stuff brown person likes.

ok, i'm not white. never have been. never will be.

but as an indian kid growing up in suburban upper-middle class Alabama, it was a good long while before that realization really set in. it was an even longer while before i rid myself of the idea of WANTING to be white.

sure, there have been lots of good books, many of which have ( & will likely) covered this topic in a much better depth than i. but that's not what this post is about (have no fear). i'd rather keep it more lowbrow, with some personal insight thrown in for good meaure.

rather, this is just a re-post of sorts of one of the more hilarious sites that's been around for quite some time (& many of my close white friends not been aware of), despite all the press & publishing that it has received.

StuffWhitePeopleLike.com

and it's just that. a semi-regular series of postings that educate the non-white on the craziness that is stereotypical white America (and more importantly, how to survive, fit in, and thrive in it). sadly, in this country, you could not have a similar site dedicated to Stuff ____ People Like without being labeled racist (does it make it any better that the author is a self-reflective white guy?)

but i digress, that is ANOTHER, more educated post. regardless their site is hilarious, and ANY fan of good comedy (with an open mind) should read it regularly.

that being said, over the many months the site has been in publicaiton, there's a good summary list. an old (white) friend of mine gave himself an audit awhile back. as somewhat of a coconut (or almond, brown on the outside, white on the inside), i decided to finally perform my own.

what you'll find below is the list of how i fared (linking to the original SWPL posts, with some brief commentary of my own). along the way, you might learn something about me (but now in reflection, i question my own personal motivations...ruh-roh).
stuff brown person likes:

• #2 Religions their parents don’t belong to - well, only because i'm not religious at all (but curious, see #20). does that count?
• #7 Diversity - it works. seriously. no joke. but we take it too far with diversity for the sake of diversity (quotas, etc). we should encourage + provide equal opportunity, and try to close the gap wherever we can. but no handouts for unqualified persons, please.
  
• #8 Barack Obama - have you not READ my blog? more importantly, have you not read HIS books?
  
• #10 Wes Anderson Movies - Royal Tenenbaums is one of the best movies ever. PERIOD.
  
• #11 Asian Girls - well. one in particular. but not bc she's Asian, bc she's awesome.
  
• #12 Non-Profit Organizations - if only they paid me to do what i do best (read comics), make up stuff
  
• #13 Tea - i'm indian! my mom grew up in Englad. i have to! it's the Queen's will!
  
• #14 Having Black Friends - just so i can ask racially sensistive questions. that, and the few i am close friends make me want to dress better (is that a stereotype, or just commentary on how i'm only friends with well-dressed black people?)
  
• #19 Traveling - 7 continents by 30. 50 states by 50. this one is obvious.
  
• #20 Being an expert on YOUR culture - related to #2. bc to me, religion is a cultural expression of faith. so naturally, despite my own person misgivings about religion, i'm very curious about yours (and everyone else's), since that seems to be the excuse that makes the world go round
  
• #22 Having Two Last Names - my middle name is more of a second last name (my mom's maiden). tho i think my gf's last name is easier/better than mine.
  
• #26 Manhattan (now Brooklyn too!) - i guess so, since it's like, the center of everything where i now live.
  
• #28 Not having a TV - well, not having cable. the internet is magical thing. Hulu & media centers are as well.
  
• #34 Architecture - my dad was one. he wouldn't let me become one. so now i look on with envy and desire.
  
• #35 The Daily Show/Colbert Report - the first has great opening commentry and ok interviews. the second has ok opening commentary and great interviews.
  
• #36 Breakfast Places - mostly driven by my gf. making breakfast on the weekends is way better. mmmm, omellettes, turkey bacon, and bagels.
  
• #38 Arrested Development - funny, but i'm not as obsessed as others. i was a bigger fan of David Cross on Mr.Show (HBO)
  
• #40 Apple Products - not sure if/when i'll buy a Mac, but i (heart) my iPhone. and they a pain to put video on tho.
  
• #41 Indie Music - sadly, i fear my music taste is becoming more homogeneous. it's only the recommendations of my cooler friends that keeps my tastes somewhat "indie"
  
• #42 Sushi - who knew that unagi (eel) wasn't naturally flavored barbecue?
  
• #47 Arts Degrees - see #34. it's a jealousy thing. a lot of good my engineering background has done me.
• #50 Irony - "...don't you think?" (tho these are more like more like bummers)
  
• #51 Living by the Water - colder, yes. but it's where i live. and that's neat.
  
• #55 Apologies - it's a compulsion i guess.
  
• #57 Juno - witty dialogue. nice love story. good music. i'm a sap for these sort of things. but best movie ever? hardly. just a refreshing change (from many of the other films showing at your local megaplex).
  
• #58 Japan - delicious food. ridiculously good transit system. great hair. pocki. comics. video games. hilarious game shows. godzilla. what's not to love?
  
• #61 Bicycles - i'm not the hardcore lance armstrong type. but i do like tooling around town or going to work (or the comic store) on my bike. it's like i'm a kid again.
  
• #64 Recycling - if you're not doing this. you're stupid.
  
• #65 Co-Ed Sports - bc guys competitive leagues have too much testosterone, and too few cute teammates/opponents.
  
• #67 Standing Still at Concerts - i'm old. mosh/circle pits suck. i'll just bob my head to the beat and sing along quietly.
• #70 Difficult Breakups - (sigh). i wish i wasn't a pro here. hopefully that's over with.
• #71 Being the only white person around - see #19. living in asia was neat.
  
• #75 Threatening to Move to Canada - not a threat. an option. esp when your gf has duel citizenship.
  
• #78 Multilingual Children - mostly to make up for the fact that i speak more german than hindi. and my gf doesn't speak too much mandarin/cantonese either (sigh).
  
• #79 Modern Furniture - see #34.
  
• #83 Bad Memories of High School - until my parents sent me to a (nerd) boarding school.
  
• #84 T-Shirts - i've spent far too much money here. fortunately, thru the help of friends and a 12-step program, i'm better now.
  
• #91 San Francisco - what? they have good food there! and it's pretty!
  
• #93 Music Piracy - there's a better way, i know. but someone needs to invent it already. and that applies to television, and film.
• #94 Free Healthcare - it's not perfect. but it works better than the current system we have.
  
• #106 Facebook - i'm on the fence here. twitter/flickr is way better. but this serves as a good combining medium.
  
• #108 Appearing to Enjoy Classical Music - i really do like vivaldi. beyond that, i'm pretty clueless
  
• #109 The Onion - headlines on Twitter. picking up the print edition in whatever big city i find myself in. A/V club.
  
• #112 Hummus - yum.
  
• #113 Halloween - more to hand out candy to kids in the neighborhood. tho i'm pretty sure that was more appealing [on the border of a bad neighborhood in] Cincinnati than in [rich suburban] NY.
  
• #114 America - feeling pretty good (for now). we'll see how long that lasts. but i'm optimistic.
  
• #115 Promising to Learn a New Language - see #78
  

so, how do you stack up?