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22 The papers Cinema Art Society Crime Retail The white papers In what turned out to be a very large interpretation of the colour white, this month’s papers see us talking to a hostage negotiator, speculate on the end of the white race, round up some memorable cocaine scenes, visit a store entirely dedicated to paper, wonder why ’white’ neighbourhoods aren’t as clearly defined in the human consciousness as, say, ’Black’ or ’Asian’ neighbourhoods and, finally, get to the bottom of that little white screen that’s suddenly appeared in Brussels’ Dansaert/Dansaart district. Says all kinds of different whites really. Writers Sabine Clappaert, Rose Kelleher, Nicholas Lewis, Sarah Schug and Sam Steverlynck
© Virassamy White ’hoods If there is such a thing as a “white neighbourhood”, those guys have got the organic food shop thing nailed to the fucking floor. With tongue lodged firmly in cheek, copywriter Christian Lander created a blog back in 2008 called stuffwhitepeoplelike, an inventory of everything left-wing, upper-middle-class and appealing to a certain “kind” of Caucasian that stretched our satirical sensibilities all the way from “going camping” to “Barack Obama” (not on the list – going camping with Barack Obama). This pop-psychology highway rest-stop of ridiculousness led to 20 million page visits and a Random House dotted line. It generated belly laughter and hyperventilating accusations of racism in equal measure, though none of the stereotypes are particularly demeaning. Lander’s “white” people, those of a designation that once wasn’t a designation at all, a default while everything else was some kind of “ethnic”, always had the luxury of not having to grapple with the significance of their own ethnic background. In Brussels, we are a Neighbourhood ˆ “ But if you have ‘Arabic’ and ‘Black’ and ‘Asian’ communities, which are (rightly or wrongly) used as common classifications, what about ‘white’ ones? ” ˇ mix of multi-ethnic Arabic, Black, and Asian communities, along with a squillion others that nobody’s bothered to categorise. All shades of miserable faces greet you as you slide around your dirty burnt orange plastic metro seat. But if you have “Arabic” and “Black” and “Asian” communities, which are (rightly or wrongly) used as common classifications, what about “white” ones? Not everyone is sure that it’s okay to say that. Is it fair to say that there are areas of Brussels with more organic food shops, or yoga workshops? Or bikes with baby seats, manned by women with cloth shoulder bags full of expensive free-trade, sugar-free, bio, organic, meat-free, free-range sandwiches wrapped in recycled whatever? What about antique shops, where Brussels’ paler denizens buy moldy coats from the 40s? More bars and emptier streets? Halal butchers, wig shops and five euro haircuts are not a feature of Uccle’s dog poo littered streets (’whites’ like dogs - their piles of poo create more work for Belgians than the warring governments combined). So is Uccle white? That’s either racist or exactly the opposite. Is Harlem white? Is it fuck. Alastair Bonnett, Professor of Social Geography at Newcastle 23 University isn’t buying it. “In Europe, people are increasingly using these labels, but they don’t have the same historical meaning they have in the US. Organic food shops, antiques… everybody is interested in those things, but it depends on wealth. We tie them to class, and in America, which is a really racially divided country, being middle class and being white are becoming the same thing. The idea that we live in racially identifiable places may work there, sort of, but in Europe, with all its ethnicities, conflicts and relatively small nonwhite population, it really doesn’t. We need to have confidence in our own history.” While we might laugh at the suggestion that there are neighbourhoods with more Pilates classes or adults on skateboards, conversations about what is “white” tend to spiral speedily into heated discussions about unpopular dead Belgian monarchs. A touchy subject, dotted with disclaimers, like “I’m not racist, but…” Oh fuck it, there’s a Pilates class somewhere that needs me. (RK)
Page 1: Volume 04 — Issue 05 Neighbourhoo
Page 8: 8 The contents Neighbourhood 23 Whi
Page 12 and 13: 12 01 08 05 07 The whiteboard Exhib
Page 14 and 15: © Courtesy of the artist and D+T P
Page 16: © Paul McCarthy, courtesy the arti
Page 20 and 21: 20 James blake @ L’ ancienne Belg
Page 24 and 25: 24 Jungle fever Here’s an interes
Page 26 and 27: 26 high Drama Like fake boobs, coca
Page 28: 28 The papers The smooth operator T
Page 31 and 32: The fuTure iS free buT free doN’T
Page 33 and 34: tennis poles were brought in direct
Page 35 and 36: “(I don’t have a fear of the bl
Page 37 and 38: “I fear the blank canvas because
Page 39 and 40: The cheesemonger A father and son b
Page 41 and 42: Life 41
Page 43 and 44: Life The law enforcer: Johan Denolf
Page 45 and 46: I like to find the truth, to dig be
Page 47 and 48: process helped me create my own fou
Page 50 and 51: 50 The look Heritage Design rue Bla
Page 52 and 53: 52 The showstoppers Fashion Beauty
Page 54 and 55: 54 The showstoppers 05. Knit hits C
Page 56 and 57: 56 The nod Play People Heritage The
Page 58 and 59: 58 The fashion Word Fashion Consume
Page 60 and 61: Left: Top Ingrid Vlasov, Skirt John
Page 62 and 63: Cotton blouse Nicolas Andreas Taral
Page 64 and 65: 64 The fashion Word Left: Dress Ing
Page 66 and 67: 66 The columns Talent Rise and shin
Page 68 and 69: 68 The columns Talent Rise and shin
Page 70: 70 Jane’s addiction Nostalgia Whi
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every instruments and JR was runnin
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Like I said, this interview is goin
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© Sarah Eechaut Bouchéry, Brussel
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Hotel Conrad’s Bar Loui The gourm
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Au Vieux St Martin The staple of th
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Le Chou de Bruxelles Another obliga
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for storing: Joseph Joseph melanine
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for drinking: bugatti’s Milla esp
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from left to right Far Too Close (S
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Culture 91
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Culture 93 Visit thewordmagazine.be
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Page 19 Desperados desperados.be Pa
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98 Before we leave you… Play The
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