Rich White People Are Racist (Black People Are Poor)
Did you enjoy the incendiary title? It’s what came to my mind when listening to “Act Three” of last week’s This American Life. It is a humorous story about the author’s adventures working at FAO Schwartz. It reminds me a little bit of David Sedaris’s Santaland Diaries. Actually, the author – Elna Baker – seems to mimic Sedaris in many ways. You can listen to the segment below or download the audio file here.
From the TAL website.
Elna Baker reads her story about the time she worked at the giant toy store, FAO Schwartz. Her job was to sell these lifelike “newborns” which were displayed in a “nursery” inside the store. When the toys become the hot new present, they begin to fly off the shelves. When the white babies sell out, white parents are faced with a choice: will they go for an Asian, Latino, or African-American baby instead? What happens is so disturbing that Elna has a hard time even telling it.
And here’s a video clip of Ms. Baker performing on “The Rejection Show”.
I found this to be a terribly interesting story as well. Her pain around the McGuffin of the abuse-doll was just too, too sharp. Again, a demonstration of why TAL (and NPR) is both so good and a “Stuff White People Like.”