I noticed that Charlotte Otter had got a ‘Priviledge Meme’ on her blog. It’s originally 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’m never really sure whether I’m lucky with background or not. One one hand I was raised by the sort of people who didn’t actually work throughout my childhood so we lived on state benefits, one the other hand I had two stay-at-home parents. Though my parents were actually quite middle class in lots of ways, they were both artists who were perusing a futile dream whilst living off your taxes. Now they are over 60 they can still peruse said dream and the job centre have given up trying to get them to work, and they have inheritances.

1. Father went to college
Yes, but it was Art College.

2. Father finished college
Yes

3. Mother went to college
Yes, it was where they met

4. Mother finished college
Indeed, she graduated as well, though of course I dispute whether a dipomla in Art and Design gives you any advantage in life at all. Once my father got a job on the basis of being a graduate, ironically in the job centre, where he’d gone to sign on. This was in 1974.

5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
My Uncle’s a GP, which I suppose you should count as a Physicians.

6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
Er? You mean social class? Using the registrar generals classification? I don’t think so.

7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
Yes

8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
Yes

9. Were read children’s books by a parent
Yes

10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
Er? at School? I did have riding lessons

11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18
No, just riding, and that was only for a few months until we couldn’t afford it any more

12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
Doctors? Portrayed positively in the media? But I’ll mark yes for this, on the grounds that I am white and generally well spoken.

13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
No

14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
The fees were paid for by the taxpayer (thanks guys) because my parents weren’t working, I got loans for the rest at a discount rate, again thanks to the taxpayer.

15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
No. I worked for some of it, and borrowed some from NatWest.

16. Went to a private high school
No

17. Went to summer camp
No

18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18
No

19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
Our vacations involved taking a weeks dole, putting some camping stuff in the car and going to somewhere in wales or scotland until the money ran out.

20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
Gosh no, it was mostly from my cousins?
.
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
I still can’t drive a car because we couldn’t afford driving lessons when I was 17 and I’ve been frittering my earnings away on mortgages ever since

22. There was original art in your house when you were a child
Yes, but it was only the stuff they couldn’t sell (ie all of it)

23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
Yes

24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
Yes

25. You had your own room as a child
Yes

26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
No

27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course
Well I didn’t have private tution
.
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school
No

29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college
No

30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
No

31. Went on a cruise with your family
No, unless you count the ferry to the Isle of Arran one year. But that only lasted 35 minutes

32. Went on more than one cruise with your family
No

33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
Yes

34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
Oh I was definitely aware of that! One year I used my Christmas money to help pay them.

So that’s 13/34. Humm I thought I was less privileged than that.