, but same fans would not venture beyond that to watch other surrealist films about people with mental disorders or time travel. Because it wasn't easy to find out about it. I did laugh at some of the token review quotes 'cause I've heard 'em before. I think it's the same deal. It's a cliche to say "I'd listen _blank actor_ read the phone book". Not really listening to what other people say you can pick up stuff like that and then repeat it without thinking that you weren't actually saying what you really felt about Philip Seymour Hoffman or Javier Bardem. It's not deliberate conformism, I don't think, but something less sinister than that: they don't like all that stuff enough to bother finding out about the rest. No one is really impressed with obscure knowledge anyway. (No one would be impressed with my knowledge of Canadian teen shows. Believe me, I've tried. My party corners are lonely sniff.) If it is good and enough people talk about it, the Wes Andersons become trendy. Some things are lifestyles. Every rich kid in Spain wears a Che Guevarra shirt. In the USA it is Scarface, or a brand new Def Leppard shirts (proof it is a fashion thing. Those shirts are supposed to be OLD). I've never known a college kid in a Bob Marley shirt who really liked the music. But they sell his shirts every where. Ridiculous, sure, but who cares?
It's funny when you can recognize stuff like the shirts and posturing. That's all it is meant to be. Did I need this book to point anything out to me? No way.
To real snobs (there are some) I'd always say make your own secret and don't rely on other people to make it for you. Mona Lisa did it. (It's trendy to repeat yourself if you're my favorite Canadian musicians.) (At least there wasn't a part poking fun at Canadianophiles like me.) (There isn't even a word for us, yet. Whew breathes sigh of relief.)

My favorite send-up of snobs: Mr. Show skit.(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2011 Joel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Joel by: life

Shelves: 30-day-book-challenge, ha-ha-hee-hee-ho-ho, non-fiction, vote-getters

Hey Brian,

Do you guys want play Cranium tomorrow night? Otherwise you could come over at like 10:30 and we could go to the farmer's market. I have been trying to buy local and it is actually the cheapest place to get organic apples. Anyway, you guys could come if you want. There is a new brunch place I want to try. You could also go to the thrift store with us. We want to get tacky wedding decorations.

OMG, have you ever seen that movie Flirting? We watched it last night on Netflix streaming dur...more

46 likes · like · see review

Aug 20, 2008 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I have to admit that what I liked most about this was that each of the 150 "chapters" were about a page each, which made it really easy to pick up and read when I just had a minute or two.

Although according to the quiz I am only 10% white, I got a good chuckle over quite a few of the things "the right kind of white person" likes. Two of my favorites?

#87 Outdoor Performance Clothes
"When white people aren't working, they generally like to wear outdoor performance clothes . . . The main re...more

13 likes · like · see review

Jul 08, 2008 Marcus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What White People Will Learn:
-That everything you do to be different makes you the same as everyone else.
-Whether or not you're 'the right kind of white person'
-What other white people are doing that you could be doing to become even whiter.

What People of Color Will Learn:
-How to become friends with/manipulate white people
-How to make sure you only befriend/manipulate 'the right kind of white person'
-How to talk to white people and have them think that you are cool/smart/fun/romantic

As funny as...more

20 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2011 Lucy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: oh-the-hype, non-fiction

Smug condesention from a white guy, mostly about how his friends are and going under the assumption all white people of a certain income bracket are the exact same way. Of course, I do some of the things in here, but just as many were totally unappealing or ridiculous. It's just a hype book and I won't be reading the second book by Mr. Lander. It's a clear example of a blog with semi-original material getting a book deal based on hits. The blog has similar content for free.

This was part of my c...more

13 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2008 Cher rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor-essays, nonfiction

This book is mortifying! It lists short essays on 150 things white people embrace. And not the "wrong kind" of white people, who would be those considered trashy or not within the important artistic and aware cities of New York, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle or Austin. According to it, I am at least 40% white, which = pompous. At first I was a little nervous about the title because I thought it might be idiotically off-base or embarrassigly white while pretending not to be. Nope. It is a perf...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jul 22, 2008 selena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: aspiring white folks and those interested in a white upgrade

Recommended to selena by: Colin B.

