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When Christian Lander first walked into the room, I couldn’t help but notice that he was the archetype ‘white person’ as described by his book Stuff White People Like and his newest book Whiter Shades of Pale. Wearing skinny jeans and a cardigan, he requested a coffee and I suddenly became concerned that he was going insist on doing this interview while riding our bikes around the city. For the first time, it dawned on that Lander might veray well have a celebrity attitude and would rush through the interview so that he could get back to reading alternative newspapers and pretending to learn a new language.
I was pleasantly surprised, however, to discover how down to earth and funny Lander is. I started the interview by asking him about his journey from graduate school drop out to New York Times bestselling author, and although I am sure he has had great practice rehearsing this story with journalists, he still managed to talk enthusiastically about how lucky he is.
Lander recounts growing up Riverdale, Toronto in a middle class household. He attended Jarvis Collegiate, where he enjoyed a wide range of diversity within his circle of friends. It was during this time that he was first introduced to the idea that ‘whiteness’ had a distinct cultural identify that no one seemed talked about. Lander joked with his friend Miles that he was considering writing a guide for non white people to gain better understanding of how to get along with white people, and soon Lander started making a list of anything he had experienced that he thought was unique to white culture. Some were silly, such as “brunch” or “shorts”, while others were edgier, “such as knowing what’s best for poor people” or “being an expert of your culture”. Lander compiled his ideas, listed them in a blog and before he knew it, the blog was a massive success and he was offered a book deal. “I’m an internet celebrity” says Lander.
Although Lander is beloved by the devoted audience of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, his books have also generated a lot of negative attention. I tentatively tell the author that I thought his new book was much more aggressive than the first and that I thought he made some very bold claims. He smiles and agrees that the book is more aggressive, but argues that this is what makes the book funny. I refer to the “Washington D.C.” section of the book, where he makes reference to how President Obama’s love of organic vegetables and hybrid cars makes him America’s first truly white president, and ask Lander if he is afraid of backlash from his readers. The author laughs, and tells me that people either get the fact that his books are supposed to be a satirical analysis of race and class – or they don’t. “I don’t take offense when people call me a racist, because I know I’m not a racist. I do get upset when people tell me I’m not funny” he says.
We move into a discussion about what Lander is really poking fun at – class based privilege. Throughout the book, Lander uses the phrase“the wrong type of white person” to describe white people who don’t see themselves represented in his work. When asked to elaborate about what he means by this, he suggests that his book is really discussing a certain type of whiteness which is comprised of middle and upper class ideals. According to Lander, white people on either end of an income spectrum, such as “wealthy conservatives” or “poor white trash” may not relate to the image of whiteness represented in the book. However, he argues that many middle class people who are not white find themselves connecting with the lifestyle he is presenting. While Lander has definitely not attempted to conduct a deep sociological analysis of race and class, what I appreciate most about this book is that he troubles common day assumptions about these concepts.
Despite the controversy over Lander’s book, it has seen great success in Canada and America. When asked about the recent rave review of Whiter Shades of Pale in The New York Times, Lander is flattered and a little bashful. He has also been recently hired as a comedy writer for the show Good Vibes with David Gordon Green. Although Lander got his start with a funny blog, he is hopeful that he will be able to continue writing in the future. At the end of the interview, I asked him if there would be a follow up to Whiter Shades of Pale. He laughs as responds, “I just finished the second book. Give me a break, huh?”
