How Privileged Are You?

SmokeAndMirrors · Jun 23, 2016

I got a 31. I think I'm more privileged than that, for one reason the quiz should account for, and one reason it can't.

Firstly, although I have been incredibly poor, I am not now, and I was not during the formative years of my childhood. That made a BIG difference in how much all those other things affected me.

Secondly, although I have had a very complicated life and in many respects didn't get dealt the best hand, one thing I did get was support, and consequently unusually good self-esteem. And that has cancelled out a lot of problems I could have had, and which I have seen people have because they didn't grow up with as much support as I did.

As to those complaining about the mere concept of acknowledging their lucky births, contemplating one's privilege is not about feeling guilty. It is about realizing that perhaps some people's experience of life is very different from yours because of fundamental things you had that they don't. It's easy to tell a privileged kid with poor grades and no disabilities that they need to study harder, but that isn't helpful or practical to say to a poor kid with illiterate parents who is attending a school district that can't even afford to have a library.

Realizing your frame of life has given you opportunities that some people simply don't have helps us actually figure out what we can do to make those avenues open to them. Why is that poor kid's school so underfunded to begin with? How can we make it POSSIBLE for them to study harder? Because you can whine all day long about how they should study harder, but if they can't get books, their parents can't help, and their teachers spend the entire class simply trying to keep control because they have way too many students, where are they supposed to get it from?

Simply pretending those inequalities don't exist is doing nothing for anyone. You're simply insisting on continuing to be part of the problem.

ETA: It's really interesting, now that I've read the entire thread, to note that people are complaining that this quiz is "biased against" whatever their hobby horse is. Posters who have a bone about a particular issue inevitably think the quiz is "unfair" about that one issue, whatever it is, rather than perhaps considering that they themselves have a chip on their shoulder about it.

Interesting.

Kal'Stang · Jun 23, 2016

Van Basten said:
Yes, I can already hear your groans from here. But, I found this rather amusing and it's gotten quite a lot of.....buzz on youtube. Even if it's, as some call it, "SJW" fueled crap, it's still entertaining

You don't have to actually watch the video, but I suggest taking the quiz and seeing how much of a privileged blob you are.

Link to the quiz -----> https://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/how-privileged-are-you?

I got a 75 and I'm black (which means I'm pretty up there on the privileged ladder), so anything is possible.

What's your score?

Side note: I really wasn't sure where to post this, so here I am.....

As a white heterosexual male this is what I got...

You live with 38 out of 100 points of privilege.

You’re not privileged at all. You grew up with an intersectional, complicated identity, and life never let you forget it. You’ve had your fair share of struggles, and you’ve worked hard to overcome them. We do not live in an ideal world and you had to learn that the hard way. It is not your responsibility to educate those with more advantages than you, but if you decide you want to, go ahead and send them this quiz. Hopefully it will help.

cpwill · Jun 23, 2016

Crovax said:
Pretty silly quiz, I like the bubble quiz better

Do you live in a bubble? A quiz | PBS NewsHour

I got an 18, apparently I live in a bubble because I associate the name Jimmy Johnson with the Cowboys instead of NASCAR.

Not having a TV really screws me up on this test, but you are correct, it is far superior to the "designed to give you a particular result" crap in the OP.

TheGoverness · Jun 23, 2016

I found a good video on this subject:

SmokeAndMirrors · Jun 23, 2016

cpwill said:
Not having a TV really screws me up on this test, but you are correct, it is far superior to the "designed to give you a particular result" crap in the OP.

How so? It's completely ignoring the reality that millions of working class Americans live in cities. It basically assumes that if you didn't grow up in the rural South, you're inherently sheltered. Uh, there's a lot more to America than the rural South. In fact, the idea itself that growing up anywhere else makes you sheltered is... well, rather sheltered, ironically.

cpwill · Jun 23, 2016

SmokeAndMirrors said:
How so? It's completely ignoring the reality that millions of working class Americans live in cities. It basically assumes that if you didn't grow up in the rural South, you're inherently sheltered. Uh, there's a lot more to America than the rural South. In fact, the idea itself that growing up anywhere else makes you sheltered is... well, rather sheltered, ironically.