As any true white person knows, our book came out just a few weeks ago. Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander is one of the funniest things I’ve read all year. If you aren’t up on how to be the whitest you can be, this will definitely tell you everything from which authors to read (stick to Sedaris) and which newspapers you should make sure to always have on your coffee table while other white people visit your Ikea infested abode(The New Yorker and the New York Times, respectively).

It tak...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 27, 2008 Needleroozer rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: misc

I don't really know what I think about this book or even how to describe it.

i just read it while house sitting. i wanted something to read while soaking in the bathtub. While the family I am house sitting for has literally hundreds of books, most are novels (lots and lots and lots of mysteries) or historical/academic texts. I didn't want to start something that I wouldn't be able to finish and I didn't really want to get into any heavy reading. So I poked around until I found this.

I think this...more

9 likes · like · see review

Kelly Maybedog Hawkins Nice review.

The book is satire rather than humor--it's poking fun at middle-class liberals who think they are doing everything right to save the worl...more
Jan 02, 2010 04:48am

Needleroozer Kelly, thanks for your comment. I appreciate what you said and the way you said it. I think you are right about the author's intentions with this book...more
Jan 02, 2010 06:21am

Kelly Maybedog Hawkins Oh, I think you summed it up very well from your perspective. I think you should feel good about yourself that you couldn't relate to the book. Oh, an...more
updated Jan 02, 2010 06:31am

Nov 29, 2010 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lulz

Edit: I'm done with this. At least as much as I'm going to read. I didn't read every single one, mostly just the ones that I felt applied to me/ people I know. Otherwise it'd just not really interesting to me. I don't care how stereotypical it is for white people to snowboard, 'cause I don't snowboard or know anything about snowboarding. Anyway, it's amusing.. pure silliness. OR IS IT. I admit it also makes you question your choices/tastes. I mean, if this random white guy is able to predict you...more

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 06, 2008 Erin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to say, I was excited whan I saw this book at Borders, because I've read the blog and thought it was hilarious, but I was really disappointed when I read the book. The humor from the blog doesn't transfer well into the printed medium, and it felt like the majority of the book content was no more than entries from his blog in a print-and-bound version, with a few added visual aids.

While Lander's sense of humor is fine for small daily doses on a blog, it wears thin quickly when one is sitti...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 07, 2011 Becky rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, audiobook, disappointing, made-my-eyes-bleed, non-fiction, reviewed, challenge-1010

So, Umm... Do "white people" like this book?

No, they don't. They liked the idea of the website before it was created, and may have even laughed at one of the references when they were in on the joke before you. But by the time the site hit the web, it was old news, and they'd moved on to newer and/or older, less mainstream entertainment. Like reading blogs devoted to "How to wear your multiple knotted scarves in ways different from everyone else." And now that I've just drawn attention to that,...more So, Umm... Do "white people" like this book?

No, they don't. They liked the idea of the website before it was created, and may have even laughed at one of the references when they were in on the joke before you. But by the time the site hit the web, it was old news, and they'd moved on to newer and/or older, less mainstream entertainment. Like reading blogs devoted to "How to wear your multiple knotted scarves in ways different from everyone else." And now that I've just drawn attention to that, the search for the newest and/or oldest obscurity is on again.

Seriously though... This book sucked. It wasn't funny, and it was extremely repetitive. The only thing that changed was the item that was liked, and the rest of the chapter, every chapter, was pretty much exactly the same. Or so it seemed to me as I zoned out while listening to this on audio. It was like one big Find & Replace exercise for Lander to write it, I bet.

But, even so, there were things that I identified with in this book. Just not the way he says I do, or should. Or whatever.

I like coffee: Fucking Folgers, with cream and sugar. And I enjoy Starbucks coffee, but I don't soil myself and act like my purgatory on a desert island is finally, finally at an end when I see a store. I don't order drinks that take longer to name than my wait in line to get to the counter took.

