Saturday, December 27, 2008

Synchronicity and the Stuff White People Like

(Undated Iraqi War peace vigil photo from 2, 3, 7, 12, or 23 years ago.
Dada and Border Explorer on right, Mr. Border Explorer on far left.)


I happened across a (partial) list of Stuff White People Like recently on the website of the same name. I was mentioning this list to Border Explorer during the weekly Friday peace vigil yesterday.

I don't necessarily agree with all the things on the list but, honestly, I could relate to the vast majority of 'em. At the end of this list (below) I added a couple of my own. No doubt there are some that I have not thought of that others have. (Feel free to add if so inspired.)

And while Border Explorer and I were laughing at some of these, one of those unexplainable *cosmic* synchronicities occurred shortly after chuckling at #75 on this list. That's when a young fellow in his late teens (with whom I assumed were his parents in tow) approached asking us with a broad smile, "And what is this?"

Thinking this was a local family who hadn't heard of the weekly peace vigil, Border Explorer began to explain, hoping perhaps we were recruiting some new folks to join us. But, alas, this family was from Canada. Vancouver specifically. And they were on their way to bike Mexico's Copper Canyon (assuming they can make it through Juarez without being kidnapped or murdered).

But upon learning of their origin, I mentioned to them how item #75 on a website list from Stuff White People Like happened to be how we white people enjoy threatening to move to Canada. The son immediately responded that he not only knew of that website but how much he liked it.

That's when this family mentioned something about their free health care Americans all seem to lust for. (Dada politely retaliated with a comment about our "normal" boring 60 degree sunshiny winters these fugitives from their two foot snow drifts had just escaped.)

And then they said a curious thing: they were in deep appreciation and envy of our election of Barrack Obama as our next president!

"Now we think of moving to the United States!" they exclaimed as a result of their own government suddenly more conservative than our own. For just a moment, Border Explorer and I stood in stunned silence.

As a result of this revelation (and out of appreciation of being envied by at least three people from abroad), I've taken the liberty in Dada's Additions below of the Stuff White People Like to insert #75a, "Threatening to Move to the United States"!

God, it feels so good to know someone, somewhere still envies us for something!

Stuff White People Like


# 104 Girls with Bangs

# 100 Bumper Stickers

# 96 New Balance Shoes

# 88 Having Gay Friends

# 84 T-Shirts

# 82 Hating Corporations

# 79 Modern Furniture

# 75 Threatening to Move to Canada

# 73 Gentrification

# 70 Difficult Breakups

# 64 Recycling

# 61 Bicycles

# 60 Toyota Prius

# 53 Dogs

# 48 Whole Foods and Grocery Co-ops

# 40 Apple Products

# 34 Architecture

# 32 Vegan/Vegetarianism

# 28 Not having a TV

# 26 Manhattan (now Brooklyn too!)

# 18 Awareness

# 14 Having Black Friends


# 12 Non-Profit Organizations

# 11 Asian Girls

# 8 Barack Obama

# 6 Organic Food

# 1 Coffee



Dada's additions:

#1a Fair trade coffee

#30 Overanalyzing stuff
(especially if it kills a situation's humour)

#56 Spelling humor or savior with a "u"

#21 Eavesdropping on conversations at the next table

#22 Facebook (or eavesdropping on conversations globally)

#36 Helping/saving people of color

#37 Microbrews ("craft beers" vs. fizzies from factories)

# 55 Adding an occasional French word to their prose

#28A but if you have a TV, the je ne sais quois of knowing it's disconnected from cable or satellite

#75A Threatening to move to the United States

21 comments:

Utah Savage said...

Wonderful list. Sorry I'm late to the protest. I've outed myself as gay to protest Rick Warren and Prop 8 and the Mormons who dominate my state with their intolerance. I rarely leave my little bunker, but when I do I rattle their cages a little.

Billie Greenwood said...

Now I feel famous with my photo all over the internets 'n all. Thanks, Dada, for saving me the trouble of journaling our encounter with the Canadians yesterday (I'll just read this over to remember the event!) The time just flew past with the interesting people and distractions...plus the conversation about the Stuff White People Like.

Fran said...

Interesting list.... plus I have not heard of anyone else clamoring to move to the US in the Bush era.... but they stated it was the Obama era of interest to them, so that makes sense.

D.K. Raed said...

I feel like such a failure since the #1 SWPL (coffee) is something I've never tasted. Can't get past the smell. I know I know, I must have non-white aroma receptors?

Loved the canadian encounter! Their PM Harper seems like Bush-lite to me. But the canadians themselves seem much more sensible. Did they have no complaints to share about their health care system?

And hey, the fact you're still wearing shorts is proof you've been escaping this recent arctic blast ... unless you are some sort of masochist!

Dada said...

D.K. I used an old file photo for this but, yes, I was still in shorts yesterday as the temp was in the mid 60's. (However, stayed inside today as it was about 20 degrees cooler. So to all you fine folks, i.e., Fran in Oregon, Utah Savage & Deke in - where else? - UTAH!, thanks for the break in our 'boring' temps.

Still sunny though. Tomorrow we're to go to a farewell mass followed by a pot luck and I'm just wondering: Are shorts proper attire for such occasion?

As for the encounter with the Canadians, it was just strange to hear someone envying we Americans. It was like something out of the 20th Century! Kinda weird.

