who am i? why am i here?

Check out this guy’s angry criticism of the site Stuff White People Like, accompanied by a totally wrong-headed analysis of comedy.

Then, check out the comments.  They are hilarious. Some gems:

| Posted by Erich
2 of 42 | warn tnr | respond

Snootily over-analyzing and dismissing harmless Internet ephemera. Another thing white people like.

Posted by Jonah Mavesin
14 of 42 | warn tnr | respond

Adam completely misses the main source of smugness that the site elicits in its audience. The whole gag is that white people, as the majority, have never been self-aware of themselves as an ethnic or cultural group — they just assumed that “everybody” likes things like Whole Foods. The point of the site is that the growing awareness among white people of their own quirky cultural attitudes is a reaction to their emergent understanding of other ethnicities’ valid differences. The site pokes fun at the naive sense of self-discovery among whites who have become racially aware — “Gosh, I always knew black people did such-and-such, but you know, we white people do funny things too!” On the one hand, yes, this is about white smugness. On the other hand, yes, it is definitely a good thing that privileged whites are evolving a racial self-awareness (lord knows my parents still lack it) and have the ability to chuckle at it. Adam’s humorless review notwithstanding.

| Posted by Jim D
16 of 42 | warn tnr | respond

Can’t take being made fun of? Lucky you aren’t a Southern, gun toting, redneck that you liberals make fun of very day of your pathetic lives.

| Posted by Winslow Theramin
30 of 42 | warn tnr | respond

I think the site is great, not only because of it’s content but because of the reaction it elicits. People like Sternbergh here obviously can’t disentangle themselves from the self-reflective, Gordian knot of irony that pervades throughout. They want to gain purchase on some thin ledge of perspective but it just slips away out from under them. It’s funny. Just get over it and enjoy.

| Posted by Richard
36 of 42 | warn tnr | respond

this article reminds me of those articles that take other people to task for liking to watch E! or read about celebrities. Ie. it’s just another way for one person (the author) to look down on the ways a different group likes their humor/entertainment. since there’s often little overlap between the audience of the article and the group being made fun of, it’s a waste of time at best, and sniping at a group you aren’t part of at worst. lame. this one strikes me hard as a bit of “i don’t see myself as part of any group because I’m such an individual, and seeing that group made fun of makes me feel like a tool”. face it – you’re probably part of the cliche too… and besides, (to paraphrase elvis costello) isn’t criticizing or explaining humor like dancing about architecture?