I like New York City: It's a fun city with lots of shit to do and see and shit. But I don't act like a douchebag about it and pretend like my having been there makes me some sort of expert. I don't want to live there, like I'm supposed to, apparently, as a "white person". And I'm pretty sure that having a favorite place to eat is allowed, even if other people have heard of it. Like, my friend and I went to this Irish Pub/Diner that I'm sure MILLIONS of other people have dined at, and it was awesome and I'd love to go back. This time I'll have the whiskey with my french toast.

I like the environment, and I wish I'd bought a Prius or something. At least a hybrid. I like sushi, public radio, Farmer's Markets, 80s music, "having black friends" & "having gay friends" (although in my life, it's just called "having friends"). I like non-profits, tea, The Daily Show, Netflix, diversity, The Simpsons, and hope that when I have kids, they are fucking gifted and multilingual because that would be awesome. And I fucking love books, but more, I love READING them**. (And god, the "White Annotated Bibliography" section? Seriously? This dude is a douche. He makes literacy look like something dirty and shameful.)

The undercurrent in the book is that I should like these things because I feel like they make me better, quirkier or more unique than other "white people", when in fact the joke is on me, because it just makes me the same as them. Har har har. Derp.

Apparently, I should feel shame at liking the things I do. And, one would guess, for disliking the things I do too, because what self-respecting middle class "white person" doesn't love Oscar parties, expensive strollers, McSweeney's, "the idea of soccer" aka a reason to buy a scarf (seriously?!), outdoor performance clothes, or Wes Anderson movies? For shame! [For realsies though, I had to google who Wes Anderson even was (-10 white points) and then when I found out, I just laughed, because of the two I've ever tried to watch, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, I made it about a combined 45 minutes before wishing I could suddenly be struck blind. People actually LIKE those movies? I'll just remove myself from the list of White People right now, because that shit isn't gonna happen. I don't think I could bring myself to even FINISH one, let alone like it. Snoozeville.]

I was ready to read this and laugh, because I'm into self-deprecating humor as much as the next "white person", a topic which is sadly missing from this book... but I hear there's a sequel!, but umm... no. When making people laugh, it generally helps if there's something funny.

"Stuff White People Like"? Fail.

---
**Except this one. (less)

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Mar 27, 2009 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After Salman Rushdie exposed me for the ignoramus that I am (I couldn’t claim a full appreciation for his prize-winning allegory Midnight’s Children), I decided to go light with my next selection. So now I’ve been exposed for fitting a cultural stereotype a little too closely. It’s all in good fun, though. So what if I’m a coffee-drinking, European-traveling, New Balance-wearing, Wrigley Field-attending, dog-loving, documentary-watching white guy who likes irony, apologies, the idea of soccer, S...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Jade rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander is based mostly on his popular blog site of the same title, on which he provides a daily doses of satiric posts on what he believes to be stereotypical of a certain white demographic. According to himself, this demographic is “left-leaning, city-dwelling, white folk”, which he labels part of bohemian/hipster culture. Apparently, this book combines the content of some old blog entries with newer content written specifically for the book, and the editio...more Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander is based mostly on his popular blog site of the same title, on which he provides a daily doses of satiric posts on what he believes to be stereotypical of a certain white demographic. According to himself, this demographic is “left-leaning, city-dwelling, white folk”, which he labels part of bohemian/hipster culture. Apparently, this book combines the content of some old blog entries with newer content written specifically for the book, and the edition I’ve read contains 126 items that illustrate what “white people” enjoy according to Lander.