I think you are conflating "rural south" with "blue collar".

SmokeAndMirrors · Jun 23, 2016

cpwill said:
I think you are conflating "rural south" with "blue collar".

Nope. It includes a number of things people in cities just don't do much of -- especially if they're poor, as these things would require resources they don't have, or that simply don't exist in their neighbourhoods...

- Hunting/fishing (this requires travel and purchasing kit that is up-priced in cities, so actually, only privileged city people do this),

- Whether you've been in a factory (most factories are not in city propers, usually the outskirts of the city or further),

- Whether you know Evangelicals (very few of those in most Northern cities),

- A bunch of military trivia (city people are less likely to be in the military, especially since many city poor are immigrants),

- NASCAR trivia (again, not something Northerners and city folk really do, no matter what class they're in),

- Whether you have a truck (impractical in the city -- where the hell would you park it? And actually, the city working poor usually don't have cars at all),

- ...And it won't count any protest that is for causes Northerners tend to care about (apparently it's only a real protest if it's for a conservative cause :roll

.

So, yes, this quiz is implying that you're sheltered if you don't live in the rural South. As I said, ironic.

cpwill · Jun 23, 2016

SmokeAndMirrors said:
Nope. It includes a number of things people in cities just don't do much of -- especially if they're poor, as these things would require resources they don't have, or that simply don't exist in their neighbourhoods...

- Hunting/fishing (this requires travel and purchasing kit that is up-priced in cities, so actually, only privileged city people do this),

Neither Hunting nor Fishing is a uniquely southern phenomenon. It is, however, more classically a blue collar activity.

- Whether you've been in a factory (most factories are not in city propers, usually the outskirts of the city or further),

Nor are factories a uniquely southern phenomenon. They are, however, classic blue collar.

- Whether you know Evangelicals (very few of those in most Northern cities),

Sure. And if your experience is strictly "North Eastern City", well, you have a thick bubble.

- A bunch of military trivia (city people are less likely to be in the military, especially since many city poor are immigrants),

There are (as I recall) two questions which relate to military - one of which is "can you recognize one or more of these ranks", and the other of which isn't even strictly military, but has a military option for the question "have you ever worn a uniform for your work", which is far more common among blue-collar employment.

- NASCAR trivia (again, not something Northerners and city folk really do, no matter what class they're in)

:lol: Northerners get into NASCAR. It's just not much of a city-liberal thing.

It is, however, a very blue-collar thing.

- Whether you have a truck (impractical in the city -- where the hell would you park it? And actually, the city working poor usually don't have cars at all),

:shrug: I had a pickup truck when I lived in two separate cities. I don't recall it ever being that serious a hindrance. In fact, the place where I had the smallest vehicles - and needed them - due to lack of parking/driving space was in a fairly agricultural/rural area.

..And it won't count any protest that is for causes Northerners tend to care about (apparently it's only a real protest if it's for a conservative cause :roll

No - it says "parade". IOW, are you taking part in general Americana, have you marched in a parade, done a float in a parade, etc.

So, yes, this quiz is implying that you're sheltered if you don't live in the rural South. As I said, ironic.

No, it says that you have a thick bubble if you are not familiar with the nation outside of liberal big-cities. Which, apparently, you are, which is why this irritates you.

Full Disclosure - I scored a 58, a score which is perhaps not fully reflective as I was very young when we lived in a rural environment, and it didn't play a huge role in shaping me.

SmokeAndMirrors · Jun 23, 2016

cpwill said:
Neither Hunting nor Fishing is a uniquely southern phenomenon. It is, however, more classically a blue collar activity.

I didn't say it was. I just said the working poor in cities usually don't do it, because in that environment, IT'S FOR PRIVILEGED PEOPLE.

Nor are factories a uniquely southern phenomenon. They are, however, classic blue collar.

