privilege

[topaz]

Bolding the statements that are true, etc.  I tend to think of my upbringing as extremely privileged, so the ones I did not mark surprised me a little.

I also took the liberty of adding a new question #20.  So there.

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
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 (I forgot! I had skiing lessons when I was 13 or so.)
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
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. Family vacations involved visiting vacation homes your family owned.
21. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (I'm sure some of it was hand-me-down or bought used, but almost always I got new clothing.)
22. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
23. There was original art in your house when you were a child (generally produced by artist friends of the family, but so what?)
24. You and your family lived in a single family house
25. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
26. You had your own room as a child.
27. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
28. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course (I studied a lot out of the Princeton Review book but never took a course)
29. Had your own TV in your room in High School (a tiny little old B&W jobbie that let me catch Letterman and Night Court reruns, but a TV all the same)
30. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
31. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
32. Went on a cruise with your family
33. Went on more than one cruise with your family
34. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
35. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

Comments

[cruiser.livejournal.com]

Looking at the ones you didn't mark, I had a thought about #22 (which has nothing to do with your situation) - which would be more of an indication of privilege, getting a new Honda Civic (approx $15K) or getting mom's hand-me-down year old BMW (the cheapest BMW is over $40K new).

[catya.livejournal.com]

Perhaps amusingly, 20 is true for me but not 19.

I haven't actually done my list - here it is:

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
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 (I'm presuming hebrew school doesn't count here.)
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
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. Family vacations involved visiting vacation homes your family owned. (owns)
21. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
22. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
23. There was original art in your house when you were a child (a couple of pieces done by family members, maybe)
24. You and your family lived in a single family house
25. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
26. You had your own room as a child.
27. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
28. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
29. Had your own TV in your room in High School
30. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
31. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
32. Went on a cruise with your family
33. Went on more than one cruise with your family
34. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
35. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. (Eventually i snooped in the finances and found that all out, but i think that doesn't count for this meme.)

[harimad.livejournal.com]

Which unmarked items surprisedy you?

[phornax.livejournal.com]

Wow, I guess I do have a privileged ass. The only ones I didn't have growing up were #18 (but *I* was a private tutor) and # 22.

My turn

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

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
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
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 (I don't think that was possible back when I was 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
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. Family vacations involved visiting vacation homes your family owned.
21. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (It was usually new, but I got hand-me-downs, too.)
22. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
23. There was original art in your house when you were a child
24. You and your family lived in a single family house
25. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
26. You had your own room as a child.
27. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
28. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
29. Had your own TV in your room in High School
30. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
31. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
32. Went on a cruise with your family
33. Went on more than one cruise with your family
34. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. (whenever we were on vacation in big cities)
35. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

Re: My turn

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

I'se rich! I should start a charitable foundation. *snerk*

I see that the "privileges" I lack are basically private education and gizmos (TVs, phones) in my bedroom. Others are items that didn't exist in the Dark Ages when I was a kid (credit cards for kids, SAT preparation courses, etc.)

But more seriously, the theme seems to be if you want to give your kids a leg up in the world, finish college. Marry somebody who has finished college. Have books in the house and read to the kids. Give them private music, dance, art lessons. Take them on vacations to places with museums.

Re: My turn

[harimad.livejournal.com]

Lesson are certainly privilege but I haven't seen them to be causative of a leg up. The rest of your list - an education-oriented mindset, reading, museums - yes, definitely. I'd add international travel as well, especially if we're talking about a US'an family. I could go on and on about its effect on me, including helping me pass first year econ (my family went to Eastern Europe when I was a kid, giving me direct experience of nonmarket economies).

If you *really* want to give your kids a leg up, cosign their first mortgages.

Re: My turn

[innerdoggie.livejournal.com]

I think that private music/dance lessons do give you a leg up by helping you move up the class ladder, or consolidating your position in upper middle or upper classes. Working class families often put effort into providing these lessons to their kids just for this reason.

You're right about living abroad. That should be added to the list. It would have practical usefulness if you learn languages, and class-marker usefulness as "broadening".

Mortgages. Would co-signing be better than just buying the house outright or giving a downpayment as a gift? One problem for kids from wealthy families is having too much support and not learning how to be independent adults.

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

Huh. These are mine:

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college (associate's degree)
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
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 (piano and flute, both via the public school)
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
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp (which I later worked at, when I was 13-16)
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
20. Family vacations involved visiting vacation homes your family owned.
21. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (Wow, so not. I was known as "Salvation Army Girl" in elementary school.)
22. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
23. There was original art in your house when you were a child (I own this painting, now. It's in my massage room -- a friend of the family painted the view from my grandparents' house on the lake.)
24. You and your family lived in a single family house
25. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
26. You had your own room as a child.
27. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
28. Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
29. Had your own TV in your room in High School
30. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
31. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
32. Went on a cruise with your family
33. Went on more than one cruise with your family
34. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. (Free museums, usually, or ones that the public library had a pass for :)
35. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family. (Uh ... I knew. I helped pay them, after I started taking summer jobs.)