Are you, or do you consider yourself a 'child of privilege'...

[bridgit]

have you had those kinds of experiences if life round which others would consider you as now having lived 'a charmed life'?

http://www.privilegeibiza.com

[WritingIsMyReligion]

1. Well, I'm an only child...

That's one step in the priveleged direction...

:D

[bridgit]

2. so is hubby but for a way older sister that acts like she's on her own...

anyhow :shrug:

[trof]

31. Me too. And true.

I didn't have to share with ANYBODY!

[LostinVA]

3. BWWWAAAHHH!!!!!

[LeftyMom]

4. On a global scale I guess I am

I always had food in my belly and a roof over my head growing up.

On a first world scale, no. There were times growing up when we din't have basics like a refrigerator or a vehicle that could carry both of us kids at once.

On a spoiled brats partying in Spain scale? Fuck no.

[bridgit]

5. i'm there too, i went to college on a scholarship, no moms & dads...

or mentors guiding me gently our from under feathered wings. i'm not even on a spoiled brat partying in Boston scale for that matter :hi:

[EstimatedProphet]

91. If you put it that way...

No, we didn't have money, and I grew up in a trailer after my mom got divorced, but she did good by us. And I have gone as far as is possible with an education. I've been lucky enough to travel a lot, so I've seen a lot of the world (which is partly why I am a liberal, I believe). So, yeah, things could have been far worse. Thanks for reminding me!

[Deja Q]

6. Best of both worlds here.

Privileged in some ways.

Neglected in others.

Abused in different others.

I've lived a charmed life.

And a surprisingly full one.

And I'd change a little if I could, yes...

But all in all it's been a good one. For however longer it lasts.

[bridgit]

7. HypnoToad...

your honesty is always appreciated :hi:

[Deja Q]

23. The only time I can lie is under duress...

((So, Agent Mike, if you guys need to torture me, the only way you'll get the truth is if you get a pretty lady to raise my flag... :rofl: ))

[bridgit]

26. heehee, too true friend...too true...

:rofl:

[ghostsofgiants]

8. More charmed than some, less charmed than others.

But I'm only a quarter of the way through it yet, so we'll see how it goes.

[bridgit]

10. that to me sounds well adjusted...

:hi:

[Critters2]

95. I thought I was privileged

No problem getting into college, full academic scholarship once I got there, similar situation in grad school. Finished all education with a $10,000 loan to pay back. Have had pretty good jobs, except when I got screwed by a judicatory exec and lost a job--still bounced back from that pretty well. So, I thought I'd had it pretty good.

Then I got here. My parishioners have ALL been around the world several times. Some send their kids to Andover (which makes me want to puke). The older women in my church wouldn't DREAM of coming to church without their furs (more puking). Honestly, just wealth and privilege up the yin-yang. I can't believe I took a call to a church that's such a bad match for me!!

Nor can I believe that I feel poor, uneducated, and uncultured compared to anyone--but I do here!

What would make Jesus puke?

[Nikia]

9. I have had both sets of experiences.

Some people are shocked at what I experienced and didn't experience growing up. I have two sets of stories. Depending on the people, I may share only one set or the other.

[bridgit]

13. i think i understand what you are saying, i have a set that would curl...

most people's hair, bad choices in men perhaps x(

[GOPisEvil]

11. Damn straight - I'm one lucky SOB, I admit it.

I'm not as lucky as Bush, but pretty damned fortunate overall.

[bridgit]

14. here's to luck...

:toast:

[khashka]

12. Ooooh, confession time!

I am a child of privelege. My parents are quite wealthy. (You should see my inheritance! We're talking millions.)


This is pretty simplistic. Skiing in the Switz Alps? Summers in Greece? Travelling any where that took my fancy? A month in Paris for no reason at all?

Every single thing I ever wanted?


It ain't been all good - but I have much to be thankful for that many others had no hope for.


Khash.

[bridgit]

15. i understand, many people here would consider me 'white trash'...

not you, Khash, but many do and treat me as such :hi: no ski trip, but i did spend a summer cloistered in a french convent outside paris so...whatever :hug:

[khashka]

18. Don't say that about yourself!

If anyone is white trash it's me! (just eventually rich white trash!)

So who said that? about you?There is gonna be some serious ass-kickin'!


Khash.

