Stuff white people like: unlearning their racism
Almost the only flaming I ever get involved with on LJ is around race stuff. I think it's because I'm insufficiently white in my views on race. I know I am racist, that it is very difficult to unlearn all of the racism I have unconsciously learned, and so I work at unlearning it pretty often. I'm pretty typically white in that, when I'm dealing with a person of color, I really, really don't want them to think that I'm slighting them somehow because of my bigotry. In disagreement, I will tread very softly, so getting flamed is that much more startling. I am white as can be, even in my disclaimers about how I'm not really that white, more ecru or beige. In fact, I am ivory.
Read about the Stuff White People Like blog on Salon, ran right over there, and laughed at my reflection. It's a fun house mirror. Everyone looks like that standard white person in a Eddie Bauer catalog. But I know what they mean. In the latest incarnation, I represent a certain paragon of whiteness living here in trust fund valley, biking to my job at the co-op, steel water bottle at the ready. I am soooo smug about it all, too, in that very sexy, chilled out and friendly way I have.
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The trademark self-deprecating humor is having its intended effect of making me think about how smug I am about my lifestyle. I have the day off: I'm going to bike to Hadley and think about it. Then I'm going to buy condiments at Trader Joe's, have an $8 sandwich at Panera with some people I met on the internet, bike home, and make grass-fed burgers and farm share salad for me and my boyfriends for dinner.