The meme: something about being privileged…

I am going to do this because I don’t feel like blogging lately, so this might just get me on track again. And this is also interesting.

[I found it via Mr Frog’s and Katja’s blog, who came to it via Charlotte’s Web. It was devised by PhD students at Illinois State University to get people thinking and talking about privilege as a way to think and talk about class.  The original authors of this exercise are Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, and Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate, they ask that you please acknowledge their copyright.] Replicated from Katja.

Bold the true statements. You can explain further if you wish.

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.
Two doctors.
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home. As I have most probably mentioned many times before, no body in my family is very fond of reading or are collectors. I started reading in 7th grade.
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
9. Were read children’s books by a parent
They never read us books, but my father used to tell us a lot of stories growing up. In fact we had a recording where he is telling a story to my elder sis and I am crying in the background.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 I am going to refer to extra curricular lessons here. We had music and a stitching class in school. So that should count, right?
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
I just used my credit card last week for the first time in spite of having it for 3 years. I positively stay away from them, but sometimes you have no option.

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 Well, it was a kind of private school with partial government funding.
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
Nope, never been that eager to study and score well. It came naturally, i guess 🙂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

Not many, but yes, I do remember going to a couple of museums and art galleries. Certainly cannot discount that.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. I was aware because the parents never let us forget.

So good enough. I had a very privileged and protected childhood. Also, having 2 sisters helped me to share my personal space which I think is very important.