And, I have to admit, Lander’s observations about contemporary white, middle-class culture are, in some ways, sort of accurate. Some of them hit home for me personally, and I could definitely attribute a number of the items to people in my surroundings (especially to those in their twenties and thirties, and those residing on the internet). Perhaps Lander’s ideas are even more recognizable to US readers, as this is the demographic that Lander specifically choose to lampoon. Anyhow, I think he did an okay job portraying just exactly what stereotypical, hipster/leftish bohemian white people might like, and is apt in showing how conformist our society is at its core, even in subcultures that strive to be non-conformist/non-mainstream. A few other things I liked was the fact that the book sometimes forces its readers to examine their own privilege if an item applies to them, though this is more through the readers’ own initiative than through Lander’s voice. At least, that is what I got out of it, but perhaps it’s because I’m a bit primed for social awareness these days (and, as we all know, “awareness” also makes Lander’s Stuff White People Like list).

However, there are some pretty big problems with this book, the first being that it is far too repetitive. It’s satirical, and it’s supposed to be funny, but reading through 126 items that all have the same basic framework is just tedious, tiring, and boring. Yes, it is fun to read about things that you recognize as a person, as part of a social culture, but it stops being funny around item 50. It’s all the same formula, and though that format might work for a blog in a daily (or weekly) doses, it’s not such a good format for a book. Some items I also considered to be problematic content-wise (such as the one on platonic friendships), but perhaps I am too easily irked. Lander just doesn’t have the originality or the capability to put together such a large array of items on his Stuff White People Like list, nor can he provide the depth for an analytic, satirical book on social inequalities, including race, SES, gender, and so on and so forth.

At the end of it, it’s an okay try. Lander’s stereotypical portrayal of a certain white demographic is pretty accurate in some ways, but it ends up not being funny or thought-provoking because (a) it’s too much of the same, (b) it fails to provide honest and well-founded social commentary (it’s played like a hype and extremely shallow in this department), (c) the content is problematic and even offensive in certain entries, and (d) Lander’s tone is, like the “white people” he is satirizing, too arrogant/pretentious for me to enjoy. It could’ve been an interesting book with plenty of social commentary, but it isn’t, and I don’t really get Lander’s point. I wonder where he was going with this – just being “funny”? Or was there something more he attempted to say which I just couldn’t really find?

Recommended? Not really, it’s nothing special. If anything, it might show you just how “white” you are, mildly amuse you when you come across entries that apply to you or those around you, and perhaps even offend you in some ways.
(less)

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Nov 07, 2008 Chandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Chandra by: Shelby Cockrell

Shelves: humor-satire

This book is based on a blog by the same name. You have to be pretty okay with 'self-deprecating humor' (which, by the way, is something white people like) because you will find yourself laughing and cringing at the same time. My favorite entries are 'Public Transportation That is Not a Bus', 'Coffee', 'Gay Friends' and 'International Travel'. The book has some extras that the website doesn't have like silly flow charts and fill in the blank letters. The book is written as if it was an instructi...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2008 Kerry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who don't take themselves too seriously

Recommended to Kerry by: Lisa

So I really think the concept of this book is clever. I also enjoyed the little tests that rate the % of whiteness you are according to the scale.
I am 73% according to one of the tests.

What can I say...I too love farmers markets, being outdoors, NPR, books, reusable grocery bags, etc.

What the heck is she talking about you might ask....well you will just have to read the book or listen to this interview/reading from the author on this NPR clip.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...

I really t...more

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Jul 22, 2008 Ellen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: diehard fans of the SWPL site, suckers for satire

I love the website and give it 5 stars:

stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com

But I was disappointed by the book. It does have the same uncanny insight into "white" culture that the site does, but not much else. Yes, there is some content that isn't available on the site. Also, a few amusing graphics, i.e. a flowchart telling you how to name your white child, and a pie chart showing what you'll find in a white person's reusable canvas shopping bag. But there are very few of these. In addition, the p...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 30, 2008 Susan Erhardt rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-nonfiction

According to the quiz at the end, I'm only 20% white. Maybe that's why I only found the book mildly amusing. I definitely chuckled at some spots, recognizing myself in an observation that wasn't totally flattering.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 21, 2009 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, read-2009

I wish I hadn't bought this book. I should have checked out this guy's blog first because then I would have realized his humour annoys me more than it makes me laugh. The book, and his blog for that matter, could be more accurately labeled "Stuff Pretentious West Coast Yuppies Like". The few times I did laugh were when I recognized someone I know (including myself) that fit the stereotype he was describing, and I was like "wow, am I that annoying!?" Maybe these past few years living in the West...more

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Jan 08, 2009 Brooke rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

According to the quiz at the back of this book I am 11.5% white. I think that figure about tells you what I think of this book and how much I liked it. Yes, yes, there were a couple stereotypes that were laughable, but it was basically just talking about the elite, creme-de-la-creme leftist liberal. Just not a book I was all over.

