(no subject)

[which_chick]

Let's talk about social class, baybee, let's talk about you and me, let's talk about all the good and bad things that may be.



We're gonna start with a meme.

Based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, and Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.

BOLD WHICH APPLY TO YOU:
* Father went to college

* Father finished college

* Mother went to college

* Mother finished college

* Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor

* Were the same or higher socio-economic class than your high school teachers

* 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

* Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18

* The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (There are no people in the media who dress and talk like me. The people in the media who dress like I do are portrayed as redneck buffoons. "You might be a redneck if..." The people in the media who talk like I do (vocabulary) don't dress like I do. The people in the media who talk like I do (accent) are the aforementioned redneck buffoons.)

* Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 (Only not because I wasn't eighteen until I went to college. When I left for college, I had a credit card.)

* Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs

* Went to a private high school (They offered. I didn't want to.)

* Went to summer camp (I grew up on family-owned land, five hundred private acres with a 40-acre private lake in the middle of it. Arguably, I fucking lived at a summer camp, albeit one with indoor plumbing and no other campers.)

* Family vacations involved staying at hotels

* Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (After hand-me-down and secondhand infant clothing of the fits-for-two-weeks sort. Children attending school got new clothes. Children who lived at home -- what the hell would be the POINT of new clothes? They'll just spill shit on them anyway, if they don't outgrow 'em first.)

* There was original art in your house when you were growing up

* You and your family lived in a single family house

* Your parent(s) owned their own house(s) or apartment before you left home

* You had your own room as a child

* You had a phone in your room before you turned 18 (No. We had one phone in the house, and it was downstairs in the living room. Note: I am thirty-seven. Things were pretty different then.)

* Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course (Fuck no. We were expected to do well on these using the mighty power of our own fucking brains.)

* Had your own TV in your room in High School (No. Parents did not believe in television much and we didn't have any until I was in grade school. There was one TV and that was in the living room.)

* Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College (No. I did own stocks and bonds, though.)

* Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16

* Went on a cruise with your family (No, but we drove cross-country to Mazatlan, went to Florida, went to Texas, went to South Carolina. We just weren't cruise people b/c it didn't appeal to my dad and my mom probably didn't think it was educational enough. Also, not enough education for the money. Most everything we did when I was a kid was educational.)

* Went on more than one cruise with your family

* Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up (All the time. I also saw a lot of civil war battlefields.)

* You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family (We heated mostly with wood. I did get the "Heat costs money" speech but never the "Heat doesn't grow on trees" because, yo, it did grow on trees. Gathering firewood (with dump truck, hydraulic splitter, chainsaw) in our privately owned five hundred acres of woods is one of my more favorite family memories.)

-------------------------------------

The above survey thing is the visible light spectrum of class/money. It also treats class and money like they are the same thing. This is not particularly correct. Class is one thing, money is another. There is a positive correlation between the two for most people, but lots of money is NOT the same as high social class. Don't believe me? Exhibit A: The Spears Sisters. They're rich white trash, yo, got money, got no class. You don't hear about people who have class but no money because being in the papers is fucking tacky. People should only be in the papers on birth, death, and marriage.

On the site that quiz came from, there is another quiz thing, which is slightly more illuminating. I've bolded the ones I had to google for the correct answer.

1. What does Dooney and Burke make?
a. Hats
b. Gloves
c. Shoes
d. Handbags

2. What is Zabars?
e. A haberdasher
f. A delicatessen
g. A hotel
h. A resort

3. What does Saab make?
i. Airplanes
j. Power Tools
k. Swedish Furniture
l. Crackers

4. Where is Dean and Deluca?
m. Nob Hill, San Francisco
n. SoHo, NYC
o. High Street, London
p. Champs Elysee, Paris

5. What is the Ryder Cup?
q. A Polo championship
r. A horse race
s. A golf tournament
t. A sailboat race

6. What is a “Double Windsor”?
u. A sailboat
v. A mixed drink
w. Pleats in trousers
x. A tie knot

7. Where does the fish fork go?
y. Above your plate (this is the dessert fork/spoon if not brought in for dessert course)
z. With the forks on the outside
aa. With the forks in the middle
bb. With the forks on the inside

