Stuff White People Like

This week I was in Canada, which is the country immediately north of America (“the States” for the rest of you). I like to read the newspapers delivered to my hotel room when traveling, so I inhaled today’s issue of the Globe and Mail, which is a national coverage paper in that country.

Among the many things I learned about was an internet website, or “blog,” if you will, via this excellent Globe and Mail interview with its creator.

The site is Stuff White People Like, and it is a wonderfully dry-witted, scathing critique of the dumb things upper-middle class white people like.

All the Canada setup leads to this: a Canadian expat in LA writes the site, and he just got a book deal for the concept, and his publisher told him “I can’t talk to American press. They didn’t want me getting overexposed.” So I thought I’d alert my humble readers to this charming Canadian import, because, I’m sorry, Canada is another country with a subtly different culture.

Some of the Stuff White People Like:

Dinner Parties

“The ultimate goal is to do a better job than the couple at the last dinner party while attempting to make everyone jealous and sort of dislike you.”

Graduate School

“Being white means to engage in a day in, day out struggle to prove that you are smarter than other white people.”

The Wire

“For the past three years, whenever you say ‘The Wire’ white people are required to respond by saying ‘it’s the best show on television.'”

Apple Products

“Apple products tell the world you are creative and unique. They are an exclusive product line only used by every white college student, designer, writer, English teacher, and hipster on the planet.”

Hating Corporations

“When engaging in a conversation about corporate evils it is important to NEVER, EVER mention Apple Computers, Target or Ikea in the same breath as the companies mentioned earlier. White people prefer to hate corporations that donâ??t make stuff that they like.”

Be sure to read some of the comments too. Many contain heartfelt white people objections, such as the entry on Non-Profit Organizations. I didn’t see it on the list yet, but white people also like to disagree with other white people. Especially on the Internet.