Meme to an end?
Ok, it was the only cool title I could think of.
This one seems to be going around, and I thought it was interesting enough to do. Evidently the idea is to explore "privilege" (whatever that is) and see what bloggers have in common.... For more background, see it comes in pints?, McGehee, or Dustbury.
Obligatory Legal Mumbojumbo:
Premise: bold each of the statements that applies.
Original source: The list is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. The exercise developers ask that if you participate in this blog game, you acknowledge their copyright.
Okey Dokey. Onward to the list:
Father went to college
Father finished college
Mother went to college
Mother finished college
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor (I assume cousins of my own or subsequent generations don't count as they were not already practicing, and thus could not serve as role models)
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers (my teachers had way more $$ than we did)
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home Hello, Mom's a Children's Librarian....
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home See Above.
Were read children's books by a parent This is getting redonkulous
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 Violin lessons
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 and Dance lessons, too, I realize.
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (Have you seen a scientist on TV lately? Yeah.)
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 (Credit Card? I was 21 before I had a credit card!)
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs (Does the Caltech Scholarship Fund count? I didn't think so.)
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs (HA!)
Went to a private high school (the private high schools in Fresno SUCK. I got a MUCH better education at the math/science magnet)
Went to summer camp (Church Camp)
Had a private tutor before you turned 18 (I WAS the F-ing tutor)
Family vacations involved staying at hotels (Hell no, we stayed with relatives or at friends' houses, except one large trip)
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (Mom sews. You should see some of my pretty dresses)
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them (My Neon. Loved it. Dad's car was too unreliable to pass on, and Mom's was new then, too)
There was original art in your house when you were a child (I'm guessing my kindergarten scrawls don't count?)
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18 Hello, former teenage girl here.
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home Still do, in fact. But for my generation, this really isn't as much of a sign of privilege as it might be now given housing prices then vs now.
You had your own room as a child Only child, duh.
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course (No, but I TOOK the SAT when I was 12)
Had your own TV in your room in High School After my grandmother moved in with us, I got her TV AND cable!
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College (you're shittin' me, right? I barely knew what a mutual fund WAS)
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 (Nope, I was 17 the first time. I flew to NY and back by myself)
Went on a cruise with your family (I'm guessing the Catalina Ferry doesn't count. I've never been on a cruise)
Went on more than one cruise with your family (see above. What's a cruise?)
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up Museums, but not galleries.
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family (Nope, I always knew. Mom used it as an illustration of why we conserve energy.)
Wow, I guess I was a poor little rascal. At least, according to this metric. Funny how we thought we were doing well....
Alternate Forms of Energy Bumper Stickers
Ever seen that stupid "Coexist" bumper stickers with all the quasi-religious and philosophical symbols replacing the letters? How about this one instead?
Posted by: Amanda at November 29, 2007 12:55 PM (5PUVj)
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I'm going to try and hand draw these images, white on black like the original. Then maybe I'll put it up in my Cafepress store.
Posted by: Aaron at November 29, 2007 02:00 PM (x57wb)
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Cool. I haven't seen the original --- mercifully --- but I've seen my share of Save The Planet crap . . . SSDD.
Posted by: dogette at November 30, 2007 08:36 AM (q/UVc)
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I've never seen one of those coexist stickers...but then, I live down in the Redneck riviera and the only thing we worry about coexisting with are the gators and the skeeters!
Posted by: Mrs. Who at December 01, 2007 02:37 PM (6zbwL)
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I have a "coexist" neighbor down the street and it has diminished my faith in them because it's one of the most stupidly facile and retarded bumperstickers ever.
They ought to include a swastika next to the hammer-and-sickle -- because everyone knows those two "religions" co-existed so well, at least in 1939 for a while, when it was convenient... Stupid hippies.
Posted by: DirtCrashr at December 03, 2007 10:20 AM (VNM5w)
So it's November....
Yeah, it's also NaNoWriMo. And I am flirting with a long story. I don't plan on churning out a novel, but it's as good an excuse as any to work on the fiction....
So watch this space. I may or may not decide to share.
Posted by: c.a. Marks at October 30, 2007 02:31 PM (T7eG4)
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This is just wonderful - happy blogiversary my dear friend!