D.K. Raed said...

Sure Dada, go right ahead and wear shorts to that mass. I dare you! I've only been inside a functioning cath church twice in my life (one wedding, one funeral, different people), but it seemed to have a dress code, same as most churches. I like touring the old missions, though, where tourist shorts are de rigueur.

While traveling a few yrs ago, we met up with an older canadian couple who told us how much they enjoyed traveling in our country, but wouldn't want to live here. Why, we asked? It's very tiring to always get so worked up over things, they said. ohhhhhh .... soooo .... they like peace!

enigma4ever said...

oh dear...hope I am not late...or too late...sure you can wear shorts...you bet....

( I once went to a wonderful funeral in Seattle where we all wore Surf Gear for a Hawaian friend that died of AIDS..it was one of the best funerals I have ever been too...and strange..it was after Christmas and freezing ass cold...his only request from his hippy hospice nurses - he requested NO socks with berkenstocks- so I wore flip flops...and NO hairy legs- not a problem....it was so funny...and that we have Island Drinks and toast him...we did...

another infamous funeral I blogged about before was the Wizard of Oz funeral - as the theme...and a bunch of us wore red shoes so we could tap away and WIsh HIM home....so as an old AIDS nurse, I was well taught- the lesson is that the Funeral is a party for the Gone...Know they are sitting Somewhere up above watching- and they must enjoy and be honored by what they see.....and hell- you look fine in shorts...so there you go...)

that List is so funny...and kind of strange...cuz all my friends of color like all the same things from dogs to coffee....there was not much on the list I didn't like....( boy I must be really really average or what ???_)

( Utah- you crack me up...hey, maybe we are ALL gay- boy - wouldn't that scare the hell out of Warren- I wish he would have an awakening....and realize that we are all living breathing people who deserve love....sigh...)

Love the photo of the protest....

enigma4ever said...

okay Dada...I just realized YOU added to the list- I like your additions alot...

PTCruiser said...

I love that website! But I like your additions better. #30 is dead-on.

Dada said...

D.K. ~
Enigma ~

Thank you both for the wonderful encouragement re wearing shorts to the mass. Sadly, it arrived a tad late and - for the first time of the season - I found myself in leg irons (pants)!

Loved your "surfer's geared and Wizard of Oz funeral" descriptions, Enigma.I had the privilege of the responsibility for disposal of my two brother's ashes per their last wishes.

One was on the slopes of Mt. Hood on a freezing July evening as the very snow tipped peak of that rock glistened purple in the last light of the setting sun; the other in a small flotilla of paddle boats in the middle of central Oregon coastal lake (probably the drinking water for the little down nearby). In each, those present remembered my brothers in their own special way before dumping ashes and adding to the height of that mountain, the depth of that lake.

No one wore suits. And while I confess to wearing pants on the Mt., shorts were definitely in vogue on the lake.

Truly, the best funerals (or "parties for the Gone," as you say) I ever attended.

Dada said...

~ Enigma
~ PT

Thanks for the positive feedback on my additions to this list of Stuff White People Like.

PT - I was pretty pissed when, twice this weekend, I experienced the overanalization of stuff (that I was trying to express). But being the natural born Pollyanna I am, I turned it into a positive and added #30 to the SWPL. Glad you could relate. (Those who don't are likely perps of #30 -- no offense intended to anyone, I'm probably just over-analyzing stuff.)

D.K. Raed said...

OMG, #30! Guilty, guilty, guilty!

Dada said...

Deke: LOL -- OMG! You're too funny.

No, no, no...my overanalyzing experiences from last weekend were from face to face encounters with *real* people, not virtual people (J/K) such as yourself.

So, no need to be paranoid here, ok?
Honest!

D.K. Raed said...

Who's paranoid? I meant myself, that *I* am guilty of overanalysis. But I can see where someone guilty of overanalyzing things might take it personally.

BTW, another STWL is to repeat things THREE TIMES!

Dada said...

Excellent, excellent, excellent ("Whoops, sorry!), this SWPL example. You mean, like those suddenly popular inane radio commercials that seem to illustrate American's attention deficits by annoyingly repeating (in rapid succession) their 1-800 phone numbers at least three times?

(Oh, and, "Whew!", glad you weren't taking #30 personally as retort to some comment you made here on Dada's -- which was NOT what I intended.)

But you do make a point: That anyone whom I've had personal contact with over the weekend that happens to read this is suddenly recalling any conversation they may have had with me, i.e., border explorer (NOTE: B.E., relax, too! I've had lots and lots of contacts over the last weekend.)

D.K. Raed said...

that's that's that's it it it exactly exactly exactly !!!

ps, don't worry, I never take anything personally. I just analyze and re-analyze, and in the end usually decide not to let someone yank my chain with so little effort. They should have to work a lot harder to rattle me. ok, that was NOT directed toward you or any other bloggers I can think of.

D.K. Raed said...

Hah, just gotta add one more SWPL:

to have the last word!

Dada said...

Deke:

Excellent one! (Can you tell it's one of my favorites? ~grin)

xandtrek said...

White people like talking about what white people like.

Dada said...

Xandtrek: Ouch! Touché!!

Glad to "hear" you feeling better. Think it was my prayers that helped?

xandtrek said...

You "heeled" me and saved my "sole"