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Jan 25, 2009 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a fun read, capturing lots of things I've been thinking about as I find myself surrounded by lots of white folks here in an urban setting. It's a satirical guide for us non-whites to "their" world.

I find much truth in entries such as no. 42 Sushi; no. 53 Dogs; no. 72 Study Abroad; and no. 145 Cheese. Especially cheese. I could go on and on about my realization that some people have an "extensive and deep knowledge of cheese." Wow. Growing up where my cheese options were limited to sliced...more

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Jan 21, 2009 Suzka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those list books - the kind which provide supporting examples and, at times, illustrations. It's hardly fine literature, but this thing is dead on for a whole lotta people, and it's pretty entertaining.

Obviously, not everything is true of every white person around. My mother, for one, does not (and likely will not ever) own a container of sea salt. (But I do.) And my neighbor Bill probably hasn't read anything by David Sedaris (though I have), listen to NPR (it's one of my preset...more

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Dec 25, 2012 Jacobmartin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It took me about twenty different full length readings to get the joke/premise of Stuff White People Like. The reason why I bothered to read it through so many times was because although I was initially offended by the generalisation of the book ignoring non-American white people, the more I thought about it, the more this focus worked.

This isn't just a book about white people, or hipsters. It is about how white people, especially hipsters, set out to rebel against the norm and join the cool kid...more It took me about twenty different full length readings to get the joke/premise of Stuff White People Like. The reason why I bothered to read it through so many times was because although I was initially offended by the generalisation of the book ignoring non-American white people, the more I thought about it, the more this focus worked.

This isn't just a book about white people, or hipsters. It is about how white people, especially hipsters, set out to rebel against the norm and join the cool kids, but in reality these non-conformists are conforming to their own subculture of bland indie tweedom and or LGBT identity that has forgotten the noble aims of the movements Derek Jarmans or Allen Ginsbergs, content to wallow in the hedonism of loud club music rather than learning the history of their own sexuality which is still stigmatised despite battles their fabulous forefathers fought before their time. I recall having to explain to a gay friend who Allen Ginsberg even was.

Not that straight white people get off the hook either, the book seems to present hetero white people as just as self obsessed as the gay and lesbian people they claim to endorse to appear open minded and diverse, never mind that white gays and lesbians actually have some form of identity other than whiteness, hetero white people have to steal theirs from other cultures because they don't think their own culture's achievements like heavy metal and pop music are liked by "the right kind of white people". And the subtext implies that the "wrong kind of white people" are any white people who don't conform to the bohemian ideal of safe transgression that doesn't address real social injustices in their art, or political corruption. The art of this insincere generation is a Facebook wall of selfies and photographs of drunk people, and its literature is a Twitter feed of played out snark and nothing important to say.

Truly Christian Lander's Stuff White People Like is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. May it stand as a biting satire of an unimaginative era with rebels that acted exactly the same, and a Hollywood that remade old films to cash in, only to spawn a backlash of indie flicks where some were good and others were reprehensible in the opposite direction. This book blasts it all, the apathy to covert racism, the insincere yearning to be an artist with no real ambition and drive, and the outright complacency to a tanked economy that cannot sustain even the Apple and IKEA corporations they make excuses for while condemning Monsanto instead while munching on an organic carrot.(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, bookcrossing

