[lbo-talk] Irrefutable proof that "Stuff White People Like" is the dumbest thing ever

Matt lbo4 at beyondzero.net
Fri Apr 4 14:12:33 PDT 2008


On Fri, Apr 04, 2008 at 01:50:02PM -0700, B. wrote:
> The latest entry of "Stuff White People Like" is ...
> "Free Health Care"!!!
>
> http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/94-free-healthcare/
>
> In my experience, more folks of color I've met/spoken
> with are supportive of universal h/c than whites, a
> lot of whom already have health care (and fear they'd
> no longer be able to see their fave doctors if such a
> thing were implemented) or even if they don't have it
> they stubbornly oppose it for bizarre ideological
> reasons I don't understand and that seem
> self-defeating/destructive.
>
> So, blog entry = totally wrong. Makes me wonder where
> the person writing this blog lives!

OK, I've resisted replying because this site is humor, and if you have to explain humor, well, then.....you probably shouldn't try.

But why not!

This site is mocking a particular type of person, who sees themselves as sophisticated, smart, cosmopolitan, and socially-conscious. Probably left-leaning, high-income, college educated, coast-dwelling, and - white!

Maybe that is why it seems dumb - because it hits too close to home? The site is clearly written by someone just like that who realized he/she was part of a group just like any other kind of social/cultural group so this person decided to poke fun of some of the norms within this group and identify some stereotypes.

I think you miss the point if your first thought is that "more folks of color...are supportive of universal h/c than whites...". The funny parts were about Michael Moore documentaries and just wanting Universal Health Care because they have it in Europe and anything from Europe is cool. Oh and it makes us think we can be a freelance-whatever, or, just feel good about having the option. Ha!

I find this site funny as hell at the same time I recognize that so very many of them apply to me and people I know. It is a healthy smack in the face to make sure we aren't playing hipper/lefter-than-thou. It is also a reality check that so much of what passes for social-consciousness is really just posturing from a position of privilege and an obnoxious sense of entitlement.

But that's just my $.02.

Matt

-- PGP RSA Key ID: 0x1F6A4471 aim: beyondzero123 PGP DH/DSS Key ID: 0xAFF35DF2 yahoo msg: beyondzero123 http://blogdayafternoon.com

My top-level question about Sept. 11 is, do we really want to live in a world in which U.S. intelligence can detect every half-million-dollar, 20-person, two-year activity?

-Whitfield Diffie



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