Jan. 3rd, 2008 09:11 pm
class privilege meme
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toastykittenI saw some criticism of the class privilege meme that's going around, and was kind of curious about it. I did it, and it is kind of mind-blowing, in a way:
Speaking of mind-blowing, I just watched an episode of Wife Swap. This week's swap was between a feminist mom who home-schooled her kids and a pageant-obsessed mom who talked about making things "sparkle". The pageant-obsessed mom raised a 15 year old girl who cannot spell "America" and cannot read the word "crutch". And they were proud of it! Are you kidding me? If you like train wrecks, this is the show for you.
When you were in college:
take a step forward bold each line that is true.
If your father went to college
If your father finished college
If your mother went to college
If your mother finished college
- Let's see - my parents didn't go to college because in China at that time it was something that rich kids did. (I think it still is.) My mom finished her grammar school education and went back to helping out with the farm. My dad finished high school and taught in our village, so he was pretty well-respected. When we went to our village, his students still recognized him after nearly forty or fifty years.
If you have any relative who is a attorney, physician, or professor.
If you were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
- Uh, I went to school in Oakland. I'm pretty sure that although their paycheck was probably higher than my parents', most of it probably went back into school supplies.
If you had a computer at home
- W00t! One I can bold! We got our first computer because of my sister's husband (boyfriend at the time) and he introduced us to the wonderful world of DOS. Later he hooked us up to the Internet, and it's been history ever since.
If you had your own computer at home
- Although I wish I had my own - I didn't get my own laptop until college, and I bought it with my own money.
If you had more than 50 books at home
- I wasn't the only bookworm at home.
If you had more than 500 books at home
- There's also this place called the library. It has free books.
If you were read children's books by a parent
- You're kidding me right?
If you ever had lessons of any kind
If you had more than two kinds of lessons
- I still don't know how to swim or ride a bike. (Someday, dammit.) And no, I never played the piano.
If the people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
- In Juno, she says that she wants a musician with a "cool Asian girlfriend" to raise her child. Does that count?
If you had a credit card with your name on it
- This is in college, right? Then yeah - it wasn't my parents' credit card, though.
If you have less than $5000 in student loans
If you have no student loans
- There are people who don't have student loans?
If you went to a private high school
If you went to summer camp
If you had a private tutor
If you have been to Europe
- I'm still jealous of Mark's backpacking trip through Europe. *sigh*
If your family vacations involved staying at hotels
- This is what we would do: book a room for two, then sneak everyone in the back door at night and everyone would be spread out on the beds, the sofas, the floor.
If all of your clothing has been new and bought at the mall
- The best thing about earning my own paycheck? No more fucking hand-me-downs.
If your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
- BOUGHT? BOUGHT?
If there was original art in your house
- Who the hell is this? At this point I know a lot of well-off people, and even they still buy their art from IKEA.
If you had a phone in your room
If you lived in a single family house
If your parent own their own house or apartment
- I'm not sure when they paid it off. Probably when I was in high school or college.
If you had your own room
If you participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
If you had your own cell phone in High School
- I'm going to substitute pager for cell phone here, since that's what was popular at the time. But no, I didn't have one.
If you had your own TV in your room in High School
If you opened a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
If you have ever flown anywhere on a commercial airline
If you ever went on a cruise with your family
If your parents took you to museums and art galleries
If you were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
- They were zero, because we weren't allowed to turn the heat on.
This is a really weird list, and it makes me seem like I had a totally deprived childhood. (Which, according to Mark, I did.) I was overall, pretty happy. I read a lot, played with the toys my sisters stole from Mickey D's, watched a lot of TV and still did my homework.
If your father went to college
If your father finished college
If your mother went to college
If your mother finished college
- Let's see - my parents didn't go to college because in China at that time it was something that rich kids did. (I think it still is.) My mom finished her grammar school education and went back to helping out with the farm. My dad finished high school and taught in our village, so he was pretty well-respected. When we went to our village, his students still recognized him after nearly forty or fifty years.
If you have any relative who is a attorney, physician, or professor.
If you were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
- Uh, I went to school in Oakland. I'm pretty sure that although their paycheck was probably higher than my parents', most of it probably went back into school supplies.
If you had a computer at home
- W00t! One I can bold! We got our first computer because of my sister's husband (boyfriend at the time) and he introduced us to the wonderful world of DOS. Later he hooked us up to the Internet, and it's been history ever since.
If you had your own computer at home
- Although I wish I had my own - I didn't get my own laptop until college, and I bought it with my own money.
If you had more than 50 books at home
- I wasn't the only bookworm at home.
If you had more than 500 books at home
- There's also this place called the library. It has free books.
If you were read children's books by a parent
- You're kidding me right?
If you ever had lessons of any kind
If you had more than two kinds of lessons
- I still don't know how to swim or ride a bike. (Someday, dammit.) And no, I never played the piano.
If the people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
- In Juno, she says that she wants a musician with a "cool Asian girlfriend" to raise her child. Does that count?
If you had a credit card with your name on it
- This is in college, right? Then yeah - it wasn't my parents' credit card, though.
If you have less than $5000 in student loans
If you have no student loans
- There are people who don't have student loans?
If you went to a private high school
If you went to summer camp
If you had a private tutor
If you have been to Europe
- I'm still jealous of Mark's backpacking trip through Europe. *sigh*
If your family vacations involved staying at hotels
- This is what we would do: book a room for two, then sneak everyone in the back door at night and everyone would be spread out on the beds, the sofas, the floor.
If all of your clothing has been new and bought at the mall
- The best thing about earning my own paycheck? No more fucking hand-me-downs.
If your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
- BOUGHT? BOUGHT?
If there was original art in your house
- Who the hell is this? At this point I know a lot of well-off people, and even they still buy their art from IKEA.
If you had a phone in your room
If you lived in a single family house
If your parent own their own house or apartment
- I'm not sure when they paid it off. Probably when I was in high school or college.
If you had your own room
If you participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
If you had your own cell phone in High School
- I'm going to substitute pager for cell phone here, since that's what was popular at the time. But no, I didn't have one.
If you had your own TV in your room in High School
If you opened a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
If you have ever flown anywhere on a commercial airline
If you ever went on a cruise with your family
If your parents took you to museums and art galleries
If you were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
- They were zero, because we weren't allowed to turn the heat on.
This is a really weird list, and it makes me seem like I had a totally deprived childhood. (Which, according to Mark, I did.) I was overall, pretty happy. I read a lot, played with the toys my sisters stole from Mickey D's, watched a lot of TV and still did my homework.
Speaking of mind-blowing, I just watched an episode of Wife Swap. This week's swap was between a feminist mom who home-schooled her kids and a pageant-obsessed mom who talked about making things "sparkle". The pageant-obsessed mom raised a 15 year old girl who cannot spell "America" and cannot read the word "crutch". And they were proud of it! Are you kidding me? If you like train wrecks, this is the show for you.
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