Just Do It

Stuff White People Like: A Discussion with Christian Lander

by Dianca Potts

Wed. Jan 28, 7 p.m., free, Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St., 215-898-7595, stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

Wes Anderson, David Sedaris and our new prez have something in common with '80s nights and irony. Though seemingly unrelated, they've all got a spot on Christian Lander's lengthy list of Stuff White People Like, a pseudo-scientific take on the faves of the Caucasian race. Lander's satirical ha-ha commentary started online (stuffwhitepeoplelike.com) last January as a joke between friends. "I was just around them all the time and I didn't realize how pretentious I was until I got a little older," Lander explains of what you might hear on his third book tour since the list's print debut, a regular on The New York Times bestseller list.

Despite its blatantly non-PC approach, Lander's blogosphere sensation has received, for the most part, "really super positive support," he says. More hilarious than offensive, Stuff White People Like is essentially a tongue-in-cheek critique of affluent upper-middle-class twenysomethings who can't say no to fair trade coffee, wearing plaid or frequenting modern art museums. "I'm making fun of myself and I think that sort of keeps it in a safe range ... that you're not demeaning it in any way," says Lander. "I kind of like it when people aren't sure if I'm kidding or not."