Rantz: White dude offended Seattle ‘coziness’ rating is ‘awfully white’

We’re not even a full month into the new year, and already a woke white dude is mad over something dumb: Seattle being named a top spot for coziness is “awfully white” because, well, racism and privilege. Or something.

Writing for CrossCut, Knute Berger insufferably feigns offense, because you’re supposed to, over the implication of our privilege after being named the most “hygge” city in the U.S. by Bert Sperling of Sperling’s Best Places. Hygge is a Danish word for when you feel cozy. To Berger, it’s like being labeled as excessively white:

I can’t help but think that what [Sperling’s] talking about is a very privileged way of life to fetishize. I mean, being cozy is fine, but does it need to become a civic value that indicates our specialness? His description of hygge seems awfully white, tied to standards for the affluent, and with key features that are bad for the planet.

To embrace this version of hygge, you’re embracing white privilege. Wow. Talk about outrage culture. The entire piece reads like it came from your crazy uncle delivering a meandering, unstable monologue at the dinner table where we all deal with until it gets a little racist and we have to stop him. Only, in this case, substitute racism for his Herculean attempt to come off as woke.

Berger doesn’t appear to know what hygge actually means. Hygge is a feeling and appreciation of coziness and wellbeing; it’s not tied to any “features that are bad for the planet” or items only the wealthy have access to. And that’s the rub with this silly hot take.

Berger is simply critical of the examples Sperling uses — like a candle — to feel hygge. Apparently, only whites can appreciate candles?

How did Seattle become the best city for hygge? Sperling looked at traditional things Americans might view as cozy; he’s essentially Americanizing a Danish concept. To be hygge, you need cozy weather, fun activities (like board games), fireplaces, and gathering places. This is somehow an offense to social justice. Berger complains of the “elements of privilege in Sperling’s definition”:

But fireplaces mainly serve property-rich or high-income folks nowadays. Renters and people who can’t afford to own a single-family home have lost a key factor in getting a high cozy rating. Seattle’s is a top city in terms of the number of homeless people — doesn’t touting our high “cozy” factor feel just a tad icky?

He then goes on to complain about fireplaces being bad for the environment. Sweaters are apparently too white, so I assume he has few options when it gets too cold here.

But, again, you can literally cuddle with your spouse and kids on a couch under a blanket and feel hygge. It’s about valuing an experience and the wholeness it brings you. Only white people can value wholeness and comfort? Is that Berger’s point?

Why must we corrupt everything and turn it into a long essay about white privilege? Did your wokeness score on Klout go down? Need a way to inflate your score? There’s nothing “awfully white” about hygge, but there’s a lot awfully ridiculous about his column.

“Seattle might have the top hygge score, but is it something to brag about?” Berger asks. The answer is yes.

Look, Seattle, I have a lot of issues with you: we have horrible traffic, no ideological diversity, and their are used needles strewn about in too many of our neighborhoods. Our ability to get cozy? There’s literally nothing to complain about — unless you’re hoping to go out of your way to be offended.

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