Oh boy. This stuff ages so fast.
I remember the website from a few years back. It had some funny and fresh stuff that made me giggle.
The book was published in 2008, and it looks there isn't much new stuff on the site since that. So perhaps for any new print (let's wait 30 years to make a vintage one) it should probably be called something like "How to recognize a vintage 2007 hipster" instead.
The book is still funny in many observations and comments.
But it tells a lot about the writer. A bit simi...more Oh boy. This stuff ages so fast.
I remember the website from a few years back. It had some funny and fresh stuff that made me giggle.
The book was published in 2008, and it looks there isn't much new stuff on the site since that. So perhaps for any new print (let's wait 30 years to make a vintage one) it should probably be called something like "How to recognize a vintage 2007 hipster" instead.
The book is still funny in many observations and comments.
But it tells a lot about the writer. A bit similar, but way more hipstery style than e.g. Can I Recycle My Granny?: And 39 Other Eco-Dilemmas, and less fun. It's not enough to read and figure if you're like the other white people around, but you need to be the right type of white people too (read: hipster). Not a redneck, not a Romney, not a Palin, not an elderly NRA fan living in the cornlands of Iowa, not a poor student who wears hipstery stuff for wrong reasons (for not affording to shop elsewhere than in Salvation Army). Not those, but just a fashinably rich hispster.
I guess it's social commentary, and it tells a lot about what makes hipsters tick.

A lot of items on the book (150) you can actually find listed on the website. And a lot of them are obvious (Whole Foods, Prius etc).
A lot are also something that would be equally loved by all skin colors and most non-US and non-white cultures too; such as books, coffee, alcohol, wine, Apple products etc. A lot of items listed for stuff white people like go to details: it's not enough to like and to have t-shirts, they need to be the right kind, the hipster ones. (I did count the t-shirts as an item I liked for the scoring, even if 96% of my t-shirts are of the wrong kind, non-hipster).

In the end of the book you can also calculate your whiteness score. Tick each item you like, and calculate the percentage. I'm less than 15 % white (of the right kind).

I would however make a better scoring system. Too much effort? Yes, but nowhere as much as effort as Lander took for actually writing this book.
So, let's make a better scoring. A binary score isn't good, so let's do a 5 point system: +2 points for every item listed in the book that you love, +1 point for every item you like, 0 points for anything that is "meh", -1 point for every item that you don't like, and -2 points for every item that you either hate or wonder WTF it even is (since you're obviously a wrong type of person if you don't know who is Sarah Silverman or what her appeal might have been etc).
With 150 items listed, this gives a score scale of -300 (you hate every item listed or don't know what books, coffee etc are) to +300 (zomfg11! you love every item a hipstery white person who writes books like this one loves. You probably even wrote this book!), with +150 for one who likes every item listed but does not love any of the items presented. And instead of calculating how white you are, it could be called something better. Your honky score or your hipster score, your pick. My honky score is -68 points. (now, it didn't list being overly critical or overly analytical and being an annoying human being from a functional scale of the autism spectrum to give any white or honky points, but sometimes I just can't help myself.)

Since the book was written (and its website not being updated really), I've had an observation that would just culminate the whole Stuff White People Like thing: Groupon. It makes the trendy, money-laden folks feel trendy while they do their equivalent of their grandma's coupon clipping. Save $150 on your christmas lights! Oh wait, who would want to spend $400 on their christmas lights anyway? The Right Kind of white people like presented in this book of course... ~~once they have bred their offspring in their late 30s to early 40s and are back to having disposable income that they need to use to impress their offspring~~ sigh. The humor in the book can be infectious though.(less)

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Dec 16, 2012 Peter marked it as to-read · review of another edition

EDITORIAL REVIEW:

They love nothing better than sipping free-trade gourmet coffee, leafing through the Sunday *New York Times*, and listening to David Sedaris on NPR (ideally all at the same time). Apple products, indie music, food co-ops, and vintage T-shirts make them weak in the knees. They believe they’re unique, yet somehow they’re all exactly the same, talking about how they “get” Sarah Silverman’s “subversive” comedy and Wes Anderson’s “droll” films. They’re also down with diversity and up...more EDITORIAL REVIEW:

