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Jan. 2nd, 2008 01:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hsifengHere's the relevant information for you to know:
This exercise is based on one developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University
(see the "looking at privilege" post in the above paragraph, for additional links).
The exercise's developers hold the copyright and have given permission for it to be posted, with links, on the Quakers and Social Class blog. They ask that those of us who participate in this blog exercise acknowledge their copyright, which I'm doing here.
If you cut-and-paste this exercise on your own blog, please leave a comment on the relevant post, pointing readers to your own post.
Copy and paste the list below into your blog (or as a comment in the relevant post), remove my own personal comments, and bold the items that are true for you. My own replies are below.
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 -- Multiple professors, sister is an optomologist
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers -- Considering that both of my parents were teachers I'd have to say 'the same'. Small town though, no one was 'rich' in anything but land.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home -- Mother & Father both rabid readers. Bit me at an early age...*grin* After reading the basics (See Dick Run) at 5 years old I started in on JRR Tolken, CS Lewis and Lewis Carol.
9. Were read children's books by a parent -- Yes. Mom was a kindergarden/1st grade teacher and we had a TON of children's books in the house. Including quite a number that are 'no longer PC' and most young kids have never heard of.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 -- Yes. ballet/tap/jazz, horseriding (from a family member who was a former jockey).
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 -- Yes. See above.
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively -- Yes, but I am nothing like the people I grew up with. They are portrayed as "good old boys". Comical but not to be taken seriously. (ditto on Kass' post)
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 -- Hell No.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs -- My parents paid my college fees, books and I lived in a family house (so most of the room-and-board as well)....see number 15...
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs -- Honestly, pretty much.
Went to a private high school -- yes, but it was a Catholic school. The local public school was scummy.
16. Went to summer camp -- No
17. Had a private tutor before you turned 18 -- No. There was no need. I was ahead of my class in all subjects. (ditto what Kass' said)
18. Family vacations involved staying at hotels -- No, we had a beat up old motorhome and family cabins in the mountains to stay at. Since we were all 'in school' (see the part about my parents being teachers, above) we got to spend a lot of vacation time together.
19. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 -- Yes, because all my siblings were a LOT older than me and their clothes were gone before I showed up. Of course, almost everything came from the Sears catalogue...not the mall.
20. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them -- No, I did get a car (at eighteen) but it was a hand me down.
21. There was original art in your house when you were a child -- Yes, dad and mom had a number of artist friends and dad liked to 'create' things that ended up hanging in the house.
22. Had a phone in your room before you turned 18 -- No.
23. You and your family lived in a single family house -- Yes, although technically the rooms where my parents and I slept were attached to the barn, not the main house. Always a fun walk to the living room in the winter when you forgot your boots....*brrrrr*
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home -- Yes, they even had the ranch paid off and had bought their own cabin. My folks only invest in land, their 'stocks and bonds' are just things they inherited that they don't really pay attention to.
25. You had your own room as a child -- Yes, but it was part of the barn and not a 'nice' room in the house until I was around 15.
26. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course -- Nope, I slaughtered my SAT's.
27. Had your own TV in your room in High School -- Yes, but it was a 10" black and white jobbie that got one station. *chuckle*
28. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College -- Nope. See above for my familys skills in 'funds management'.
29. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 -- We went to Florida when I was 14.
30. Went on a cruise with your family -- No.
31. Went on more than one cruise with your family -- No
32. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up -- Yes, but mostly only when were were on vacation in Mexico.
33. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family -- What heating bills? We had two wood burning stoves in the house and I helped to chop/stock the wood for them both. So I guess I *did* know the cost...in blisters.
This exercise is based on one developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University
(see the "looking at privilege" post in the above paragraph, for additional links). The exercise's developers hold the copyright and have given permission for it to be posted, with links, on the Quakers and Social Class blog. They ask that those of us who participate in this blog exercise acknowledge their copyright, which I'm doing here.
