How Privileged Are You?

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.

Items that are true for me are bolded, false are in italics - some items have notes in parenthesis.

1. Father went to college (two year business school)

2. Father finished college (finished business program, but not degree)

3. Mother went to college

4. Mother finished college (BA from BU)

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. (might have been close, but probably not more than 500)

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 (swimming, music)

12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively. (sometimes true, sometimes not - can't answer this one)

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. (parents paid a lot of my undergraduate, but not graduate program, maybe majority?)

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 (sometimes hotels, often staying with family)

20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (much of it new, but many hand-me-downs from older brothers)

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 (usually, shared for some of the time)

26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18

27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course (It was at the high school, but I think it was an optional program)

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.

34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

Okay, that looks like 19 "Yes", 14 "No", and one abstention, or about 56% privileged. No wonder when they call my candidate "elite" I say, "And what's the problem?"

Inequality grows - The middle shrinks

The election season is over, and we're well into the holiday gift buying frenzy. But here's a little food for thought while you're out there going further into debt to purchase landfill fodder for your loved ones.

Courtesy of Mother Jones magazine and the MoJo blog, a few statistics:

• In 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires, a 62% increase since 2002.
  
  
• Since 2000, the number of Americans living below the poverty line at any one time has steadily risen. Now 13% of all Americans—37 million—are officially poor.
  
  
• Only 3% of students at the top 146 colleges come from families in the bottom income quartile; only 10% come from the bottom half.
  
  
• Since 1983, college tuition has risen 115%. The maximum Pell Grant for low- and moderate-income college students has risen only 19%.
  
  
• Bush's tax cuts give a 2-child family earning $1 million an extra $86,722—or Harvard tuition, room, board, and an iMac G5 for both kids.
  
  
• Bush’s tax cuts (extended until 2010) save those earning between $20,000 and $30,000 an average of $10 a year, while those earning $1 million are saved $42,700.
  
  
• 63% of federal housing subsidies go to households earning more than $77,000. 18% go to households earning less than $16,500.
  
  
• Inner-city grocery stores sell milk for 43% more than suburban supermarkets.
  
  
• If the $5.15 HOURLY minimum wage had risen at the same rate as CEO compensation since 1990, it would now stand at $23.03.
  
  
• 10 former Enron directors agreed to pay shareholders a $13 million settlement—which is 10% of what they made by dumping stock while lying about the company’s health.
  
  
• Poor Americans spend 1/4 of their income on residential energy costs.

Happy Holidays!

Sources: Income Inequality in the U.S.? Nah., Poor Losers, and A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer.