Stuff _______ Like(s)

Wowzers, it's funny when an idea takes off, huh? Like the bizarre and growing world of lolcats, lolruses, lolpresidents, and all manner of other lolcreatures before it, the new-fangled phenomena of Stuff ____ Like(s) is, apparently, the new black.

As the big daddy blog that started it all, Stuff While People Like burst into so many of our lives earlier this year, documenting the obsessions of white folks with entries on hilarious topics such as "Knowing What's Best for Poor People," "Kitchen Gadgets," and "The Idea of Soccer." The precision of their wit was remarkable, and the accuracy of their commentary hit home in that way that makes you go... hmm, then laugh out loud. Still, a good phenomena can't help but be co-opted in this internet age, hence I have learned in the last week of two new sub-sites that use the same mold (and the same layout) to talk about Stuff _____ Like(s). They are:

Stuff Hill People Like
This is the first sub-site I heard about, through a friend on Facebook, and it provides a nice case study in how these phenomena can spin off into oddness. The Hill People version is either one of two things:

a. it's a niche thing, that is hilarious to the hill people, and who cares what anybody else thinks
b. it attempts to make the eccentricities of the hill available and funny to people beyond it.

Even as someone who lived in DC for awhile, and is quite a political junkie (although I recognize there's a difference between being a political junkie and part of the crowd up on the hill) I think it fails at this second one. One strength here, is that since the "Hill People" in question are, in fact a crowd, this page can use an angle SWPL often does, discussing how you can use knowledge of what white people (or hill people) like to make conversation with them.

Our second example is, perhaps more interesting.

Stuff Nobody Likes

The banner atop this blog displays some obvious choices for things nobody likes (Hitler, Cold Sores, Taxes), but their impressive list of posts displays an eclectic eye for choosing a mixture of the obvious, the absurd, and occasionally very pointed topics. I literally just got wind of this site today, so I'll be flipping around a bit later to read more and develop a more informed opinion, but so far it seems like it could make for some good fun.

In the end... I have a feeling that before the end of the summer we will have seen dozens of new Stuff ________ Like(s) sites pop up for niche groups (Stuff Hindus Like, Stuff Furries Like, Stuff Your Mom Likes) as well as new angles (Stuff White People Cringe At, Stuff Bill Clinton Licks, Stuff Aliens Probe)... but maybe it will all fizzle out leaving SWPL to continue their stream of hilarity.

Update:

Check out an interesting take on Stuff White People Like over at Stamford Talk.

The Welcoming Continues!

Welcome, Heidita to the bizarro world of The Best Way. What better welcome could there be than a round-up of randomness:

• A fun and fascinating interview with Stephen Colbert as he visits my home town, the City of Brotherly Love.
• Wonkette documents Hillary being eaten alive by a bitter bitter flag.
• How odd is it when politicians attack the others for saying stuff they, themselves, said a couple years ago?
• And, finally, from the clever plans foiled department: Yankee Stadium construction crews uncover a Red Sox uniform that one construction worker had buried within the depths of the new building. The worker had hoped the David Ortiz jersey might curse the Yankees... interesting.