[bridgit]

20. it's alright, honey, i'm programmed that way; hubby is learn'n me...

here & there, and some of the nightmares never go away...i'm just programmed that way = it's all good :loveya: :hug:

[Sugar Smack]

27. YAY, Khash!!!

:loveya:

[Deja Q]

24. There's a lot of things of yours I wouldn't mind looking at...

O8)

[bridgit]

now that is what i call a proper "jacking" of a thread...

:thumbsup: :rofl: i'll leave now so you two can be alone :yoiks:

[ikojo]

35. So what do you think of the estate tax?

There is a group headed by Bill Gates Sr called responsible wealth, they oppose eliminating the estate tax.

http://www.responsiblewealth.org/

Responsible Wealth is a national network of businesspeople, investors and affluent Americans who are concerned about deepening economic inequality and are working for widespread prosperity. Our three primary areas of work are tax fairness, corporate responsibility and living wages.

[khashka]

36. I agree with Gates

(shock horror!)

I would eventually end up a lot wealthier, but no. It's wrong, just wrong. Gotta do the right thing, even if I can't buy a house in Palm Beach.



Thanks for the link :)


Khash.

[WinkyDink]

16. No. Middle-class when middle-class = 1 car, 1 B&W TV, 1 bathroom.

[bridgit]

17. absent the screaming & yelling in the house that sounds right to me...

:hi:

[TallahasseeGrannie]

19. Straight middle class

with professional father. My biggest advantage was a happy childhood in a household filled with love and optimism (for the most part). My parents were married 67 years.

They had very high expectations of me, the youngest, and that has at times sat heavily.

We had plenty to eat, but few luxuries until I was a teenager and my mother went to work as a teacher. My sisters were older and gone before I was 5.

The biggest gifts they gave me were my religious background and a college education. And some amazing genes.

tg

[bridgit]

22. here's to love and optimism...

:toast: thank you for your post :hi:

[huskerlaw]

21. Mostly privileged

My parents are upper-middle-class. I never *needed* anything. I didn't have everything I *wanted*, but if I wanted it bad enough, for long enough and it was a reasonable request, I almost always got it (think name brand clothes, toys, etc.).

That said, my family had a lot of non-monetary issues. For a while, my life really kinda sucked, although my parents did their best to shield me from it. In that way, I was "privileged" even then...my parents cared enough to try to protect me...and the bad stuff only lasted for a few years. After that, I had a very stereotypical upbringing in a small midwestern town.

No European vacations (though one year our big Christmas present was a 2-week trip to Hawaii), no boarding school (but all the band camps a kid could want), no Ivy League college (but my parents paid for my first degree...and for my credit cards and rent until I turned 21).

So...privileged? Yes, I would say so.

[bridgit]

25. you're in hubby's home town...

:hi: wants me to say, "hey!" for him and all his peeps down there :kick:

[ET Awful]

28. I grew up on welfare, and without the help of my grandmother, would

never have had new clothes for school every fall. It wasn't rare for me to leave campus and go to the grocery store a block away and buy lunch with food stamps when I was in High School.

Is that answer enough?

[bridgit]

30. yup, i've had to work as a bartender & cocktail waitress to buy...

books so i'm hearing'ya on that one :thumbsup:

[ikojo]

33. Qualified for free school lunch until my sophomore

year in high school. Was raised by a single mom and I am the youngest girl of seven kids.

Summer camp: no
vacations when I was growing up consisted of going to Six Flags in St Louis every two years or so.
First time on a plane I was 18.
Music lessons: No


So, no I did not have class privilege. I have white skin privilege in that I can go into a store and not be followed. As a matter of fact, I am fat so I'm pretty much ignored in most stores anyway.

[redwitch]

62. Aw honey!

I am glad it is now and not then. Plus, you have Quinn and Althea! Such riches! :hug:

[Sugar Smack]

29. IF I were living in Amsterdamned, you can be SURE

I'd be a child of "Priviledge". Woo-hoo!

:rofl:

[bridgit]

32. i'd be so freaking high none of it would matter any more...

:rofl:

[Sugar Smack]

37. Brownies from the largest club in the world!

*scratches noggin* If it's that big, though, what are our chances of getting a contact buzz?

I think I'll lie awake tonight sorting that one out. :rofl:

[bridgit]

38. chances? no less than fair to middlin...maybe trending on the + side...

:rofl: :thumbsup:

[richmwill]

34. In a sense, yes...

My parents were strictly middle-class, but- in later years, I realized how much they themselves "went without" so that my sister and I could have things that we wanted.