8. What is Choate?
cc. A prep school
dd. A pudding
ee. A soup
ff. A college

9. What is another name for escargot?
gg. Octopus
hh. Squid
ii. Slugs
jj. Snails

10. What are diamonds are weighed in?
kk. carit
ll. carat
mm. carot
nn. caret

11. Who wrote “The Four Seasons”?
oo. Vivaldi
pp. Versace
qq. Venturi
rr. Verde

12. What is the America’s cup?
ss. A sailboat race
tt. A powerboat race
uu. A horse race
vv. A motorcycle road race

13. Ketch, Yawl, Sloop are kinds of what?
ww. Catamarans
xx. Yachts
yy. Sail boats
zz. Racing boats

14. Where would you find ‘Wicked”?
aaa. Walking the street
bbb. On Broadway
ccc. In the mall
ddd. London

15. What is a Purdy Over and Under?
eee. A golf stroke
fff. A stove
ggg. A motor
hhh. A shotgun

16. What are Kona and Blue Mountain?
iii. Resorts
jjj. Hotels
kkk. Islands
lll. Coffee

17. What glass is used for Pinot Noir?
mmm. Goblet
nnn. Tumbler
ooo. White wine
ppp. Red wine

18. What are damsels, nymphs and streamers?
qqq. Womens’ clubs
rrr. Drugs
sss. Exotic dancers
ttt. Fishing flies

My score: 16

(Those, in case you couldn't tell, were the "rich people" questions. Here following are the "poor people" questions.)

1. What does Carhartt make?
a. Shoes
b. Automobile accessories
c. Boats
d. Work clothing

2. What is the Nextel Cup?
e. A NASCAR championship (I am amazed that anyone is asking this like it's hard.)
f. A horse race
g. A golf tournament
h. A sailboat race

3. What does a shop steward do?
i. Cleans and serves
j. Collects union dues
k. Represents workers
l. Represents management

4. What is an F150?
m. A jet
n. A chain saw
o. A drink
p. A truck (I used to own one.)

5. What is Walmart’s store brand?
q. Great Value
r. Value Plus
s. Great Plus
t. Montgomery

6. Who is Bill Engval?
u. A NASCAR driver
v. A writer
w. A politician
x. A comedian

7. What is Mankind’s legal name?
y. Terry Hogan
z. Michael Foley (He's a pro wrestler.)
aa. Jack Manson
bb. Cactus Jack

8. Who is number 8? (Again, amazed that this is a question.)
cc. Jeff Gordon
dd. Dale Earnhart
ee. Dale Earnhart, Jr.
ff. A. J. Foyt

9. Who sang “Achy breaky heart”?
gg. Johnny Cash
hh. Billy Bob Johnson
ii. Robert Johnson
jj. Billy Ray Cyrus

10. What does DeWalt make?
kk. Boats
ll. Power tools
mm. Fishing rods
nn. Wheel rims

11. What is a funnel cake?
oo. A type of bundt cake
pp. Fair food
qq. A urinal disinfectant
rr. A construction technique

12. What is a Boiler Maker?
ss. A WWE character
tt. A monster truck
uu. A mixed drink
vv. A roller coaster

13. What is a ‘full pull’?
ww. A sexual term
xx. A drug term
yy. A drag race term
zz. A tractor term (also used in horse pulling contests)

14. What is used in Snipe hunting?
aaa. No. 8 shot
bbb. .22 rifles
ccc. Trot line
ddd. Bag and a stick

15. What is 10W40?
eee. An Unemployment form
fff. A kind of oil
ggg. A criminal background check
hhh. A truck

16. What is a Christmas tree?
iii. A decorated hairdo
jjj. A decorated car
kkk. Drag Race lights
lll. Fishing boat lights

17. What is a brand of bass boat?
mmm. Ranger
nnn. Bass master
ooo. Scarab
ppp. Troller

18. What are “The Beast” and “The Cobra”?
qqq. WWE characters
rrr. Monster trucks
sss. Mixed drinks
ttt. Roller Coasters

My score: 15.

