In a previous post I had mentioned what I didn't really like about the blog Stuff White People Like, and a few hours ago happend to stumble upon an article that takes a more in-depth look into the site and what it says about being white and being a person of color - and if you get a chance you really should check it out.
Here are a couple of highlights from the article (which is very balanced in the critique):
But if Stuff White People Like isn't mocking all white folks -- just those who are wealthy urbanites -- what about people of color who fit that profile? Many upper-class people of color can relate to the blog. We eat expensive sandwiches (No. 63) and listen to public radio (No. 44), too. But if you are a person of color who likes a lot of the same stuff white people like, does that make you white? A sell-out to your own culture? Are you not a "real" person of color? [...]Read the full article down at AlterNet.
Some people will protest that Stuff White People Like is just a humor blog, and it need not be taken so seriously. But that's the point. When you're part of the dominant culture, you don't have to be self-aware about the assumptions in your own product. You don't have to examine how you overlap with, and set yourself apart from, other cultures.