Dude. Read. I didn't say it was.

Sure. And if your experience is strictly "North Eastern City", well, you have a thick bubble.

Uh, no. Not a North-anywhere city, really. Or a West coast-anywhere city, for that matter. I'm not from the Northeast, dude.

There are (as I recall) two questions which relate to military - one of which is "can you recognize one or more of these ranks", and the other of which isn't even strictly military, but has a military option for the question "have you ever worn a uniform for your work", which is far more common among blue-collar employment.

I didn't consider the second one to be about the military.

But like I said, how does this determine their class when many of the city poor couldn't enlist even if they wanted to?

:lol: Northerners get into NASCAR. It's just not much of a city-liberal thing. It is, however, a very blue-collar thing.

I didn't say it's physically impossible. I said it's not common. And it's especially uncommon in cities.

:shrug: I had a pickup truck when I lived in two separate cities. I don't recall it ever being that serious a hindrance. In fact, the place where I had the smallest vehicles - and needed them - due to lack of parking/driving space was in a fairly agricultural/rural area.

Depends how big the city is, and when it was initial settled (i.e. the older east coast has narrower roads). Still, the working poor often don't have a car at all, let alone a car that their neighbours in their cheap apartment complex will hate them for because it takes up 2 parking spaces in the chicklet-sized lots they're given.

No - it says "parade". IOW, are you taking part in general Americana, have you marched in a parade, done a float in a parade, etc.

Well, that's more to do with me filling in blanks to compensate for the illiteracy of the writer of the quiz. "Global warming parade" is... well, I don't know what the hell that is.

But let's just have it your way. Are you saying celebrating peace, or the advancing rights of an oppressed community, is not part of being American? Why the hell not?

Also, how the hell would the city poor, who often work 60 hours a week, go to such parades? That sounds like something that would be rather out of reach for them.

No, it says that you have a thick bubble if you are not familiar with the nation outside of liberal big-cities. Which, apparently, you are, which is why this irritates you.

Full Disclosure - I scored a 58, a score which is perhaps not fully reflective as I was very young when we lived in a rural environment, and it didn't play a huge role in shaping me.

I never denied the authenticity of the rural Southern experience. It's just as authentic as the big city experience. I'm not the one with a bubble. You are, and this test writer is.

My problem is that the test is denying the legitimacy of all poor Americans outside the rural South.

I scored 40-something. I have also lived outside the city, you know. I've even lived in the South.

cpwill · Jun 23, 2016

SmokeAndMirrors said:
I didn't say it was. I just said the working poor in cities usually don't do it, because in that environment, IT'S FOR PRIVILEGED PEOPLE.

You argued that the test identified whether or not someone was rural southern. See: here you are doing it:

SmokeAndMirrors said:
It basically assumes that if you didn't grow up in the rural South, you're inherently sheltered. Uh, there's a lot more to America than the rural South....

So... yeah, that did sorta seem to be your argument. If you wish to adjust from "rural southern" to just "rural", well, you have a somewhat better argument, but not a great one, as hunting, fishing, NASCAR, eating at Applebees, etc, are all "suburb" activities as well. They are simply traditional Blue Collar activities.

Dude. Read. I didn't say it was.

Okedoke:

SmokeAndMirrors said:
It basically assumes that if you didn't grow up in the rural South, you're inherently sheltered. Uh, there's a lot more to America than the rural South.

I read again. It kinda looks like that's what you were saying, SAM.

Uh, no. Not a North-anywhere city, really. Or a West coast-anywhere city, for that matter. I'm not from the Northeast, dude.

So what was your score on the test?

I didn't consider the second one to be about the military.

Okedoke. So there wasn't:

SmokeAndMirrors said:
...A bunch of military trivia

, there was, instead, a single question about whether or not you could recognize military ranks. Which would mean things like, did you grow up around relatives who had served, did you grow up around people who had served, do you watch military/war movies/shows, etc.

But like I said, how does this determine their class when many of the city poor couldn't enlist even if they wanted to?

