(no subject)

[corrvin]

Original text:
The list is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. The exercise developers ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright. If you post this in your blog, please leave a comment on this post. [Not necessary, as far as I'm concerned.] To participate in this blog game, copy and paste the list into your blog, and bold the items that are true for you. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to post your responses in the comments.


Father went to college
Father finished college
Mother went to college
Mother finished college
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
Were read children’s books by a parent
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
The people in the media who dress and talk like me [sic] are portrayed positively
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school
Went to summer camp
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
Family vacations involved staying at hotels
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
There was original art in your house when you were a child
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
You had your own room as a child
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
Had your own TV in your room in High School
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
Went on a cruise with your family
Went on more than one cruise with your family
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

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Comments on the meme:
My mother went to, and graduated from, college after I left home, so I was raised by two people with high school diplomas; I've also mentioned here and there that my mom's parents are not very formally educated, as between the two of them they have a TOTAL of 11 years of schooling. (ETA: My grandfather has an honorary high school diploma as of about 5 years ago. His old school's class of 2002 invited the veterans who had left school to go to war to their commencement, and gave them honorary diplomas.)

Yes, I had more than 50 books, but I also got books for EVERY occasion. Unlike most kids I knew, I didn't have a lot of albums or cassettes, (basically, I had about 20 all told through my entire childhood) and when my uncle got me a CD player in college (1994, I believe) it was a nice present, but I didn't own any CDs.

Yes, my parents read to me. Back in the years before you could sit your baby down in front of the TV to watch the same DVDs over and over, people actually read to their children. Even people who didn't read for pleasure themselves would read to their children, most of the time.

If "original art" is defined as something you purchase in a gallery (imagine that in a snooty voice) then no, we didn't have any. However, since our family includes some moderately-known artists, we've gotten some nice presents and were happy to display them. (My grandfather has an original mosaic on one wall of his tiny little house.)

I don't think that living in a single-family house is a real marker of social/economic class in rural areas. But no, we didn't live in an apartment.

I had my own room, but that's because my parents could only afford one child. If I'd had a sibling, I would have had to share for part of my childhood.

And yep, my parents took me to museums, because they like looking at arty stuff (see above re: happy to display nice work) and they wanted me to see some too.

Things I didn't bold: I don't think Southerners have a very positive portrayal in the media, and most people talk about the "hick accent" like it's something to shun. If you're talking physical naked appearance, I have white chesty-girl privilege though.

And no, my parents didn't pay for my college. But I did get a scholarship (which you could consider as me working for it with the power of my miiiind, or you could consider as me getting a free ride).

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This list really seems to differentiate only between "extremely damn privileged" and "maybe not so privileged as all that." Notice I only checked 8 out of the 34 items, and I still never lacked for much as a child. I would add the following to the list:

*Got taken to the doctor EVERY TIME you were sick
*Had an adult in your home with you at all times until you were in high school (i.e. never were at home alone and unwatched)
*If you ever bathed, fed, or watched your siblings, it was never for more than a few minutes or on rare occasions, and especially never as a routine
*Drove anywhere you were permitted to as a teenager, without worrying about having enough gas to get to school or work
*Got to keep your paycheck from any jobs you had in high school, and use it on whatever you wanted
*Participated in any after-school or before-school activities you liked, without asking your parents if they could pick you up
*Cooked (if you did) as a hobby, not because your family had to eat

ETA: If you'd like to add something to the list, please do!

ETA: I'd also note that if I filled this out for either my mother or father, the only thing that would be bolded is living in a single-family home, and only because it was true for parts of their childhoods.