[bridgit]

39. makes me wish america still had a viable middle-class...

:cry:

[Dem2theMax]

40. Blue collar, hard working, salt of the earth family.

I've been lucky enough to travel to a lot of places in the world (due to white collar ex-BF,) but I'm blue collar in the blood. Wouldn't want to live a 'life of privilege.' I've had to work with the VERY, VERY rich and I can tell you in no uncertain terms, if I had to choose, I'd rather spend my time with the homeless.

[bridgit]

57. here's to the salt of the earth families...

:toast:

[Skittles]

41. F*** NO

not at ALL....I've had to work damn hard for everything

[bridgit]

48. ^_^

:hi:

[ZombieNixon]

42. Average of the average.

My parents are probably the dead center of the middle class, they're both working hard to put me through college, as am I. I grew up with one house, two cars, and a computer. Times got better, I got older, the one house became a different house, the two cars became three, the one computer had four babies. Now I live in a dorm with a train pass and one and a half computers. I go home for break, not to Europe and I need to get a job. Average. :shrug:

[bridgit]

49. naw, don't give me that stuff you're a prince among prince'...

:hi:

[philosophie_en_rose]

43. I always had a home, parents, and enough food.

We sometimes did without luxuries, but never essentials. I think that makes me very privileged.

[bridgit]

50. hubby's dad, a very hard man by all account, used to tell him...

"at least your underwear was clean"

[Redstone]

44. 1) No. 2) If they're going to put up an ugly and vapid website in English,

they ought to at leasat run the text past someone who speaks English..."The team of tilllate.com has catched you..."

Feh.

Redstone

[bridgit]

51. too true...

:hi:

[DanCa]

45. If you call having young onset parkinsons privileged than ya.

I got the mother load. :D

[bridgit]

52. hey DanCa, how'ya doing...

:hi:

[xmas74]

46. No.

I can remember eating commodity cheese and turkey franks for a time. To this day I will still not eat a hot dog because of it (and everything thinks I'm being picky-I just remember having that for dinner nonstop).

I remember my family shopping w/ food stamps and receiving free or reduced lunch until I got a job in high school. I was in Girl Scouts but quit after moving so many times (parents would move for a number of reasons when I was young). I did have music lessons-played in jr. high and high school band. My school offered free lessons if you purchased the instrument. You could also rent an instrument through the school for $50 a semester. My band teacher "forgot" to charge me a rental fee for two years. After that my parents found a good deal on a used instrument and I received it for Christmas.

I did participate in sports and activities-before Pay to Play took effect. I did letter my first time out for a sport and received a letterman's jacket for Christmas-but it was my winter coat for the rest of my high school career and a few years after.

I got what I needed and sometimes it was what I wanted, in the case of the jacket and the trumpet. But I also remember sleeping in one room of the house w/ the rest of the family-the living room-because there was enough money to buy propane to heat only one room. And I did have a car because I bought it myself. Insurance wasn't demanded at that time. I also remember going to the county clinic for my vaccinations and I only remember going to the doctor a handful of times. I went to the dentist once because it was required before I could start kindergarten.

In good years I had contact lenses. In bad years I had an old pair of frames that we had hot glued the lenses into. Not a pretty look-lots of stares and laughs both to my face and behind my back. And if we could afford new clothes they came from places like Walmart and Dollar General. We received a couple of new outfits every year for the new school year and took very good care of them.

[bridgit]

53. xmas, honey, you always make sense to me...

:hi: :hug:

[xmas74]

59. I think that, underneath it all,

we have a bit of the kindred spirit connection here.

We always understand each other.

[bridgit]

64. here's to kindred spirit connection...

:toast:

[kwassa]

47. I was born white so I am automatically privileged.

This is America, after all.

[bridgit]

54. i'll bet'cha i'm whiter than you are, but i was still picked last...

for every gym event, even from within a pack of white people :hi:

[bedpanartist]

65. you obviously didn't grow up where I did

backwoods Eastern Kentucky. I currently live in an Appalachian meth ghetto in Dayton, Ohio.

Yep, I am REALLY priviliged because of my whiteness.

Sorry, but this is the reason that Democrats keep losing elections. It doesn't seem that progressives understand or even know of this poor white paradox.