It's not determining your class. It's determining the thickness of your bubble, and then telling you the class structure of most folks who have comparable thicknesses.

I didn't say it's physically impossible. I said it's not common. And it's especially uncommon in cities.

It's not common in big north eastern cities. Because it's generally a blue collar phenomenon, and fewer of them live there. It's also not Southern - there are tracks in Michegan, Delaware, etc.

Depends how big the city is, and when it was initial settled (i.e. east coast has narrow roads). Still, the working poor often don't have a car at all, let alone a car that their neighbours in their cheap apartment complex will hate them for because it takes up 2 parking spaces in the chicklet-sized lots they're given.

And, again, yes, if you live your life in a north eastern big city, then you are relatively unfamiliar with the rest of the country.

Well, that's more to do with the illiteracy of the writer of the quiz. "Global warming parade" is... well, I don't know what the hell that is.

No, it's an intent to capture participation in parades while making sure you kept it as an honest filter for bubble.

But let's just have it your way. Are you saying celebrating peace, or the advancing rights of your community, is not part of being American? Why the hell not?

:roll: no one is saying that.

I never denied the authenticity of the rural Southern experience. It's just as authentic as the big city experience. I'm not the one with a bubble. You are, and this test writer is.

There isn't a single test "writer". The initial test was developed by Sociologist Charles Murray when he was describing the social (and resulting economic) bifurcation of the white population of the US, and it has since been taken over and continually tweaked by some college department (I forget which) as they get results.

My problem is that the test is denying the legitimacy of all poor Americans outside the rural South.

:shrug: no, it isn't, as none of those activities are uniquely southern.

I scored 40-something. I have also lived outside the city, you know.[/QUOTE]

SmokeAndMirrors · Jun 24, 2016

You're boring me as usual, so I'm picking what's broadest

cpwill said:
You argued that the test identified whether or not someone was rural southern.

Did you read the test? It determines whether you're "in a bubble" by, essentially, whether or not you are blue collar (blue collar seems to be presumed as the non-bubble). Problem is, half the questions mostly apply to only one type of American culture: taken in combination with each other, that which is both rural, and also Southern. Are you going to tell me urban kids on the block watch NASCAR and go trout fishing in the lake that doesn't exist?

Owning stuff like fishing poles and hunting rifles when you live in the middle of a city is a sign that you're middle class or higher, because you can afford to buy fairly expensive stuff that offers you no practical benefit at all in your everyday life. It's purely for vacation -- which the working poor don't have, either urban or rural.

And that's the exact opposite of what it would mean in a rural community, where those things are necessary, and often passed down or hand-built, and even new in stores, much less expensive. So whichever way they're grading that question, it's wrong, because the meaning of things like that depends on your culture.

So what was your score on the test?

...Good to know you don't actually read my posts in their entirety before you reply, but not surprising.

, there was, instead, a single question about whether or not you could recognize military ranks. Which would mean things like, did you grow up around relatives who had served, did you grow up around people who had served, do you watch military/war movies/shows, etc.

And it expected you to know, like, 5 or 6 different things.

I actually DID grow up with someone who served, and I still don't know what those things mean. It's not something people really talk about in certain kinds of American culture. Hell, I didn't even know my father served for years -- probably until I was in middle or high school, and I didn't learn any details until he died and I found his VA stuff. That's not uncommon.

And there is no one at all on the other side of my family who served, despite all being working class in Pittsburgh.

...Wait, I'm wrong. There is one person. My half sister, who was born and raised apart from the rest of the clan, in rural Missouri.

It's not determining your class. It's determining the thickness of your bubble, and then telling you the class structure of most folks who have comparable thicknesses.

Oh, it isn't? Gee, couldda fooled me, going by the grading system...

48–99: A lifelong resident of a working-class neighborhood with average television and movie going habits.

42–100: A first-generation middle-class person with working-class parents and average television and movie going habits.

11–80: A first-generation upper-middle-class person with middle-class parents.