---------------------------------------------

Where do people like me fit on these fun little quizzes? I'm not disputing that I've had a lot of advantages, starting with good genes and very education-motivated parents and running along through good nutrition and a learning-rich home environment to enrichment activities (some people call them "vacations") and lively parental encouragement of my interests. What I'm saying is that, while I can kind of pass for the upper-ish middle class, I'm not it. I'm also not really, truly, a redneck like the people I live among and interact with on an ongoing basis. Is my entire life spent passing for something I'm not, or (knocking the straw man down, down, down to the ground) is the issue a wee bit more complex than a quiz of eighteen paired questions? (And how many of ya'll did that well on both sections?)

Anyway, I'd like to see a broader spectrum addressed on the question front.

Low end:

Does WIC pay for organic produce? How about for Kraft Singles?

Does getting SSI guarantee that your child will qualify for free/reduced school lunches? How about if you get TANF?

Is the electric company allowed to turn off the power when you don't pay if (a) it's wintertime and (b) you have electric heat?

Do most of the adults you know have all of their teeth or at least realistic-looking fake teeth?

If your child has existing but incomplete health insurance, can he/she still qualify for CHIP?

How long do you have to be temporarily out of work before you can apply for unemployment compensation?

I can't come up with high-end questions because I do not lead that lifestyle. At all. I am sure there are defining questions for those folks like there are for the other end, but I don't even know what the questions would be.

Comments

[gwangi.livejournal.com]

I can't come up with high-end questions because I do not lead that lifestyle. At all.

Except for the occasional trip to the opera, that is?

[gwangi.livejournal.com]

Oh, also, I had no idea who Number 8 was. Not all of us live in Nascar country.

[wootsauce.livejournal.com]

I got like 5 rich peopele answers and 3 poor people answers. I also just wound my singles around a highlighter and can't get them off. Colelge educated, RIGHT HERE.

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

Did you get your sheep yet?

[wootsauce.livejournal.com]

I did! I think I made a post about it. The border leicester is CRAZY soft. I am currently plying the stuff I had on my spindle before so I can play with it. edit: Oh yeah, THANK YOU! (I'm classless AND have no manners, heh.)

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah, now I see the post. It got lost in the NYE stuff -- I was away from computer and didn't pick everything up when I got back. "Box of air" indeed.

[cousin-sue.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking the low end questions would not work for the urban poor that I work with. Just sayin'.

Urban poor

[ardvaark99999.livejournal.com]

If we're talking about the "class" section which is to ID the urban poor, then perhaps the following:

1. Do you have an elevator in your building? (1 pt. for no)

2. Do you have an apartment or a condo/single family home? (1 pt. for apt., minus three for condo/own)

3. Does your building have a security system? (1 pt. for no)

4. Do you own a car? (Subtract 1 pt. for yes) Is it insured and registered? (add one point if uninsured and one point if unregistered)

5. Do you get or read a daily newspaper? (1 pt. for no)

6. Do you do most of your shopping for food at a grocery store or a convenience store? (3 pts. for conv. store)

7. Does your local public school graduate more than 50% of each incoming freshman class? (5 points for no)

8. Do you live within 2 blocks of a community corrections facility (halfway house), drug rehab, subsidized housing complex, police station, or probation/parole office? (one point for each)

9. Are there lines in front of your bank on mornings when checks run? (two points for yes)

10. Do you have a bank account? (one point for no)

11. Can you get to a decent job with health insurance without taking a bus or driving? (two points for no) (don't translate this to rural - you have to drvie everywhere)

12. Do you know your neighbors by their Christian names or their "street" names? (two points for "street" names)

Twenty five points total, by my quick count. If you hit 17, I'd say you are probably urban poor, or else an idealistic idiot colonist living in the city.