[bridgit]

71. ^_^

http://www.horsecow.com welcome to du, bedpanartist :hi:

[bedpanartist]

73. hey there! My very first fan in the world

John Brock of Sacramento bought my first book, and has bee an avid supporter of mine for over 10 years. Perhaps we could do a bedpan show out there some day.

Thanks for the welcome!

[bridgit]

76. yeah, let them say whatever they will about our sleepy little town...

sacramento; we have our art connections, hubby wanted you to have the horsecow link :patriot: and you are welcome indeed

[bridgit]

83. by the by, if considering a show out here consider FOOLS

FOUNDATION http://www.foolsfoundation.org we're donors, hubby & i like what these guys are doing and our sense is that they'll be receptive & they're in a great location :thumbsup:

[Heidi]

74. Oh, my goodness, you're _here_!

:hug: and welcome to DU, my friend!

[bedpanartist]

75. thank you

one day I'll get around to encoding the video I shot while hanging out and drinking with Mojo one afternoon.

Love and gravey,

Davey

[HEyHEY]

55. Hard to say

I grew up in a middle class family, money was never an issue. But, I never got any free rides from my parents. I paid for my own school and what not.

[bridgit]

56. i sometimes did 'the girl thing', so sometimes i got free rides at...

amusement parks :rofl: :hi:

[Strong Atheist]

58. Yes, in many senses, but my life is still a struggle in many other

ways...

[MadHound]

60. A bit of both

I was born into a teaching family, middle class, but with few perks. Perks got scarcer as I got older due to my father being an untreated bipolar. Quite the abusive upbringing, had my dad stick a shotgun in my face a couple of times.

Moved out, moved on, was probably clinicly depressed for awhile, though I still consider it my period of Deep Thinking, we I was trying to redefine myself, catching up on normal teenage development matters. Of course a lot of this precluded any sort of steady work, and I was homeless for a couple of years.

Grew up, grew out, found myself and got on with life. Outwardly I'm quite the respectable person, have a nice house on twenty acres, working on my dream. But I'm still a street kid underneath, casing out any store I walk into, just to see how easy it would be to boost it. I imagine that when I become old and senile, I'll slip gears and start shoplifting again;)

But all in all, I've lived a happy, pretty lucky, and fun life, especially the past fifteen years. My father and I mended fences(it's amazing how a brush with mortality will get a person onto some meds) and healed our souls before he passed.

Now, I just have ordinary concerns, work, home, my future business, and of course, the world at large.

Life of privlege, sure, but not the privlege that most people normally think of. I was blessed with the chance to see how all both sides of the world live. And that experience changed me, shook me, and has stood me in good stead all of my life. Living, starving, being desperate on the streets isn't for everybody, but I think that everybody should experience it just once. I think even a taste of it would do the whole world some good.

[Susang]

61. I have a roof, indoor plumbing and a family that loves me

I own a computer, a television, a few luxuries that make me happy and have rarely ever wanted for food.

Yes, I'm privileged.

[bridgit]

63. here's to happiness...

:toast:

[Susang]

72. You got that right

Only wished I remembered it more often. ;-)

[bridgit]

81. i know huh, "son of a bitch, i know i left that happiness around here...

somewhere" :shrug: :rofl: :thumbsup:

[Generator]

66. I started to laugh

The only privilege I ever had was marrying well. (And I was almost 40 by that time) AND you would never guess how much my husband makes-here's a tip-gals-go for the NERDS. He still looks bum like and I buy all his clothes. It's hard to get them to groom sometimes.

I think not having to work and be home with the children and have enough money for almost everything IS a life of privilege. And we just started to have enough money in the last two years. It makes me nervous. I'm not used to not having to worry about every dime. My parents gave me zip, nada, nothing and to this day- well let's not go there. And I am an only child. Nothing from nothing is still nothing.

[bridgit]

67. here's to zip, nada, nothing...but then trading UP...

:hi: :toast:

[Missy Vixen]

68. I'm with you

DH and I both grew up in blue collar homes. His dad is an electrician. My dad was a Boeing machinist. Our mothers stayed home, but that's where our stories diverge. His parents were so nonfunctional that he was raised by his uncle and his uncle's partner. My parents were not well suited for each other, but they managed to keep a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and clothes on our backs. We've both worked for everything we have.

