Again, Jess always has something interesting.
From
What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will
Barratt, Meagan
Cahill, Angie Carlen,
Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy
Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.
Bold the true statements.
1.
Father went to college (University of HI, for three years)2. Father finished college
3.
Mother went to college (she took a few classes at a city college before marrying my dad)4. Mother finished college.
5.
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
I think there is one professor, but it's distant.6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
Hmmm. To bold or not to bold? The same as some and lower than some. Maybe a handful of "higher than".7.
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home. But probably just barely.8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9.
Were read children’s books by a parent. I know this is true because of stories of me forcing mom to read the same book over and over, but I don't have actual memories of being read to.10.
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18.
I begged to take a dance lesson early in high school, and also a "poise and manners" class with a friend; which turned out to be more like "makeup & modeling".11.
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18.
Technically, yes. I also played softball for a community league. But lessons per say were never big with my folks. They were just as happy not to have to drive us to lessons and such. They did commit a lot of time and effort to softball tough.
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
I'll say no, only because there aren't really people in media who dress and talk like me. Unless you count the boring "man on the street" interviews...13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
No, they paid for most of the first two years of college. Which comes out to a little less than half. But I'm lucky that they paid for what they did. That was our deal all along. My sis and I each got two years.15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs.
16. Went to a private high school.
17.
Went to summer camp. I once went to a girl scout camp for three days.18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
On occasion. But I'd say 99% of our vacations were camping.20.
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18. As the oldest child without relatives nearby, most of my stuff was new. 21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.
My first car was hand-me down. When I totalled it, insurance paid out because of a tire problem, so they then used that money to buy me a used car. Does that count?
22.
There was original art in your house when you were a child. My mom's uncle is a successful (though not "big") artist, and they have three originals by him, painted when he was a "starving artist" and given as wedding gifts. Heh, I think he's still a "starving" artists even though he is well respected!
23.
You and your family lived in a single-family house.24.
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home.25.
You had your own room as a child.26.
You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep
28.
Had your own TV in your room in high school. Honestly, I'm not sure, but it's possible I had the family's "old" TV.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
30.
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16. A couple trips to see my grandparents before I was 7, then nothing until I was 17 and got a scholarship to live in Germany for 3 months.31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
I'm saying no because though we went to the San Francisco Museum of Natural History once, I don't think that counts as generally part of my upbringing.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.
Like Jess, I was aware of the cost of many things. Though I didn't know the numbers for things like heating bills, I know that my dad worried about it A LOT. Plus, we lived in CA, so it's not like living in a cold climate. Our biggest bills were in other places.
Grand total: 16 out of 34.
It's an interesting thing to examine about your life. I know I was far more "
privileged" than many, many people. But, compared to the community in which I lived, I was probably less
privileged. The gap between "me" & "them" however, wasn't that apparent or that big. Four years later, when my sister was in
high school, the gap was much bigger and evident. She was the only on of her friends who didn't get a car (a new one at that!), designer clothes, interior decorator bedrooms, the "big, new" houses (ours was over 30 years old, compared to just 5 for most of the city), the latest & greatest toys, etc. Her friend's also got things like concert tickets, plays, shopping trips, elaborate birthday parties, and the like.
My best friend bought her first car from her grandpa for $1.00. It was a Ford Pinto with
ORANGE interior.
So. Class differences weren't as obvious to me. Looking back, I can see who was "higher" or "lower," but back then, I didn't know. My sister knew, and it truly colored her experience as an adolescent/young adult.