If we're talking about urban poor knowledge, then perhaps the following:

1. What is the street value of 1 gram of cocaine?
a. $50.00
b. $100.00
c. $150.00
d. $200.00

2. Which bus line runs to the mall? How often does it pass your stop?

3. Which gang "owns" the turf in your neighborhood?

4. Can you distinguish "tags" or "gang signs?"

5. Do you know the best time to walk to the library without being hassled by panhandlers?

6. Which taxi company has the lowest fare to the mall or grocery store?

7. Which convenience store in your neighborhood hasn't failed any health inspections in the last year?

8. What do you do if you hear gunshots?

9. Which park is least likely to have used needles in the sandbox?

10. What do you do when the cops come to your door?

11. Do you know what a "crack lease" is?

12. Do you know someone who can open a fire hydrant?

The urban poor knowledge thing has a lot of overlap with rural poor knowledge, so it's a little hard for me to come up with urban-specific questions. WIC, Chip, Section 8, SSI, when checks run, parole/probation, drug issues...they all affect urban/rural alike. Even some of the ones I posited above are as likely to be answered by rural people (crack lease/value of cocaine) as urban.

Re: Urban poor

[cousin-sue.livejournal.com]

Gun shots?

um... duck? But don't hide behind a car. There's a reason why, not the gas tank, but something else, and I can't remember what it is.

A friend heard a gunshot outside his house one morning, looked out, and saw that a police man was dispatching a hurt deer.

Re: Urban poor

[ardvaark99999.livejournal.com]

What to do when you hear gunfire (on the street), in relative order of importance:

1. Be willing to believe it is gunfire. Some people think it is firecrackers or backfiring. They sort of obliviously look around and wonder where the excitement is. If you hear multiple pops and it isn't the 4th of July or some other firecracker time, proceed to number 2.
2. Hit the deck. This lowers your target profile. Unless you are obviously the target, you are most likely merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.
3. Try to figure out what is going on.
4. Find cover.
5. Run/crawl away to put distance between you and shooter. See 3. Cover may be better than distance, depending on the circumstances.
6. Don't think that interior walls will help. Look for brick or something substantive. Cars, big trees, planters, even mailboxes are better than nothing.

Probably not a perfect list, but you can probably Google up a few other ideas from survivalist or pro-gun sites. Shooting back isn't really a good idea in most cases, though.

Re: Urban poor

[cousinsue.livejournal.com]

You don't hide behind a car if you can help it because the ricochets under the car can hit you. It's not a solid structure, and not really safe to hide behind.

Took me a while to remember.

Re: Urban poor

[ardvaark99999.livejournal.com]

Beats hiding behind air.

Re: Urban poor

[cousin-sue.livejournal.com]

Indeed!

I was just trying to remember another of the many useless facts that have gone AWOL when I used to be able to pull them out of thin air.

: )

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

How come? Don't your urban poor get WIC? TANF? They pay their utility bills? They don't file for unemployment? (I'm honestly wondering the difference between urban poor and my tenants, here.)

[cousinsue.livejournal.com]

No, those they'd get.

But the Nascar stuff? Hunting stuff? Bass boat?

Nah. They're not much into country music either, being rather more inclined toward that Half Dollar person you mentioned in a previous post. Or here in the deep center of town, Latino singers.

[cousinsue.livejournal.com]

I was commenting on the other questions from the site... like what is an F150, what is a boilermaker, not your own stuff. those are more likely what someone would know in the city.

And too, now that I think of it, not all Country are poor or lower class. They'd still know that stuff too.

[scheherazaad.livejournal.com]

The only fish related question I could answer was where the fish fork goes. But I do know what a Skinny Vanilla Chai Latte is.

[not-your-real.livejournal.com]

Are you really surprised that I was not sure of the Dale Earnhardt answer, and clueless about the Nextel Cup (there's more than one NASCAR race? ;)

On the other hand, I knew the Christmas-tree-lights thing. Probably heard it on some "Oooh looky different people" NPR segment.

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

I don't know anyone locally who would even consider those *hard* questions. They're more like "D'oh!" questions, questions like "If the President dies, who becomes President?" and "How many states are there in the United States?" and "Who is pictured on the five dollar bill?"

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you don't know 'em, though. You're not a redneck, never have been, and don't interact with them on a regular basis, so no reason you should know that stuff. There are huge chunks of information that I don't have (see above, the "urban poor" questions from the ardvaark) because they're outside the realm of my experience.