0–43: A second-generation (or more) upper-middle-class person who has made a point of getting out a lot.

0–20: A second-generation (or more) upper-middle-class person with the television and movie going habits of the upper middle class.

But I definitely see how you could make that mistake. It only uses the word "class" 8 times, after all.

By asking questions about the diversity of your crowd and weighing more to mean blue collar, it's putting it on a scale of more money = thicker. I wouldn't disagree. But the test also excludes basically all forms of mostly urban and/or Northern diversity, implying that more urban = thicker. That is bull****.

How much do those folks from rural Missouri know about the underground rap scene? Does the fact that the answer is probably "nothing" mean they're "sheltered"? Obviously not. So why does the fact that a working class city kid probably doesn't watch NASCAR mean they're "sheltered"?

Whoever made this thing, it's pretty hideously biased. Gee, I wonder where that college is located.

No, it's an intent to capture participation in parades while making sure you kept it as an honest filter for bubble.

Well, if the test says environmental events and LGBT rights/Pride don't count, and you say this is because the test is asking if you participate in "Americana," then what you're saying is those things don't count as American. So why not?

Isn't America a country that supposedly prides itself on its land?

Isn't Pride about as American as it gets? It started from the Stonewall, which was pretty much the most important single moment of grassroots LGBT history ever to happen in America, and arguably one of the most important in the West as a whole. Pride month all across the entire world is done, and in June specifically, because of something that American LGBT people did.

They don't get to call that Americana? Why not?

cpwill · Jun 24, 2016

SmokeAndMirrors said:
You're boring me as usual, so I'm picking what's broadest

Well. I'll try to keep this brief.

Did you read the test? It determines whether you're "in a bubble" by, essentially, whether or not you are blue collar (blue collar seems to be presumed as the non-bubble).

That's what you are being assessed as whether or not you are in a bubble from.

Problem is, half the questions mostly apply to only one type of American culture: taken in combination with each other, that which is both rural, and also Southern.

No, it's blue-collar. As I showed you, none of those items are uniquely southern.

Owning stuff like fishing poles and hunting rifles when you live in the middle of a city is a sign that you're middle class or higher, because you can afford to buy fairly expensive stuff that offers you no practical benefit at all in your everyday life.

Which do you think is more expensive - a fishing pole, or 4 giant shiny rims that spin after your car comes to a stop?

Good to know you don't actually read my posts in their entirety before you reply, but not surprising.

I saw where you stated you scored a 31, but the context led me to believe you were referencing the test in the OP, rather than the bubble test. was that your bubble test score?

And it expected you to know, like, 5 or 6 different things.

It was a single question that asked you how many of five or so items you could identify. So it's a single data point in the entire test.

I actually DID grow up with someone who served, and I still don't know what those things mean. It's not something people really talk about in certain kinds of American culture. Hell, I didn't even know my father served for years -- probably until I was in middle or high school, and I didn't learn any details until he died and I found his VA stuff. That's not uncommon.

Interesting.

It's not determining your class. It's determining the thickness of your bubble, and then telling you the class structure of most folks who have comparable thicknesses.

Click to expand...

Oh, it isn't? Gee, couldda fooled me, going by the grading system..
But I definitely see how you could make that mistake. It only uses the word "class" 8 times, after all..

Hey, SAM, I bolded and colored a section of that that you were responding to. Would you mind telling me what you think it means?

By asking questions about the diversity of your crowd and weighing more to mean blue collar, it's putting it on a scale of more money = thicker. I wouldn't disagree. But the test also excludes basically all forms of mostly urban and/or Northern diversity, implying that more urban = thicker. That is bull****.

...no. Given what it is testing, it is not.

How much do those folks from rural Missouri know about the underground rap scene?

:shrug: I don't know. Why don't you design a test to discover that?

Does the fact that the answer is probably "nothing" mean they're "sheltered"? Obviously not.

No, it means that they have their own bubble from urban african american culture.

I think you went ahead and took the test without reading it's focus or intent.

