In Chapel Hill this morning, slews of white people are opening up their copy of The Daily Tar Heel with their Mac sitting next to them, indie music running through their headphones and a nonfat chai tea latte in front of them, thinking they’re unique.
In reality, they are playing into the stereotype Christian Lander exploits in his well-known blog-turned-book “Stuff White People Like.”
“A very good summary of the Caucasian mind set,” junior Ben Ivey said of the blog. “Anyone who thinks it isn’t completely accurate is lying to themselves.”
ATTEND THE TALK
Time: 7 p.m. today
Location: Great Hall in the Union
Info: www.unc.edu/cuab
Lander, who is white, and another famous blogger, Elon James White, who is black, are speaking about politics, pop culture and race at 7 p.m. tonight in the Great Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
White, who has made guest appearances on Comedy Central and VH1, has his own Web site entitled “This Week In Blackness.”
While Lander pokes fun at the stereotypical Bohemian white culture that aptly describes many liberal arts college students, White’s site satirizes racial perceptions in the United States.
The pair have spoken together in what they call a “Post-Racial Comedy Tour.”
Emily Carey, the music and media chairwoman for the Carolina Union Activities Board, said CUAB wanted to bring the touring duo to UNC after seeing their show at Duke University last semester.
“Not only was the program hilarious because it pokes fun at stereotypes, but it also challenges people to think a little more about these stereotypes we rarely think about but live with,” Carey wrote in an e-mail.
“Although it is a lot of comedy, it also has a deeper meaning about how we think about others and play off stereotypes.”
Lander will also be speaking about how his blog and book became so successful, which Carey believes may hold an appeal to students interested in writing and communications studies.
After the talks, there will be a question and answer session. This element has the potential to spur some interesting social commentary on pop culture and race relations, Carey said.
The event has an appeal to many different groups of students, and the Facebook group already has 361 guests listed as “attending” as of Monday evening. The exact turnout is hard to gauge in advance, though, because the show does not require tickets.
Many students said they are excited about the coming of Lander and are familiar with his blog.
“As a typical white man, I enjoy this blog. I actually don’t like coffee, which is number 1, but who doesn’t love St. Patrick’s Day, the Ivy League and, most importantly, hating people who wear Ed Hardy,” freshman Brennan Fox said.
Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
