by brenton crozier
Hopefully, society has evolved past the darker times of racial discrimination and fervent prejudice. The only racial divide that I see is purely a cultural one. You’ve heard the canned comedy act from myriad comedians: white people not making the best dancers, black people seeking credit for taking care of their kids, etc, etc. But we are in a unique position to see white people attend Jay-Z concerts in high numbers. It is not the fear of safety that would keep a white guy from attending, but rather the fear of awkwardness as they try to throw down their moves to ‘99 Problems.’ Our cultures have a tendency to borrow from each other anyway, but typically will water down and homogenize whatever the borrowed trend is.
A couple of transcendent blogs reveal these respective cultures. There’s going to be so much multifariousness that you could dive in it. Get your pluralistic swimwear on! No, not that, it makes you look fat. There, that’s much better.
Dinner parties, music piracy, outdoor performance clothing, hating corporations and Barack Obama are just some of the things white people like according to the Stuff White People Like blog. Threatening to move to Canada, music comedy and bottled water have also made the list. Keen insight and explanation is given on each topic. When discussing a white person’s affinity for modern furniture, the writer warns to never refer “to a white person’s expensive chair as a ‘chair,’ as it is considered poor form and will likely result in a loss of trust and/or respect.” Although, if the said chair is merely from Ikea or Design Within Reach, and not an authentic Mies van der Rohe, the term ‘chair’ is acceptable.
Common white people problems are an additional component to the Stuff White People Like website. Searing topics like, “Poorly Read Partners” and “Should children drink wine?” are some of the more current dilemmas discussed. Each discourse explores the possibilities of the Yes and No of each situation, and then furnishes you with a final call. For example, the final call on whether you should date a poorly read partner, is yes, but you should then subsequently dump them “simply for the story of it.” Wow, I’ve never understood white people so well!
So, it is now all in one easy to read blog, the stuff black people love. From seeing white people with shorts on when it’s cold outside to debate and cookouts, this is a door into an otherwise veiled culture. It’s also a society with a heretofore hidden love for plastic bags. According to the author, just about every black home has a collection of plain plastic grocery bags and they have myriad uses. Some of the listed uses include shower caps, a clothes hamper, beach bags, lunch boxes, alternate trash bags and a bag to hold all of your other plastic grocery bags.
The site is neatly categorized by subject for your convenience. Under “Advertisers” there is an intriguing article discussing the topic, “Do Black Smokers Love Menthol?” Apparently the answer is a resounding yes, as the author points out that a 1995 study at the New Jersey Medical School found that 79% of black smokers did prefer menthol. Now give me a pack of them ‘Potes! The author steals a little steam, pointing out the evils of big tobacco marketing to blacks in publications like Ebony and Jet.
Stuff Black People Love is not quite as tongue in cheek as Stuff White People Like. I guess the concept of love versus like gives it an extra edge or earnestness. Anyhow, both sites are brilliant, enlightening and hilarious. Shed some light on your cultural ignorance comfortably with the Internet!
Article Published in the May 2008 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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