survey about privilege
Dec. 30th, 2007 17:56![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
piranhalike so much conversation about privilege, this little survey i found at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kightp's is filled with its own presumptions. it's totally sideways to where i see my own privilege.
from: http://quakerclass.blogspot.com/2007/11/what-privilege-do-you-have.html
... and based on an exercise 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, PLEASE acknowledge their copyright. [oh look, copyright privilege!]
INDICATE WHICH APPLY TO YOU (i underlined):
Father went to college
Father finished college
Mother went to college
Mother finished college
my father would have gone to college, i think, had it not been for the war; all of his younger sisters did, and my father's father had gone. he did go to night school for extra certifications; he definitely had the smarts. so did my mother, except the crazy would have interfered. did interfere because i vaguely remember she took some classes at some time but a while later nobody talked about her going to college anymore.
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
no, but grandfather was the only teacher in the village, and damn, if that didn't convey a whole big load of privilege right there.
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
this means something entirely different in various parts of europe.
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
was read the bible and bible interpretations for children, which isn't quite the same thing.
Had (private) lessons of any kind before you turned 18
i learned dressage and to play the guitar, but my parents didn't pay for that -- i worked for it, with mucking out stables and other jobs.
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
not now because fat middle-aged geeks who dress in sweats only get good press if they start IT companies that make it big. but once i looked pretty much like everyone else around me and had no negative experience with media reportage.
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
i don't even think my parents had a credit card; credit was not part of our culture.
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs (costs after scholarships)
no, my parents paid nothing. but public education (including university) was mostly free; i only ever paid for books and supplies myself and could have gotten loans for that.
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school
sorta kinda, but really totally not in the sense it's understood here.
Went to summer camp
worked on a farm during most summers, later always had paying jobs.
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
for the guitar lessons only. i tutored others for pay.
Family vacations involved staying at hotels
most family vacations were to visit relatives only once did we travel far, on a religious mission to romania. yeah, we stayed at a hotel then too. i am not counting that because it was a single very special occasion.
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
i can count the store-bought new clothes i got on 1 hand. i had more new clothes that were handmade. most of my clothes were second- or third-hand.
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
my parents never even owned a car themselves.
There was original art in your house when you were a child
by my grandfather and an aunt. i sorta doubt that really counts; there was no great appreciation for the arts in my home.
You and your family lived in a single family house
and so did nearly everyone else in the village -- but "single family" meant extended family. earlier they lived in an apartment. later, they lived in a duplex owned by the institution for which my father worked, which was comparable to a SFH over here.
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
they never owned their own house or apartment as long as they lived. all of my grandparents did, however.
You had your own room as a child
when we moved to the institution because i was old enough for the religious sex segregation rules to kick in. it was a tiny hole in the wall and my mother would inspect it daily. but oh yeah, i felt privileged even though it wasn't supposed to be one.
You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
hahahahaha! i wasn't even allowed to use the family phone for private personal calls.
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
there was no such thing. there was a prep course for entry into certain secondary schools, but it was held by the schools.
Had your own TV in your room in High School
the family had no TV.
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
no, but i had my own bank account then.
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
no, but just after, on that religious mission to romania.
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
not as a regular feature of our lives, though there were a few visits to historical museums. i saw more through school than through my parents.
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
no, i was very well aware what it took (though it wasn't always "bills" since during some periods we collected firewood and coal).
that's it, and it's not even all that close to what they have in mind. according to this survey i haven't lived very privileged. and some of what they consider privilege wasn't so in my culture, due to religious twists. and yet i've had enormous privilege they don't even seem to realize exists -- the fact that public education, including at the secondary level was there for me to catch and propel me forward where my parents would have failed is probably the largest single influence on my life. it made everything possible that came afterwards, because i learned to think and speak and act as an educated person.
i can see very clearly how this confuses my doctor. he's giving me samples of the expensive blood pressure med and talks in ways that convey he thinks i am financially strapped -- because i'm fat and grey and dress in sweats and have a missing canine (tooth). but i also speak educated english, and i know my way around the internet, and i clearly understand blood pressure and blood glucose, and i present my numbers in nice little graphs. he doesn't know what to make of me.
there are some instances where people wouldn't think of what i had as privilege, but i do -- working on the farm in the summer was vastly preferable to going to a religious summer camp, for example. not because it wasn't religious (i was still a christian then) but because i learned things that mattered to me, i got to feel accomplished, i was more of an equal than not among the people with whom i worked, and i was much more free than during my regular days. those were some of the best times of my life back then, those working summers.
kightp's is filled with its own presumptions. it's totally sideways to where i see my own privilege. from: http://quakerclass.blogspot.com/2007/11/what-privilege-do-you-have.html
... and based on an exercise 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, PLEASE acknowledge their copyright. [oh look, copyright privilege!]
INDICATE WHICH APPLY TO YOU (i underlined):
Father went to college
Father finished college
Mother went to college
Mother finished college
my father would have gone to college, i think, had it not been for the war; all of his younger sisters did, and my father's father had gone. he did go to night school for extra certifications; he definitely had the smarts. so did my mother, except the crazy would have interfered. did interfere because i vaguely remember she took some classes at some time but a while later nobody talked about her going to college anymore.
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
no, but grandfather was the only teacher in the village, and damn, if that didn't convey a whole big load of privilege right there.
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
this means something entirely different in various parts of europe.
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
was read the bible and bible interpretations for children, which isn't quite the same thing.
