Meme trace: kmusser

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

Interestingly, most of this was around the time I entered elementary school. My father had previously started college right out of highschool but dropped out after a year or so.


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

During my childhood my family often didn't have a lot of money (ie, times below the poverty line), but my parent's always valued education, reading, intellectualism a great deal. We used our local library heavily. By the time I was in high school we were in the same economic bracket as my high school teachers by and large.

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

I'm not exactly sure what "lessons" are. I mean, one could say school is a set of lessons, but obviously that's not what they mean. And if they meant "college courses" you'd think they'd say. Is this some class-specific term or something? I didn't have a credit card till my 20s. I didn't go to college so I can't really pay those parts, though I know my parents would have helped as much as they were able with paying for my college costs had I gone.

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

Very rarely did we stay at a hotel on a vacation... typically one night out of a two or three week vacation. The closest I ever came to a traditional summer camp was something my elementary school did in sixth grade. I did, however, go to much geekier summer camps. (ie, computer camp, space academy)

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

I was an only child so hand-me-downs weren't an option. As for buying second-hand, I don't know if that ever happened. The clothing I remember being purchased was from department stores.

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.

Everything here has caveats. My parents owned the first house I lived in (they built it themselves). But then, we didn't have electrical power or a phone for many years and never had running water or flush toilets. At times my family lived in a single family house, other times we had an apartment in an apartment complex. I had my own room (again, only child), though in our first house we didn't have any doors on any of the rooms so I'm not sure how much that counts. There was original art, but, I think, not of the kind this is asking about. There was some from sources I'm not too clear on, but not, I think, anything of great value. More of the craft fair variety.

Home ownership is a clearly class divide in areas around cities, but in very rural areas (ie backwoods Maine) I don't believe it's much of one. Home ownership is more common if only because there's hardly anyone to rent from.

26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
27. Participated in an 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

I didn't have a phone in my room, but I did have my own phone line. It was hooked up to the family computer.

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.

Museums and art galleries were a standard part of family vacations.

34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

Kind of... I was never aware of dollar amounts, but then, my parent's never discussed finances with me while I was a child. I do recall being one of those homes where you wore a sweater in the winter. I didn't learn just how tight finances had been until I was an adult.

My advantages seem to have come mostly from what things my parent's valued rather then anything material. That said, by the time I'd reached adulthood my parent's had achieved a good deal of material success, and that's undoubtedly helped me as an adult. One of these days I'll have to talk to them about how they got their values.