If you cut-and-paste this exercise on your own blog, please leave a comment on the relevant post, pointing readers to your own post.
Copy and paste the list below into your blog (or as a comment in the relevant post), remove my own personal comments, and bold the items that are true for you. My own replies are below.
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 -- Multiple professors, sister is an optomologist
6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers -- Considering that both of my parents were teachers I'd have to say 'the same'. Small town though, no one was 'rich' in anything but land.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home -- Mother & Father both rabid readers. Bit me at an early age...*grin* After reading the basics (See Dick Run) at 5 years old I started in on JRR Tolken, CS Lewis and Lewis Carol.
9. Were read children's books by a parent -- Yes. Mom was a kindergarden/1st grade teacher and we had a TON of children's books in the house. Including quite a number that are 'no longer PC' and most young kids have never heard of.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 -- Yes. ballet/tap/jazz, horseriding (from a family member who was a former jockey).
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 -- Yes. See above.
12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively -- Yes, but I am nothing like the people I grew up with. They are portrayed as "good old boys". Comical but not to be taken seriously. (ditto on Kass' post)
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 -- Hell No.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs -- My parents paid my college fees, books and I lived in a family house (so most of the room-and-board as well)....see number 15...
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs -- Honestly, pretty much.
Went to a private high school -- yes, but it was a Catholic school. The local public school was scummy.
16. Went to summer camp -- No
17. Had a private tutor before you turned 18 -- No. There was no need. I was ahead of my class in all subjects. (ditto what Kass' said)
18. Family vacations involved staying at hotels -- No, we had a beat up old motorhome and family cabins in the mountains to stay at. Since we were all 'in school' (see the part about my parents being teachers, above) we got to spend a lot of vacation time together.
19. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 -- Yes, because all my siblings were a LOT older than me and their clothes were gone before I showed up. Of course, almost everything came from the Sears catalogue...not the mall.
20. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them -- No, I did get a car (at eighteen) but it was a hand me down.
21. There was original art in your house when you were a child -- Yes, dad and mom had a number of artist friends and dad liked to 'create' things that ended up hanging in the house.
22. Had a phone in your room before you turned 18 -- No.
23. You and your family lived in a single family house -- Yes, although technically the rooms where my parents and I slept were attached to the barn, not the main house. Always a fun walk to the living room in the winter when you forgot your boots....*brrrrr*
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home -- Yes, they even had the ranch paid off and had bought their own cabin. My folks only invest in land, their 'stocks and bonds' are just things they inherited that they don't really pay attention to.
25. You had your own room as a child -- Yes, but it was part of the barn and not a 'nice' room in the house until I was around 15.
26. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course -- Nope, I slaughtered my SAT's.
27. Had your own TV in your room in High School -- Yes, but it was a 10" black and white jobbie that got one station. *chuckle*
28. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College -- Nope. See above for my familys skills in 'funds management'.
29. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 -- We went to Florida when I was 14.
30. Went on a cruise with your family -- No.
31. Went on more than one cruise with your family -- No
32. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up -- Yes, but mostly only when were were on vacation in Mexico.
33. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family -- What heating bills? We had two wood burning stoves in the house and I helped to chop/stock the wood for them both. So I guess I *did* know the cost...in blisters.
This sorta makes me thoughtful about the opportunities I got that others don't receive. Because my parents are educators they put a HUGE emphasis on learning, reading and thinking. I think they knew that the logging town I grew up in could become a cage for me intellectually, so they taught me to think differently than other kids I knew. On the other hand, my dad being the type of person who is always a Devils Advocate, he also taught me to think like those kids so that I could understand that the world has a lot of perspectives.
I feel like I am incredibly lucky to have had the parents I have.
I don’t think I ever thought of myself as ‘underprivileged’ (although raising a large family on two teacher’s incomes wasn’t easy). To this day I am more at ease with folks who aren’t money oriented; even though I find myself worrying about it more and more.
