Classical Music: "Stuff White People Like" ?

Posted at 8:48 PM on September 2, 2008 by John Birge (2 Comments)
Filed under: The blog

If you've never read the blog called Stuff White People Like, you're in for a laugh.
In the words of Wikipedia, it's "a satirical blog looking at the interests of white people" enjoyed by 300,000 readers a day. The book version has spent many weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Yesterday, author Christian Lander (who is white, btw) finally got around to classical music. Don't know what took him so long, actually, but the result is predictably hilarious. A sample:

"There are a number of industries that survive solely upon white guilt: Penguin Classics, the SPCA, free range chicken farms, and the entire rubber bracelet market. Yet all of these pale in comparison to classical music, which has used white guilt to exist for over a century beyond its relevance.
Though white people do not actually listen to classical music, they like to believe that they are the type of people who would enjoy it. You can witness this first hand by going to any classical performance at your local symphony where you will see literally dozens of white couples who have paid upwards of $80 for the right to dress up and sit in a chair for hours reading every word in the program..."

Ouch!

Oh, and Lander doesn't spare public radio either. For example:

"To explain this love for Public Radio, one only needs to summarize several previous posts on this website. Let's use my friend Craig as an example. Craig has a high paying 9 to 5 so he feels guilty about all the problems in the world. To make himself feel better he likes being socially aware of things. However he spends most of his time indulging in the arts and going out for dinner so he has little time to devote to this..."

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Comments (2)

producers emerged from their jail cells bloodied

What's going on in St Paul?

It appears that fascism has surfaced,
guns and clubs, badges and gas and all.

I'm scared to tears and I don't wanna run.
I need to yell 'help'. The people need help.

I can't go back to St Paul.

Colin

re: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-karr/in-st-paul-mayor-and-medi_b_123525.html

Posted by colin williams | September 3, 2008 8:10 PM

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Saying that classical music is irrelevant these days is like saying that oil painting is irrelevant. It's an art form that is capable of expressing any emotion. Look at John Adams' award-winning On the Transmigration of Souls, for example, which addressed 9/11.

I don't listen to classical music because I "feel guilty." I listen to it because it is a beautiful and powerful art form that I enjoy.

I think his blog is insulting to people of all races.

Posted by Madalyn | September 5, 2008 3:43 PM

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