What White People Like

         While perusing the book section of the New York Times online, I stumbled across the book Whiter Shades of Pale and its prequel Stuff White People Like, both by Christian Lander. What caught my attention about the book, beyond its funny title, is the comparison the writer made that Whiter Shades of Pale is the "prickliest guide through the American status system since Paul Fussell's Class."Since Class was part of our class's syllabus, I immediately knew that this book would be a good one to look into further. Mr. Lander satirizes class in his descriptions of the white demographic of society. His observations of educated people's taste preferences is embarrassingly accurate: these self-cultivated people, according to Lander, are drawn to coffee shops, indie bands, fine cheeses, independent book stores, and independent film theaters. Although Lander never uses the term "Bobo" in his description of educated whites, his observations parallel those of David Brooks in his book Bobos in Paradise. The Bohemian Bourgeois, as Brooks has labeled the new upper class of American society, does not like to flaunt its money in a gaudy manner like the New Money did, but instead spends its money in a more well-intentioned manner. According to Brooks' rules, it is acceptable for Bobos to spend large amounts of money on useful or environmentally friendly objects. A large television and sound system would be viewed as an offensive purchase, but an expensive sports vehicle that has enough trunk space for the buyer's sports gear is an acceptable purchase because it serves a purpose.
         Interestingly, although Lander does not reference Brooks, Lander also makes the same point. He observes that educated whites will purchase sea salt, despite its more expensive pricing, because they associate it with France rather than with high sodium intake. They also prefer free-range organic chicken simply because it is healthy and better for the environment. Lander describes this phenomenon of buying cheap things at expensive prices by saying "white people have taken over something that poor people used to like and made it extremely expensive." Other examples Lander provides are flea markets, which is now a chic activity, and berry picking, an activity that educated whites pay to "experience" when in reality it is a low-paying job done only by migrant workers.
         Lander describes this obligation of the white elite to seek out the cheap product at a higher price as "white guilt." The educated whites that both Landers and Brooks observe do not want to flaunt their financial success, so instead they spend their money on cheap things. Their guilt drives them to purchase useful products instead, which further isolates them from lower class persons, who view this purchasing of expensively-priced cheap things as a waste of money.