Stuff that class- and status-driven individuals like

Back in 2008, I stumbled upon a now-defunct blog that satirized cultural trends that, frankly, many of my college peers and I followed. The blog had a peculiar name: Stuff White People Like. When I started reading the blog, it already had several posts. Some were funnier than others; some were more bitingly critical than others; and some were just meh. The blog's final entry is dated November 11, 2010, but the content remains accessible online. And its sole contributor, Christian Lander, has published the blog's posts in a book titled Stuff White People Like: A Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions.

The blog was a hit when it came out, as well as controversial. Critics argued the posts were "racists, stereotypical, and conflate[d] race with economic status." Christian Lander, a Ph.D. dropout, countered that he did not intend to demean white people, nor incite anger. For him, the blog was "fundamentally about class... about a generation and class that values authenticity and credibility more than monetary wealth."

I agree with Lander: his posts primarily satirized class by poking fun at the trends and preferences that people associate with having class. But there's no denying that some of his posts tackled race head-on. In Having Black Friends, for example, Lander wrote, "every white person wants a black friend like Barack: good-looking, well-spoken, and non-violent." Even so, that post merely satirized an American social phenomenon; namely, that certain performances of race are more palatable than others. For example, in 2014, Rawiya Krameir discussed how Lupita Nyong'o's ascent to Hollywood hinged on her "social and cultural pedigree that allow[ed] her to fit into a mold of blackness that America finds acceptable." So what type of racism were Lander's critics concerned about?

His critics were right, Lander erred in conflating race and class, and specifically, in indiscriminately conflating whiteness with class and status. In selecting Stuff White People Like as the title of his blog, Lander committed himself to churning out posts that, while funny, presumed ALL white people liked or enjoyed Priuses, sushi, microbreweries, organic food, and Moleskine notebooks. But these items serve more as cultural symbols of class and status—of bougieness—than of race or whiteness. Thus, a more fitting title for the blog would have been Stuff that Class- and Status-Driven Individuals Like.

And Lander excelled at comically satirizing class and status. In Picking their own fruit, when Lander writes that white status-driven individuals like to go "berry picking" because "they are reminded of pastoral images of farming, working the land, and growing whole natural foods for their family," he's taking aim at individuals who can "work leisurely with no real expectations" and are "able to pay for the privilege to do so." In other words, he's referring to those who can afford to engage in conspicuous leisure, in "behaviors, pursued during nonwork time, that provide tangible evidence of status." And though the racial wealth gap exists, it doesn't preclude non-whites from also engaging in conspicuous leisure, or class- and status-driven activities.

I'm Lantinx, and I've been guilty of splurging and engaging in conspicuous consumption. Most of us have! Why else do we buy "brand" name clothes and products? Or even knockoffs that simulate "real" brands? Indeed, it would make little sense to single out whites for engaging in conspicuous consumption and leisure, when we all engage in them to varying degrees. Lander, thus, succeeded in satirizing the consumption of goods and services that are associated with class and status in the national imaginary, but not whiteness.

It's a shame that Lander ceased updating his blog in November of 2010. But in an effort to promote critical satire, here's a post that I would contribute to Stuff that Class- and Status-Driven Individuals Like.

Paint & Sips 

It's common knowledge that status-driven individuals enjoy having others praise their artistic talents. Art, after all, captures two essences of high-status and class: worldliness, and refinement. So, when the opportunity arises to explore their inner artist, status-driven individuals sign up en masse.

It's no wonder that Paint & Sips are thriving! These sanitized art studios provide status-driven individuals with a safe space-like environment to engage in a form of supervised adult paint-by-number. Brushes. Paints. Canvases. An airy atmosphere with studio lighting. It's all there! But what makes the experience truly classy, is the ability of the soon-to-be, self-professed rising artists, to bring bottles two-buck-chuck along.

Wine and art. Could it get better? The immersive experience into the world of art doesn't end there. Eager novices will have the benefit of a paint instructor, who will walk them through each layer of their pre-chosen image, and who will double as a counselor when the wine's health benefits start settling in. Via words of encouragement, including "just keep it wet," "layer it on", and "it'll get better," the instructor fosters a creative environment where the now budding artists can remain focused and enjoy the "process" that is art.

To the attendees' relief, after an hour, the combination of two-buck-chuck and perseverance pays off, and their Pollocks metamorphose to Van Gohs of sorts. It helps that everyone compliments each other's pièces de rèsistance once they're complete. This validates the attendees' artistic talents, and cements the experience as a "shared journey," to be written about in a Moleskin journal, or a blog post.

Here's my Paint & Sip masterpiece: