Thursday, January 10, 2008

Meme 46

KatCo posted about privilege today, and I thought I'd jump in. The following are "privilege points"; check her blog for the backstory:
If your father went to college before you started
If your father finished college before you started
If your mother went to college before you started
If your mother finished college before you started
If you have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
If your family was the same or higher class than your high school teachers (Dad did well, but he gambled, drank and womanized quite a bit)
If you had a computer at home when you were growing up
If you had your own computer at home when you were growing up
If you had more than 50 books at home when you were growing up (about half of them were World Book encyclopedias or Yearbooks; we had a circulating several dozen paperbacks that were always being traded for different titles, mostly fiction and detective/cop stories -- Dad's favorite)
If you had more than 500 books at home when you were growing up
If were read children’s books by a parent when you were growing up (my sis more than the parents)
If you ever had lessons of any kind as a child or a teen
If you had more than two kinds of lessons as a child or a teen
If the people in the media who dress and talk like you were portrayed positively
If you had a credit card with your name on it before college
If you had or will have less than $5000 in student loans when you graduate
If you had or will have no student loans when you graduate
If you went to a private high school
If you went to summer camp
If you had a private tutor
(US students only) If you have been to Europe more than once as a child or teen
(International question) If you have been to the US more than once as a child or teen
If your family vacations involved staying at hotels rather than KOA or at relatives homes
If all of your clothing has been new
If your parents gave you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
If there was original art in your house as a child or teen
If you had a phone in your room
If your parent owned their own house or apartment when you were a child or teen
If you had your own room as a child or teen (only part of the time; shared a room with stepbrother for a long time)
If you participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
If you had your own cell phone in High School
If you had your own TV as a child or teen (hand-me-down 12" b&w from my sister)
If you opened a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
If you have ever flown anywhere on a commercial airline
If you ever went on a cruise with your family
If your parents took you to museums and art galleries as a child or teen
If you were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
.

4 comments :

Anonymous said...

I had original art in my house because my father inherited his aunt's paintings (she was a professional painter/art teacher)

I guess I would be counted as privileged in terms of the learning things, but not the money.

Mom and Dad didn't have a lot of money, but we always had books, and when in Chicago always went to the Museums.

Buckeye, Dealer of Rare Coins

Anonymous said...

I don't think I was privileged, but my folks were blue collar intellectuals-so I have to say yes to all the culture factors:
Books in the house-check
Original art(painted by people we knew)-check
Visited museums-check
Music lessons-check.
Read books to us-check
And we did stay in motels(or cabins with kitchenettes, more likely)when we traveled.

Anonymous said...

As cell phones get cheaper, children will be more priviledged.

Pen Ultimate said...

David Weisman -- Well, that's the flaw with that particular set of criteria: It's anachronistic for we oldsters. My family was definitely upper-middle class, and as kids, we wanted for nothing. In the '60s and '70s, most didn't think it was normal for kids to have phones, TVs, etc; I think the first (IBM) PCs hit the market the year I graduated high school. However, both my parents had a car, we went to the library at least once a week, we had health insurance -- by any measure, my parents had a higher standard of living than I enjoy, now.
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