Had (private) lessons of any kind before you turned 18
i learned dressage and to play the guitar, but my parents didn't pay for that -- i worked for it, with mucking out stables and other jobs.
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
not now because fat middle-aged geeks who dress in sweats only get good press if they start IT companies that make it big. but once i looked pretty much like everyone else around me and had no negative experience with media reportage.
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
i don't even think my parents had a credit card; credit was not part of our culture.
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs (costs after scholarships)
no, my parents paid nothing. but public education (including university) was mostly free; i only ever paid for books and supplies myself and could have gotten loans for that.
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school
sorta kinda, but really totally not in the sense it's understood here.
Went to summer camp
worked on a farm during most summers, later always had paying jobs.
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
for the guitar lessons only. i tutored others for pay.
Family vacations involved staying at hotels
most family vacations were to visit relatives only once did we travel far, on a religious mission to romania. yeah, we stayed at a hotel then too. i am not counting that because it was a single very special occasion.
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
i can count the store-bought new clothes i got on 1 hand. i had more new clothes that were handmade. most of my clothes were second- or third-hand.
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
my parents never even owned a car themselves.
There was original art in your house when you were a child
by my grandfather and an aunt. i sorta doubt that really counts; there was no great appreciation for the arts in my home.
You and your family lived in a single family house
and so did nearly everyone else in the village -- but "single family" meant extended family. earlier they lived in an apartment. later, they lived in a duplex owned by the institution for which my father worked, which was comparable to a SFH over here.
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
they never owned their own house or apartment as long as they lived. all of my grandparents did, however.
You had your own room as a child
when we moved to the institution because i was old enough for the religious sex segregation rules to kick in. it was a tiny hole in the wall and my mother would inspect it daily. but oh yeah, i felt privileged even though it wasn't supposed to be one.
You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
hahahahaha! i wasn't even allowed to use the family phone for private personal calls.
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
there was no such thing. there was a prep course for entry into certain secondary schools, but it was held by the schools.
Had your own TV in your room in High School
the family had no TV.
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
no, but i had my own bank account then.
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
no, but just after, on that religious mission to romania.
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
not as a regular feature of our lives, though there were a few visits to historical museums. i saw more through school than through my parents.
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
no, i was very well aware what it took (though it wasn't always "bills" since during some periods we collected firewood and coal).
that's it, and it's not even all that close to what they have in mind. according to this survey i haven't lived very privileged. and some of what they consider privilege wasn't so in my culture, due to religious twists. and yet i've had enormous privilege they don't even seem to realize exists -- the fact that public education, including at the secondary level was there for me to catch and propel me forward where my parents would have failed is probably the largest single influence on my life. it made everything possible that came afterwards, because i learned to think and speak and act as an educated person.
i can see very clearly how this confuses my doctor. he's giving me samples of the expensive blood pressure med and talks in ways that convey he thinks i am financially strapped -- because i'm fat and grey and dress in sweats and have a missing canine (tooth). but i also speak educated english, and i know my way around the internet, and i clearly understand blood pressure and blood glucose, and i present my numbers in nice little graphs. he doesn't know what to make of me.
there are some instances where people wouldn't think of what i had as privilege, but i do -- working on the farm in the summer was vastly preferable to going to a religious summer camp, for example. not because it wasn't religious (i was still a christian then) but because i learned things that mattered to me, i got to feel accomplished, i was more of an equal than not among the people with whom i worked, and i was much more free than during my regular days. those were some of the best times of my life back then, those working summers.
no subject
on 2007-12-31 04:34 (UTC)no subject
on 2007-12-31 10:47 (UTC)sorry here stuff aren't that great
no subject
on 2007-12-31 15:44 (UTC)One of the things that's potentially interesting in this regard is what used to be called "Class X" -- the people who were suited by upbringing, education and talent to be members of the upper classes, but whose income didn't match their cultural privilege. Think: lots of artists, writers, university staff and some faculty, all the really smart people for whom money wasn't a big deal because they had books and friends and enough of a job to get by. (I remember the first time I saw my friend Jim's apartment in Brooklyn -- he temped while writing screenplays -- and saw the thousand or so CDs lining the walls along with the books, at a time when CDs cost real money. No wonder he ate ramen.)
I'm not sure -- in the US at least, what with housing prices and health care issues and predatory educational loans -- whether it's possible for people to live Class X lives any more.
no subject
on 2007-12-31 18:42 (UTC)I'm still astonished when I hear of people's parents buying or giving them cars, new or second-hand; it's not part of my culture.
no subject
on 2008-01-02 16:37 (UTC)We were pretty damned poor when I was a kid and even more poor when I was in high school, but we always had food. We always had clothes. We didn't freeze in the winter even in Illinois. I sure didn't feel privileged but I clearly lived a life of luxury compared to a large portion of the world.
no subject
on 2008-01-06 04:26 (UTC)It is clearly designed for folks much younger than moi, which may be part of why I feel a real disconnect with it. But I think the bigger issue for me is the assumption that answers to questions that are in large measure based on economic well-being are a valid measure of social class, which the creator posits as equivalent to "culture of origin" and unchanging througout life. What? To me it is far more oriented toward socio-economic class, which the authors define as "measured by educational attainment, occupational prestige, and income" and which they acknowledge "can change." It's very mushy, and uses theory in, umm, well I'll be charitable and call them extremely flexible ways. Must ponder more...