You've probably done something like this in a class yourself. I wonder: if everyone in the blogosphere were in the same room and participated in this exercise, who would be at the front, when all the questions were asked? From a site that's new to me:
This meme is 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 Indiana State University. Done in a classroom setting, students would line up and take one step forward for every statement that is true.
When you were in college:If your father went to college, take a step forward.
If your father finished college.
If your mother went to college.
If your mother finished college.
If you have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
If you were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
If you had a computer at home.
If you had your own computer at home.
If you had more than 50 books at home.
If you had more than 500 books at home.
If were read children’s books by a parent.
If you ever had lessons of any kind.
If you had more than two kinds of lessons
If the people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
If you had a credit card with your name on it.
If you have less than $5000 in student loans.
If you have no student loans.
If you went to a private high school.
If you went to summer camp.
If you had a private tutor.
If you have been to Europe.
If your family vacations involved staying at hotels.
If all of your clothing has been new and bought at the mall.
If your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them.
If there was original art in your house
If you had a phone in your room.
If you lived in a single family house.
If your parent own their own house or apartment.
If you had your own room.
If you participated in an SAT/ACT prep course.
If you had your own cell phone in High School.
If you had your own TV in your room in High School.
If you opened a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College.
If you have ever flown anywhere on a commercial airline.
If you ever went on a cruise with your family.
If your parents took you to museums and art galleries
If you were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.
Now, I'd have added a couple of things to this list. Backwards steps, if you will.
Step back if:
You are not white
You are gay
You speak a nonEnglish language at home
You have a disability
You are ugly
You are a woman
You have a child
You are expect to support other family members financially while in school, or contribute to that effort
You have/had to work while in school
...still, it's one of those fun college moments that I wish we could somehow do here on the internets. Suggestions, additions, and your own results?
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Yes I've got a few
One step forwards if you parents are native born.
One step forwards if your parents have always been documented residents of the US.
One step forwards if you have always been a documented resident of the US>
One step forward if your parents always had health insurance.
One step forward if your school was rated in the 10% of its state as a public school.
One step forward if one of your parents didn't have to work.
One step forward if your parents lived together for your entire childhood.
All of the factors there have been shown to lead to improved school scores, income and opportunities. None of them are really related to a person's intrinsic merit.
excellent additions, liberty
thank you. it's nice to know some of us grok the difference between "merit" and that which seems to be more important these days, winning the birth lottery.
What's that other soc/teach-in action
where you get an "invitation to a dinner" and then pick a piece of folded paper out of a bowl as you come in....
people with one number (most) get a bowl of rice and have to sit on the floor;
people with the second number, a dozen or so, get, I dunno, a "basic balanced meal" with a veg and a bit of meat like a chicken leg and get to sit in chairs;
and the people with the Best Number, (about 3 out of 50 attendees, say, not demographically accurate but you know, making a point) get shrimp cocktail, liquor, filet mignon and etc etc. with candles, a nice tablecloth and something like Roman couches to lie on. I've heard of some of these going to such extremes as to have scantily-clad attractive young people wave feather fans and offer trays of peeled grapes and such.
There's a name for this action but I can't think of it. Towns big enough to have activist groups or radical churches used to put these on, haven't heard much about it lately.
I suppose the take-one-step forward dealy would be a little easier to put on, logistically speaking. :)