Plaidophile

The answer: probably.

Memed from Yook.

From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.

Bold the true statements.

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. [Only because nerds are fashionable right now though.]
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18. [Technically I did but it was for emergencies only, and I don't think I ever even used it except to make a couple phone calls and the like.]
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs. [Although by "majority" I just mean "more than 50%." I still worked in college and paid for about half of my tuition and most of my food and so on. Also, I willingly went to an in-state college so that I wouldn't be a burden. My tuition was around $1000/semester.]
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. [note: we generally stayed with relatives but we could have stayed at hotels if we wanted to]
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18. [note: not all of it, but certainly most of it]
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. [I could have if I wanted/needed to, though]
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. [of course, these are generally free or cheap...]
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

Of course, relative to the rest of the world, even being able to read this list means you're pretty damned privileged even if you don't bold a single one. Also, being privileged doesn't necessarily mean not having any idea of how hard things can be, and I am very thankful that I grew up with the opportunities that I did.