I love it when a blog confirms my prejudices, such as this one: Stuff White People Like, whose ninth post is “Making you feel bad about not going outside.”
White people love to be outside. But not everyone knows that another thing they like to do is make people feel bad for wanting to watch sports on TV or play videogames. While it would be easy to get angry at white people for this, remember it is hard wired in their head that the greatest thing a person can do in their free time is to hike/walk/bike outdoors.
Usually, they will see that you are preparing to enjoy your life and they will say “hey, lets go for a hike in the park,” and most people will say “hey, thanks but I’ve been working all week and I’m really excited about watching this game,” and then they will respond “don’t be a lump on the couch, you’re wasting your life away, etc…” If you ignore them, they will eventually go away.
I’ve said gazillion times that the reason for the galling lack of diversity in the outdoors is perhaps that people of different melanin counts have better things to do with their time.
One thing this white guy doesn’t like: when amusing brain candy such as “Stuff White People Like” gets 25 million hits while earnest, hardworking hiking blogs are lucky if their mom and dad read them. But at least I’m not imposing my hiking habit on anybody.
(Update: the author of Stuff White People Like is a white guy from Toronto.)
Hey Tom,
If it’s any consolation I subscribe to both, but I get much more excited to see a new 2 Heel Drive post in my reader than a new SWPL post.
Quality not quantity.
Keep up the great blog!
Keith: thanks for the vote o’ confidence. I realize SWPL is a riff/satire/spoof … what’s amazing is the degree to which white folks fall for this stuff … when I moved to Fremont my wife and I were about the only white people in our entire apartment complex … there was a definite dawning of what what it means to have a racial identity after that.
Mr. Tom,
we love you, man, live long and prosper. remember this: any moron can string together sarcastic, cynical bits and encourage nits to make hits. that’s merely clever.
the clearer tones of course are heard in the wilderness, along the brooks and among the flowers you have so elegantly photographed and graciously posted here, and in your enthusiastic narratives to the adventures you have shared with us.
White People? how canned, forumlaic and utterly juvenile. who cares?
so forget it, man. for-get-it. forego getting it. you don’t need it and afterall, it is a choice, you know? don’t pass the potatoes.
righteous.
JT
It simply amazes me what becomes ‘popular’ or ‘trendy’ in our society. That blog is a perfect example of what is wrong with our world. Oh well, to each his own.
I like the two-heel drive concept. My brain is not mechanically inclined. I’d rather get there with my own two feet, burning my own energy. Don’t worry about the whole “leave me alone with my TV” thing. They’ll cave in eventually if we keep telling them to get off the couch! I’m a blogger as well. http://natureforkids.net But my focus is on getting our new generation outside as well…most of all my own three kids. Thanks for your stalwart dedication concerning the outdoors!