They love nothing better than sipping free-trade gourmet coffee, leafing through the Sunday *New York Times*, and listening to David Sedaris on NPR (ideally all at the same time). Apple products, indie music, food co-ops, and vintage T-shirts make them weak in the knees. They believe they’re unique, yet somehow they’re all exactly the same, talking about how they “get” Sarah Silverman’s “subversive” comedy and Wes Anderson’s “droll” films. They’re also down with diversity and up on all the best microbrews, breakfast spots, foreign cinema, and authentic sushi. They’re organic, ironic, and do not own TVs. You know who they are: They’re white people. And they’re here, and you’re gonna have to deal. Fortunately, here’s a book that investigates, explains, and offers advice for finding social success with the Caucasian persuasion. So kick back on your IKEA couch and lose yourself in the ultimate guide to the unbearable whiteness of being.**Praise for STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE:****“The best of a hilarious Web site: an uncannily accurate catalog of dead-on predilections. The Criterion Collection of classic films? Haircuts with bangs? Expensive fruit juice? ‘Blonde on Blonde’ on the iPod? The author knows who reads *The New Yorker* and who wears plaid.”**–Janet Maslin’s summer picks, CBS.com“**The author of "Stuff White People Like" skewers the sacred cows of lefty Caucasian culture, from the Prius to David Sedaris. . . . It gently mocks the habits and pretensions of urbane, educated, left-leaning whites, skewering their passion for Barack Obama and public transportation (as long as it's not a bus), their idle threats to move to Canada, and joy in playing children's games as adults. Kickball, anyone?”**–Salon.com**“A handy reference guide with which you can check just how white you are. Hint: If you like only documentaries and think your child is gifted, you glow in the dark, buddy.”***–NY Daily News*****(less)

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Nov 25, 2012 JDK1962 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a left-leaning, NPR-listening, latte-swilling Obama voter, I found the book mildly amusing. I'm OK with self-deprecating humor (#103). But mildly amusing is the only note this book ever hits.

What I found vaguely disturbing about its treatment of stereotypes as perfectly OK. Imagine a series of books in which this is the first (Stuff People Like: White People Edition). Now, here come the sequels: Stuff People Like: Black People Edition (fried chicken, watermelon, etc.), Stuff People Like: LBGT...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Bobby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Written as a field guide for non-white people who wish to have a successful relationship with white folks, this is stuff "liberal" white people like. There is a distinction in the book between the "right" kind of white person and the "wrong" kind of white person - the white person who watches football, or listens to heavy metal, watches Fox News, or is a Republican, etc. At times Lander is piercingly accurate and according to his rubric, I am pretty white. For example, I like public radio, sushi...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Pearl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Honestly, I don't why this book is getting so much "hate" and the only reason I can think of is that the people who hate it are the 'right' white people who have lots of love for Obama and dinner parties, which is what this book is about.

I've never read Lander's blog, so this entire book was all new material for me. Simple to read, I got through it in less than twenty four hours and was a good break from the just as politically incorrect book: Woe To Live On by Daniel Woodrell (ironically, a boo...more

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About Christian Lander

Christian Lander is the creator of the website Stuff White People Like. He is a Ph.D. dropout who was the 2006 public speaking instructor of the year at Indiana University. He has lived in Toronto, Montreal, Copenhagen, Tucson, Indiana, and now Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, Jess, a photographer who contributed many of the photos in the book.

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Books by Christian Lander

Whiter Shades of Pale: The Stuff White People Like, Coast to Coast, from Seattle's Sweaters to Maine's Microbrews

Stuff White People Like (to Talk About): 50 Ways to Start Conversations with Caucasians

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“This is because white people need to show off the books that they have read. Just as hunters will mount the heads of their kills, white people need to let people know that they have made their way through hundreds or even thousands of books.” — 8 people liked it

“If you are able to introduce a white person to a new cheese, it's like introducing them to a future spouse.” — 5 people liked it

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