So why does the fact that a working class city kid probably doesn't watch NASCAR mean they're "sheltered"?

How does the fact that a guy in Michegan is going to a NASCAR race make him southern and rural?

Whoever made this thing, it's pretty hideously biased.

No, it's focused.

Gee, I wonder where that college is located.

:shrug: feel free to google.

Well, if the test says environmental events and LGBT rights/Pride don't count, and you say this is because the test is asking if you participate in "Americana," then what you're saying is those things don't count as American. So why not?

Isn't America a country that supposedly prides itself on its land?

Isn't Pride about as American as it gets? It started from the Stonewall, which was pretty much the most important single moment of grassroots LGBT history ever to happen in America, and arguably one of the most important in the West as a whole. Pride month all across the entire world is done, and in June specifically, because of something that American LGBT people did.

They don't get to call that Americana? Why not?

They didn't. I called it Americana. They were looking for a way to differentiate to test the bubble they are looking for, which is the separation in white culture within America, which is currently in the middle of an on-going bifurcation.

The Trump Campaign and victories? Is this hypothesis (which is a few years older) almost perfectly in action.

SmokeAndMirrors · Jun 24, 2016

cpwill said:
Well. I'll try to keep this brief.

Which do you think is more expensive - a fishing pole, or 4 giant shiny rims that spin after your car comes to a stop?

Is that how you think poor city people live, dude? A lot of them don't even have a car.

A question like that will always be inaccurate. You're comparing people who need it, to people who only have it as a luxury item.

I saw where you stated you scored a 31, but the context led me to believe you were referencing the test in the OP, rather than the bubble test. was that your bubble test score?

I see you didn't go back and read the post in which I answered your question. It was 40-something. I think 43.

Like I said, I haven't always lived in cities, and I've even lived in the South. Had I not, I'd have scored much higher, even though I've been lower class in the North and in cities too. None of those experiences would have "counted."

Hey, SAM, I bolded and colored a section of that that you were responding to. Would you mind telling me what you think it means?

I have no idea, since there is no real difference between the two. It is guessing your class based on cultural factors, most of which apply to the rural South.

:shrug: I don't know. Why don't you design a test to discover that?

Because I can think of much less culture-specific ways to assess someone's class or privilege. The OP actually does a better job of that, although I think it needs to account more for childhood versus adult experiences.

No, it means that they have their own bubble from urban african american culture.

I think you went ahead and took the test without reading it's focus or intent.

White kids get into rap culture in the city too. It's not as ethnically divided there. Hell, half the rappers coming out of my city where white.

Since the test is equating being lower class with having less of a bubble, why do these lower class people "not count"? A kid like that might wind up testing upper middle class, simply because they don't watch NASCAR or go fishing. How on earth do those things dictate their class or life experience?

How does the fact that a guy in Michegan is going to a NASCAR race make him southern and rural?

Not any more than an American going to a soccer game means they're actually European. However, the fact remains that NASCAR is not a common past time in the North, just like soccer is not a common past time in America.

Also, Michigan is a really dishonest example. They're home to Motorcity. They're into car-everything. Why didn't you use New Hampshire, or Minnesota, or Washington as your example? Might it be because not many people from any of those places are into NASCAR?

No, it's focused.

So why isn't it called "the rural Southern bubble test"? Why is it claiming to speak for "Americans," when it fails to account for the majority of the country's culture experience, regardless of their class?

They didn't. I called it Americana. They were looking for a way to differentiate to test the bubble they are looking for, which is the separation in white culture within America, which is currently in the middle of an on-going bifurcation.

The Trump Campaign and victories? Is this hypothesis (which is a few years older) almost perfectly in action.

So why doesn't environmental stewardship and LGBT Pride count as Americana? Both have high white attendance.

Why is the fact that they're more commonly cared about in Northern or urban areas mean they're not Americana, or even white Americana specifically, when they are so important to American history that they've inspired international organizations, and lots of white people go to them?

How Privileged Are You?

Little Miss Sunshine