The Privilege Meme
This meme has been generating a lot of interesting discussion so I'm on it! I was going to try to keep out any qualifications, but reading other peoples' memes I enjoyed reading personal details for the questions so I didn't.
Reading it I found myself remember the day I graduated high school. I started my summer job at the movie theater the same day, and my mother was annoyed that I would not be able to go out to lunch as she was planning--this of course happened because I'm a flake and agreed to a start date of the job not recognizing it as the day of graduation. But I also had no idea there would be any going out to lunch and I was genuinely surprised that my graduation was being seen as any sort of event at all besides going to the ceremony. My sister came up for it, which was truly bizarre. And I remember my mother saying something saying something like, "I didn't know it was supposed to be a big deal. I mean, was there some question that I wouldn't graduate from high school?" And even at the time I realized that came from my being in a position of privilege--that's how I meant it. My friends and I pretty much considered ourselves high school graduates from the time we started school, because it just a matter of time. So anyway,
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.
I've bolded what applies to me.
1. Father went to college.
2. Father finished college.
3. Mother went to college. She's taken many classes, though--she certainly sounds like a college-educated person, which I assume is part of what provides the privilege.
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 remember being very puzzled by being given a Sears card when I was maybe 14? It's never been used, but I think was intended to start me off with a credit history. When I went to college I got an Amex card that was my dad's account but with my name for emergencies...I think I was probably almost 18 then.
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. I was torn on this because I am currently buried under a whopping student loan debt and want to whine about it, but it was for grad school, and that's really above and beyond.
16. Went to a private high school.
17. Went to summer camp.
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18. I had a math tutor briefly when I was really struggling for the Regents exam. Also one summer I went to summer school because I couldn't fit first year French into my schedule, so took it over the summer to go right into French II, and I seem to remember going to the house of a lady in town sometimes when I got home.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
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. Extension, that is.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
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. I think both my parents find cruises totally unappealing--my mother only has fond memories of being seen off on the boat when she moved to England--iow, the boat was a means to getting somewhere, and that was in the 50s.
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. They should probably include theater here.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.
Well, gee, what a little privileged shit I am. I mean seriously, I always pretty much felt that way. Not that I thought "I'm privileged and I have everything," but that there was nothing that I could seriously think I might need that my parents wouldn't be able to provide. Even some of the ones not checked kind of don't count--I had more new clothes than hand-me-downs and my high school was small and very good for a public one. I pretty much feel I was very very lucky when it comes to being provided for. There's a difference between "Why on earth should you have that?" and "You can't/don't have that."
Reading it I found myself remember the day I graduated high school. I started my summer job at the movie theater the same day, and my mother was annoyed that I would not be able to go out to lunch as she was planning--this of course happened because I'm a flake and agreed to a start date of the job not recognizing it as the day of graduation. But I also had no idea there would be any going out to lunch and I was genuinely surprised that my graduation was being seen as any sort of event at all besides going to the ceremony. My sister came up for it, which was truly bizarre. And I remember my mother saying something saying something like, "I didn't know it was supposed to be a big deal. I mean, was there some question that I wouldn't graduate from high school?" And even at the time I realized that came from my being in a position of privilege--that's how I meant it. My friends and I pretty much considered ourselves high school graduates from the time we started school, because it just a matter of time. So anyway,
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.
I've bolded what applies to me.
1. Father went to college.
2. Father finished college.
3. Mother went to college. She's taken many classes, though--she certainly sounds like a college-educated person, which I assume is part of what provides the privilege.
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 remember being very puzzled by being given a Sears card when I was maybe 14? It's never been used, but I think was intended to start me off with a credit history. When I went to college I got an Amex card that was my dad's account but with my name for emergencies...I think I was probably almost 18 then.
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. I was torn on this because I am currently buried under a whopping student loan debt and want to whine about it, but it was for grad school, and that's really above and beyond.
16. Went to a private high school.
17. Went to summer camp.
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18. I had a math tutor briefly when I was really struggling for the Regents exam. Also one summer I went to summer school because I couldn't fit first year French into my schedule, so took it over the summer to go right into French II, and I seem to remember going to the house of a lady in town sometimes when I got home.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels.
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
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. Extension, that is.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
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. I think both my parents find cruises totally unappealing--my mother only has fond memories of being seen off on the boat when she moved to England--iow, the boat was a means to getting somewhere, and that was in the 50s.
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. They should probably include theater here.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.
Well, gee, what a little privileged shit I am. I mean seriously, I always pretty much felt that way. Not that I thought "I'm privileged and I have everything," but that there was nothing that I could seriously think I might need that my parents wouldn't be able to provide. Even some of the ones not checked kind of don't count--I had more new clothes than hand-me-downs and my high school was small and very good for a public one. I pretty much feel I was very very lucky when it comes to being provided for. There's a difference between "Why on earth should you have that?" and "You can't/don't have that."