#5 - Crazy Dance Pop

Glowsticks, neon shoelaces, arcade games, and slushies. This are the stuff of my youth. I will always love them. And I will always love music that includes synth machines, keytars, and more beats per minute than Roy Jones Jr. on speed.

This genre was at its height in the 90's. While all the enraged punks were lining up behind their self-destructing grunge idols, I was at the roller rink chilling to Debbie Gibson and Duran Duran. Okay, so I was only ten years old at the time. Still, I didn't dig Nirvana then and I didn't change my mind in college when my drug-addled roomie played it non-stop. Think "Kung Fu Fighting" was dumb song? You'll get no argument from me, but try listening to Cobaine's "Rape Me." At least you can have fun with Carl Douglas.

Here's to happy music!

#4 - 24 Hour Restaurants

I stay up late a lot. It's nice to have some place to go for conversation and a bite to eat. Steak'N'Shake, Waffle House, IHOP, the 24-hour Starbuck, Peppy Grill--I salute you.

# 3 - Driving a Stick Shift

There are so many advantages to a manual transmission: fuel economy, better awareness of your vehicle, bragging rights. Most of all, it's just plain fun to pretend you are actually Mario Andretti on a European circuit rather than a college kid in a beat-up Toyota. Just beware of traffic cops. Beware!

#2 - Sock Monkeys

It's a sock. It's a monkey. It's a monkey made of out of socks!

Okay, so anyone who knows me very well knows that I have a fascination with monkeys. It's probably because of the sock monkey that I grew up with.

The best thing about sock monkeys is that if you're stranded with one in the Arctic, you can sacrifice its life for a pair of cozy socks that might save your toes from frostbite!

#1 - Drinking Orange Soda in the Shower

Okay, these are in no particular order, so nobody had better ask me why Jesus wasn't #1.

I forget who gave me this idea, but it's a brilliant one. Go grab yourself an ice-cold can of your favorite soda, and crack it open in a hot shower. Pure bliss.

Introduction

On January 18, 2008, Eric Stoller began writing a blog called "Stuff White People Like." Everyday Stoller added an entry detailing things that he perceives white people like, including organic food, film festivals, Arrested Development, Japan, kitchen gadgets, gentrification, and having black (or gay) friends. Stoller asserts that the blog was made to be humorous, which it most certainly can be, but personally I found it to be very negative, because his witty remarks are often veiled accusations against not white people in general, but affluent (and yes, many times white) Americans who are simply trying to make a difference in their communities. He often claims that we pursue social justice out of guilt and a desire to fit in with our "group," rather than out of genuine charity. This is probably true many times, but it seems heavy-handed to lump all white people in one box. Seems like there was a word for this once... what was it again? I think you know where I'm going.

Stoller's blog has given rise to many imitators, including "Stuff Christians Like," "Stuff Nobody Likes," and my personal favorite, "White Stuff People Like."

SWPL and SCL are both entertaining and uncomfortable reads. I find "Stuff Christians Like" the most ironic, as it frequently accuses Christians of stealing trends and Christianizing them, but fails to recognize SWPL as its own inspiration. Pop culture Christianity can be so double-minded it gives me nosebleeds sometimes.

Since finding SWPL, I've been cogitating about how I, too, can get in on this trend. That's right, if you haven't figured it out yet, this blog is yet another SWPL imitator. I admit it. Get over it.

At first, I thought about creating a blog called "Stuff Jesus Likes." But that seemed dangerously presumptive of me, plus as far as I know, it's a pretty short list anyway. For fun, here's a few of the things I came up with: sinners, children, poor people, wine, walking, sleeping on the ground, mountain climbing, making people who think they are smart look like idiots, bending time and space, and being the only guy to single-handedly beat the shit out of death. Some things he didn't like include religious people, laws that don't make sense, dishonest business practices, and
sound legal counsel. Okay, come to think of it, that was fun. Maybe I will write that blog some day.

However, the thing that bothers me most about SWPL is that it lumps people--specifically white people--into a group. So the best way to turn this trend on its ear, I think, is to write a blog about stuff that I, as an individual, like. Now maybe you don't care. That's cool. But maybe you do. If you want to learn a little more about me, this is the place to do it. I encourage others to begin writing their own blogs about what they like. I promise I'll read them. Because I care about who you are, not about your group, ethnic or otherwise.