This is based on “From What Privileges Do You Have?,” an exercise about
class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen,
Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University.
Green means I answered yes.
1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college She took some classes as an adult, but never enrolled in a degree program that I know of.
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor. a cousin
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. This one is borderline.
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. They helped a lot, but loans and scholarships were more than 50%.
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. The next sister up from me is 9 years older, so hand-me-downs weren't really an option. I'm sure she had lots of them.
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. Not all the time, and when I did it was because my siblings were grown. There were times when three of us were in one room.
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. My oldest brother moved to Texas when I was little, so we flew there from the Midwest for his wedding and for another visit or two.
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. Seldom, but it did happen. However, we were always had a membership to a swimming pool.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.
12 out of 34. No analysis of what that means.
6 comments:
Sounds like you have much older siblings, huh? Seems like that is such a different experience from having siblings the same age. What did you think of it?
Yes, the oldest is 18 years older than me and they youngest is 9 years older, so they first six are spaced really closely, there's a big gap, then me. I kind of had the best of both worlds, in that I was like an only child but not. My sibs complain that they didn't get enough resources, both money and time with my parents, but I didn't experience that competition. For example, S2 says how my mom could never take her shopping for a prom dress but could take me.
When I was litte, I wanted to have a sister close to my age, but now I don't care. And I used to get jealous of what they were doing, like how they got to go to parties but I was too little. And I was devastated when they went off to college without me. But I have fond memories of going to visit for Little Sibs weekend as a three-year-old. Now, however, I have the more "glamorous" life since they all have kids and soccor practice.
I LOVE being from a big family. There's always a lot going on and my sibs are really cool, we get along, etc. Also, I have 13 neices and nephews which is super neat. The oldest one is in college and thinking of doing an internship where I work. She grew up in Texas so I don't know her very well, so it would be really cool to spend a summer with her.
interesting, i was thinking how i would feel the need to explain those that were green and then i noticed you did too. I wonder why that is?
Interesting! Wow, your family makeup is so opposite from mine: me, then sis (-2), bro (-4), bro (-8).
What counts as a lesson?
Well, I had weekly private flute lessons in high school. I guess dance or music or art?
UR, it sounds like our families are reverse of each other. I think it would be weird to be the oldest...
Wayfarer, I expanded on some that weren't green too! But you're right that there is a sense of defensiveness over the privilege instead of the more intuitive pride about it.
"there is a sense of defensiveness over the privilege instead of the more intuitive pride about it."
Precisely why I won't be doing this one! Also, several questions don't translate well to non-US citizens. e.g. we have no SATS in the UK, and university is (or at least was) MUCH cheaper than in the States. There were no tuition fees at all when I was there, and even now they're much much lower than what you're used to. I also lived extremely cheaply indeed (GBP5 per week for most of my food - about US$10). So the fact that my parents paid for most of it does not indicate as huge an investment as it would over here!
Interestingly, in the UK (and to a lesser extent in Canada), defensiveness would be a more intuitive reaction than pride. There's a big culture of inverse snobbery relating to education, class, accent etc. Very strange.
Sorry for the long comment BTW. Can you tell I've been diligently working hard all day and this is my first blog commenting break?
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