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The Daily OrangeStuff white people like: Take a look into the self-deprecating humor blog that brings stereotypes to the forefront
By Kaitlin Ahern
Posted: 4/8/09, 5:32 AM EST Section: Feature
A little more than a year ago, Christian Lander was sitting at a desk job, chatting with his friend Miles on instant messenger. They were discussing the TV show "The Wire," when Miles commented that he didn't trust any white person who didn't watch the show. Lander and his friend went on to speculate what other things white people might be doing instead of watching the show and came up with a surprisingly long list of activities, including "yoga" and "getting divorced."
Lander was so entertained by the list that he decided to start a blog. He titled it "Stuff White People Like," and began posting entries with titles like "Coffee," "Gifted Children" and "Making You Feel Bad About Not Going Outside." He assumed the satirical site would circulate within his close group of friends for a few months, but a few more people caught on than expected.
Stuff White People Like now boasts more than 58 million hits as of April 7, 2009, and an average of about 600 comments per entry. Just a few months after his blog exploded into mainstream, Lander landed a book deal, and "Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions" was published on July 1, 2008.
"I thought it was kind of funny - some of it," said Adam Davidson, a sophomore finance major. "Some of it is very stereotypical. I think more stereotype than true."
Stuff White People Like has also inspired the creation of other satirical Web sites that make fun of stereotypes, such as Stuff Iranians Like, Stuff Journalists Like, Stuff Oprah Likes, Stuff Jewish People Like, Stuff Asian People Like and Stuff Nobody Likes among many other replicas.
The sites tend to be most popular among the given demographic and jokingly play off of well-known stereotypes. For the blog Stuff College Kids Like, items on the list include energy drinks, napping and themed parties - all things associated with the clichéd college lifestyle.
Of the 123 entries so far on Stuff White People Like, most have been inspired by Lander's personal list of favorites, including #40 Apple Products (he loves his MacBook), #61 Bicycles (he owns a bike rather than a car) and #71 Being the Only White Person Around (he grew up in the Chinatown section of Toronto).
Lander was so entertained by the list that he decided to start a blog. He titled it "Stuff White People Like," and began posting entries with titles like "Coffee," "Gifted Children" and "Making You Feel Bad About Not Going Outside." He assumed the satirical site would circulate within his close group of friends for a few months, but a few more people caught on than expected.
Stuff White People Like now boasts more than 58 million hits as of April 7, 2009, and an average of about 600 comments per entry. Just a few months after his blog exploded into mainstream, Lander landed a book deal, and "Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions" was published on July 1, 2008.
"I thought it was kind of funny - some of it," said Adam Davidson, a sophomore finance major. "Some of it is very stereotypical. I think more stereotype than true."
Stuff White People Like has also inspired the creation of other satirical Web sites that make fun of stereotypes, such as Stuff Iranians Like, Stuff Journalists Like, Stuff Oprah Likes, Stuff Jewish People Like, Stuff Asian People Like and Stuff Nobody Likes among many other replicas.
The sites tend to be most popular among the given demographic and jokingly play off of well-known stereotypes. For the blog Stuff College Kids Like, items on the list include energy drinks, napping and themed parties - all things associated with the clichéd college lifestyle.
Of the 123 entries so far on Stuff White People Like, most have been inspired by Lander's personal list of favorites, including #40 Apple Products (he loves his MacBook), #61 Bicycles (he owns a bike rather than a car) and #71 Being the Only White Person Around (he grew up in the Chinatown section of Toronto).
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
james
posted 4/08/09 @ 12:58 PM EST
I find it ridiculous how it is socially acceptable to only sterotype white people. If you wrote an article about latinos, asians, or blacks...even if the majority of it is true they would not tolerate it. (Continued…)
katyfwiend
Katy
posted 4/08/09 @ 5:01 PM EST
This is the video I was referring to:
http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/white_problems/
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