And a new year's meme

[martinemonster]

The first of the year, what do you know. (I'm bored and supposed to be packing for my weekend trip).

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
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children's books by a parent.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
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.
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
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child.
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 course.
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.
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.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

Comments

[sortkatt.livejournal.com]

These college questions are a bit problematic seeing as we have publicly funded colleges... still:

(X-ing true ones instead of bolding)

1. Father went to college: X
2. Father finished college: X
3. Mother went to college: X
4. Mother finished college: X
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers: X
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home: X
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home: X
9. Were read children's books by a parent: X
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18: X
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18: X
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively: X
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18: X
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
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
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels: X
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18.
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.
22. There was original art in your house when you were a child: X
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house: X
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home: X
25. You had your own room as a child: X
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course.
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16: X
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: X
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family: X

Interesting thing is, even though I got lots of Xs, I was bullied for being poor when I grew up, and my single mother did not exactly have a lot of cash to throw around. Culturally speaking I might have gotten plenty of baggage, but I remember it being tight financially.
Speaking of classes in Norway is much more diffucult, the structure here is a lot flatter than most places, but even if I could place me, or rather my childhood, a bit towards the bottom, it doesn't seem like the makers of this little quiz would place me there. Geographical differences?

[martinemonster.livejournal.com]

You´re probably right both that the class is a different matter in Norway than in the US, and that some geographical differences makes this test less applicable for Norwegians. I mean, it´s not like parents usually buy cars for their kids in Norway...

[sandchigger.livejournal.com]

John Scalzi, hallowed be his name, has a rebuttal.

[martinemonster.livejournal.com]

I still think it has some merit, despite all the very good points he made. The vacation home-argument for instance is not that good: people I know who does not stay at hotels usually do it because they cannot afford it, not because they have a vacation home.

[sandchigger.livejournal.com]

Ah, but read the last bits of his rebuttal. The whole purpose of the meme is a personal level thing. If it doesn't work on the personal level, where it's designed to work, then it doesn't work.

[martinemonster.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess that is a point.

[sandchigger.livejournal.com]

Indeed. He's a pretty smart guy.

[mirazandar.livejournal.com]

hæ? trudde du først fikk deg kredittkort når du skulle til amerika jeg...

og hva mener de med leksjoner i to ting? Rart

[martinemonster.livejournal.com]

Jeg tenkte kredittkort=bankkort. På den andre siden telte jeg ikke med lærerhøgskolen som college for foreldrene mine. Jaja, vet ikke om jeg føler meg mer eller mindre priviligert av denne grunnen.

[martinemonster.livejournal.com]

Leksjoner i to ting: ridning og fiolin?