>here's a tip-gals-go for the NERDS.<

I married well, too. I still remember my sister sneering on my wedding day, "I knew you'd marry someone like him." Her ex-husband grew up in the same circumstances we did, but he is an absolutely insufferable snob, and she's worse. Our former chiropractor told me once that DH has "Midwestern values." She meant it as a slam, I thanked her for the compliment. We also used to know a guy that would mock us mercilessly because he had an Ivy League degree and DH didn't. Guess who made more?

No matter where we go, what we do or what we have, we will always be the children of blue collar households, and I'm proud to be. I was raised by Democratic union members. My goal in life is to be happy and comfortable in my surroundings, no matter where I find myself.

Julie

[politicat]

69. Should have been, but wasn't.

My father was a fairly high ranking Naval officer, my mother an accountant while I was growing up. Between them and the fact that our housing was paid for, we should have been very, very comfortable.

But my father has a gambling problem and my mother compulsively shops. My father also had several mistresses, and quite a bit of his income went towards them.

There were times when the bills didn't get paid. They ended up declaring bankruptcy shortly before they divorced.

They were also very unhappy together (as the mistresses should indicate).

The fact is that my mother should have never married him, and I'm not entirely certain she shouldn't have aborted me. (I was born when she was just shy of 20, and her life would have been far better if she had not had a child in tow while she was completing her degree; further, she would not have married my father if she hadn't wanted to make sure I had support - he's not my biological father.)

[WCGreen]

70. Mrs. WCGreen was....

And I so brought her down to my level......

[bridgit]

79. ^_^

hey WC, how goes it :hug:

[WCGreen]

88. Damn good......

Feelin' healthy....

Involved in a spirited primary campaign...

Everything is good....

[bridgit]

94. good to hear it friend...

:pals:

[In_The_Wind]

77. I guess I've added lots of things others never even dreamed about.

I'm not done yet!

[bridgit]

78. here's to not done yet...

:hi: :toast: :loveya: :hug: you better call me when you get this far. cause this'll be me if you don't-------------> :cry:

[In_The_Wind]

80. I can call you anytime you want. I've got a great cell phone program.

I also purchased a discount calling card which keeps my long distance bill down no matter where I'm calling from. I enjoy spending money when I have it, but there are so many ways to cut corners so I can splurge on others.

Don't ---------> :cry:
I've done enough of that for both of us recently.

[bridgit]

82. sweetheart, we're going to be out'a here afore too long do'n our thing...

for the day, i should remember to zap you my phone number if i haven't already, know you have the e-zap...but will get the # to you as well. but don't worry bout the :cry:'ing bit...'tough as nails' x(, you just got'a be a little that way here & there ;-) :hug:

[Orsino]

84. We were never wealthy, but were always comfortable.

I grew up on a small college campus surrounded by woods. Safe places to play, and a wonderful library, all in walking distance. Idyllic, really.

[bridgit]

85. here's to safe places to play...

:toast: :hi:

[Bridget Burke]

86. Compared to whom?

My father died when I was four & money was a bit tight, although my mother worked. But we were above the median in our little community. For example: Mom always saw that we had books--from the library or from book clubs. The public schools were OK--some teachers were better than others. And my lack of a degree is partly my own fault--although, by then, I realized that some kids had it much better.

I was born mentally & physically healthy & haven't started going down hill yet. I'm only a renter, but my nice rent house was not washed away in a flood. And I'm a spinster with 2 cats; for about 20 years, caring for my mother took up quite a few weekends. But a string of bad marriages would be worse.

I'm educated enough to know some history. And my TV lets me see how some people live now.

No complaints.

[bridgit]

87. here'e to no complaints...

:toast: :hi:

[MissMillie]

89. My family ate well and was warm and clothed

beyond that... no, not a child of privilege.

[bridgit]

92. thanks Millie...

:hug:

[elehhhhna]

90. yes and no:

brutally honest here: born a tall, blonde ectomorph to a stable (lol) family. Dropped out of college but was a VP making much bucks at 33. Travelled the caribbean for fun throughout the 90's. Have 2 super, brilliant, clever, healthy daughters. Married to a great guy for 20 years & counting. Found & bought dream house at 38. Have the luxury of staying home with the kids (Hubs stayed home the first 5 years while I practiced a job I LOVED and lunched large on the my co.'s expense account). No debt except mortgage. The externals are there.


okay I was going to list the "no" part here but after reading the above I have a very charmed, privileged life. thank you for asking it was worth thinking about.

[bridgit]

93. thanks, elehhhhna...

:thumbsup: :hi: