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You'll probably move right through me on my way to you.
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wombat_socho, original source here.
Bold the stuff that applies to you. In the original test, people to whom this stuff applied took one step forward to signify how much of a head start they had over people to whom it didn't.
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 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 lessons of any kind before you turned 18
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
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school
Went to summer camp
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
Family vacations involved staying at hotels
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
There was original art in your house when you were a child
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
You had your own room as a child
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
Had your own TV in your room in High School
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
Went on a cruise with your family
Went on more than one cruise with your family
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
Total steps forward: 14
Notice that each of these are things that were given to you or provided for you rather than things you necessarily earned yourself. The exercise instructions note that just because you've taken a lot of steps doesn't mean that you haven't worked hard to get where you are. But perhaps consider the things you've had handed to you that others didn't have.
I don't really like this meme. It doesn't take into account the fact that my dad didn't finish college until I was in high school, or that my mom was never able to use her degree because she has epilepsy, or that all the books in our house were older than me, or that we went on a grand total of two family vacations (one of which was within the state), or that we never had more than one phone line (when it wasn't disconnected), or that we almost lost the house several times. I like more of the items on the original college version of the exercise. Still, it's food for thought.
I suppose I did have some privilege in life, but only because my parents hung on by the skin of their teeth. I'm a damn lucky person to be where I am now, and I'm grateful for it every day. I'm also a real success story as far as social programs are concerned. I would never have gotten where I am today without the welfare system keeping a roof over our heads, and a federal grant funding the SUMS program, and state and federal financial aid. I know the system has problems and there are people out there who take unfair advantage of such things, but without them I never would've broken out of the rut I grew up in. Sometimes the system works.
wombat_socho, original source here.Bold the stuff that applies to you. In the original test, people to whom this stuff applied took one step forward to signify how much of a head start they had over people to whom it didn't.
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 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 lessons of any kind before you turned 18
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
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school
Went to summer camp
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
Family vacations involved staying at hotels
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
There was original art in your house when you were a child
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
You had your own room as a child
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
Had your own TV in your room in High School
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16
Went on a cruise with your family
Went on more than one cruise with your family
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family
Total steps forward: 14
Notice that each of these are things that were given to you or provided for you rather than things you necessarily earned yourself. The exercise instructions note that just because you've taken a lot of steps doesn't mean that you haven't worked hard to get where you are. But perhaps consider the things you've had handed to you that others didn't have.
I don't really like this meme. It doesn't take into account the fact that my dad didn't finish college until I was in high school, or that my mom was never able to use her degree because she has epilepsy, or that all the books in our house were older than me, or that we went on a grand total of two family vacations (one of which was within the state), or that we never had more than one phone line (when it wasn't disconnected), or that we almost lost the house several times. I like more of the items on the original college version of the exercise. Still, it's food for thought.
I suppose I did have some privilege in life, but only because my parents hung on by the skin of their teeth. I'm a damn lucky person to be where I am now, and I'm grateful for it every day. I'm also a real success story as far as social programs are concerned. I would never have gotten where I am today without the welfare system keeping a roof over our heads, and a federal grant funding the SUMS program, and state and federal financial aid. I know the system has problems and there are people out there who take unfair advantage of such things, but without them I never would've broken out of the rut I grew up in. Sometimes the system works.