'Stuff White People Like' Book Sold to Random House for At Least $350,000
Submitted by mwilliams on Fri, 2008-03-21 23:22.The Canadian guy who runs [the Web site Stuff White People Like] just sold a book to Random House for an advance that publishing insiders said had reached at least $350,000 when it was at auction last week. Unclear how high it ended up climbing, but frankly, $350,000 is already a staggering sum for a paperback inspired by a faddish blog that launched just over two months ago.
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The title is stupid by itself... I'm sure this book is not on the list of "stuff white people like".
It smells like desperation. Publishers know they are out of touch with the hipousie and want the sheen. It's a strange variation on the celebrity books on nearly anything that get published (such as Seinfeld's wife's cookbook).
The site itself is rather lame. The topic was covered much better by Martin Mull in the 1970s. It reminds me of any comedian who starts taking him/herself too seriously and just isn't funny anymore.
Perhaps I'm just jealous, but this makes so little sense to me it has to be a sign that something is terribly wrong.
The blog is really neat, although I wonder how well it will translate to book form. The whole concept works because of the format, how it reaches people -- putting it in a book is removing it from a place that it can be viral and spread, which is why it's so popular. Not everything needs to be a book.
Is it just me, or do I see a lot of white people getting butthurt over this blog/book deal because some guy has the audacity to comment on whiteness and associated current day stereotypes? Like, it's boring and useless and not that funny? Does that mean it would be hilarious if it was about any other race? Hmm.
Renay - http://bottle-of-shine.livejournal.com
Renay, I think there's a good idea at the heart of it all. The idea of a Jane Goodall watching white people from afar and recording their behavior is a great one, and I've been prone to jokes about it m'self.
How many white people does it take to throw a party?
3. One to read "The Wall Street Journal" out loud, and two to dance to it.
There's a fine line between academic sounding and funny, however. That's all I'm saying. How does it translate to a book? It only gets harder, I'm sure.
We do live in a world where The Onion has news that's more real than reality. They walk that line very well. I'm not sure how they do it, personally.
I must admit that this site has been going around our household as well as something that's painfully funny. I don't really see the blog itself turn into a book, but the guy's obviously a pretty good writer so maybe they made some kind of deal for a follow-up.
Then again, there's so many crappy books out there that just sort of sell not because of the content but because of the concept. It could turn into a coffee table book.
Stuff white people like #xxx: making fun of themselves by having a coffee table book called 'stuff white people like'.
Whatever!
aka Fiona
www.thecraftywriter.com
I know it's just a joke, but what I don't like about this is the stereotype it perpetrates that black people are lower class and white people upper or middle. Does black = poor taste? White = anal? I'm white and live on the poorer side of town. I'm a writing tutor. My white neighbour is a bin man, on the other side there's a shelf packer at a supermarket (again white). In my church group there are black doctors. This white woman won't be buying it to put on her IKEA coffee table.
I hadn't thought of it like that. I agree with you about stereotyping, though I don't - or try hard not to - think in terms of lower/upper/middle classes myself. On the other hand, some of this stuff is painfully true about some people I know. Should they feel guilty because of who they are?
The website does seem to create some stereotype of white anal, snobbish, ultra-liberal health freak. I've Already commented elsewhere that it should be "American White People" (because it was unfairly including me in the stereotype, being a European White Person), and I suppose you could specify even further. That would really kill the joke for sure. But can't this joke just be a joke?
After all: if it ain't true, it ain't funny
He's making a really good statement, thought, isn't he, regardless of whether or not some white people are getting butthurt somewhere? He's actually aware of his white privilege. I think people miss how awesome that is. Most people around me do not see it or deny they have it. It's not like the US has racial issues or anything! >.> Admitting to privilege doesn't mean you have to feel guilty, and I think that's one of the biggest reasons people get uncomfortable and don't find these things funny, because they're afraid they might have to feel guilty by acknowledging the privileges they have.
I would disagree he's lumping all white people together in a detrimental way, since he's been interviewed elsewhere as saying it's about him and that's why he started it. It's the nature of the beast: people will co-opt something, apply it to themselves and then spread it because it resonates. By the time it gets huge, those outside the realm of the joke are saying, "that doesn't include ME, I'm not a such-and-such!". I don't believe it was intended to include everyone, he could never have done that so I doubt it was his intention. This poor guy didn't know what kind of racial can of worms he was opening. Doom!
But I still don't think this needs to be a book. XD
Renay - http://bottle-of-shine.livejournal.com
My comments are not because I'm offended - I recognise a lot of my own attitudes in there (even though I can't afford to act on many of them) and its funny - it's because I think that black people are excluded from the joke. I know stacks of black people (I think of my friend Degna who is shocked that I've never paid more than £25 for a pair of shoes in my life) who fit into this category too; who says they can't be ridiculous too? It's the white rich black poor thing that bothers me. And although funny, perpetrates a stereotype that is insulting both to 'poor' white people and 'rich' black people.
aka Fiona
www.thecraftywriter.com
Of course it can still be a joke - and it's funny! Even though I live next door to bin men, I see much of myself in it! But what concerns me is what it reflects about people's underlying views on race - that despite being of the same socio-economic status black and white people are intrinsically different. And the fact the so many hundreds of thousands of people have logged onto a site called What White People Like (can't you just feel the relief that they can actually log onto something that deals with how different 'they' are without feeling guilty because it's politically correct to be self-deprecating of one's own racial group?). Don't mean to spoil the joke for everyone, just adding my tuppence worth.
aka Fiona
www.thecraftywriter.com
I grew up in a mixed-race kind of place (Miami), so I go by the rules set down as a child. The rule is that you not only have a right to bust on your own people, you almost have an *obligation* to do it. That way, everyone gets to hear the ethnic jokes, but no one is really offended.
For example, Javier was flirting with a girl about half his age when we stopped to get Cafe Cubano. I pointed this out to him afterwards, and he told me, "I'm a Cuban, the moment I stop hitting on girls I might as well die." That opened it up for me to say, "Well, as an anglo, I'm shocked by the way you dive right in there and give me absolutely no chance at all, just shocked!".
See how that works? That's where gags about whites/anglos/whatever work. Of course, it doesn't work for all white people everywhere, but it works for me.
Reminds me of my One Great Idea to Improve Race Relations (tm) - a Comedy Central show dealing with the topic of race starring Jeff Foxworth, Dave Chapelle, and Carlos Mencia. Just get them up there and have them bust on each other (more likely, they'd only go after their own) for a few hours. If we can only make this stuff funny, people might get over it. Well, it's the only chance *I* can come up with.
This is a pretty humorous knockoff. It's extremely well written and honestly, better.
http://stuffwhiteparentslike.com