Posted by: Greta at October 30, 2007 02:48 PM (Xl4tG)
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The Red Sox broke the curse. Did you stop to consider that maybe that was because of you. Three years ago you started and now they have won again. I think you are our good luck charm. (of course you blogged in 2005 and 2006 but we won't mention that.
Posted by: Lukie at October 30, 2007 03:44 PM (WXIEq)
Posted by: Janette at October 31, 2007 10:03 AM (5R+zg)
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Wow. Three years of UNC rooting on the web. All Duke fans must cheer "Yuck!"
Seriously though, congratulations. I passed the five year mark this past summer. It's amazing how quickly time passes on the Intertubes.
Posted by: physics geek at October 31, 2007 10:58 AM (MT22W)
Posted by: Janette at October 30, 2007 12:08 PM (5R+zg)
2
Geeze... I think I must have answered something wrong...
Your Aspie score: 115 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 93 of 200
You seem to have both Aspie and neurotypical traits
Must be lack of sleep... 2 hours in 48 is not the time to take a test... only 30 more minutes and I can give Tot his medicine... ugh
Posted by: vw bug at October 30, 2007 05:39 PM (FPOeI)
3Do you like sniffing people or things? WTF??
Do you enjoy biting people - if they let you?
I grew impatient with the time it was taking to answer all the questions.
Posted by: DirtCrashr at October 31, 2007 11:47 AM (VNM5w)
4
My "diagram" looks almost the same as yours.
And WTF was with all those "are you good at estimating...?" questions. I cannot estimate ANYTHING accurately. (That is why God made rulers and speedometers). I suppose being very good at estimation is a typical "Aspie" trait or something.
(And I have to say I hate how they are cute-i-fying it to "Aspie.")
Posted by: ricki at November 01, 2007 06:54 AM (O5SYw)
5
My diagram looks nearly identical to yours too. I feel much better. I couldn't figure out what this neurotypical was... I must've missed that pargraph when scanning.
Posted by: Bou at November 04, 2007 09:04 PM (fGpp7)
Do I get Extra Credit for this?
Like Ricki, I HATE that phrase. Hate it.
But EVERY student, without exception, seems to utter it at one point or another during the semester. And they'll go the extra mile to get it, too. Troy University Professor Richard Scott Nokes writes:
Why is it that students who wouldn't scratch their bottoms to get a final exam grade will do anything for extra credit? Last week, I had midterm exams, and many students put, at the most, an hour's worth of effort into the take-home project (worth 25% of their grade). This week I gave an opportunity for extra credit, worth only a tiny fraction of the midterm, and the students are meeting after class and going to the Writing Center to work on it. Maybe I should start calling my regular assignments "extra credit."(h/t Prof. Taylor)
I feel your pain, sir. My subject is biology, not medieval literature, but the students approach is EXACTLY the same. They'll spend HOURS collaborating on a tiny piece of crap that is worth maybe 1-2% of their grade (if I'm feeling charitable), but brush off the actual studying. Which is, you know, the basis of 100% of their grade.
Interested, I decided to see if anyone has written a scholarly article on extra credit, and the psychology behind why students prefer it over just doing their work. A quick google search turned up page after page of syllabi with possible extra credit assignments from psychology classes at universities all over the country.
There are only a few articles looking at extra credit, and those look at it as a motivating factor, not why it is preferred.
(I put the rest of what turns out to be a longer piece than I had planned to write below the jump!) more...
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Hello,
I have happened by your site once or twice before but have never commented.
I am an undergraduate student, majoring in Political Science. I earned my A.A. in June and have since transfered to my current university, where I will earn my degree next November.
While I love extra credit, I look at it as a last resort. But I think your theory is right for most of my peers. I try not to look at it that way. When I was a sophomore, I took a class within my major, that should have been an easy A. I had a terrible test day on the mid term and while I earned full credit on all the subsequent assignments I earned a B. The professor, a retired Air Force Lt. Col., was surprised I had not asked for extra credit. It was my fault I did poorly on the mid term, not his. I did not understand why. Now I do.
Posted by: Archerychic at October 19, 2007 01:16 PM (QqM7O)
2
You are so right about kids not 'thinking'. Even though I'm at the elementary end of the spectrum, I see the danger of the increased push for standardized testing and ONLY standardized testing as a means of recognizing gains. Kids are being taught to regurgitate facts without any semblance of understanding.
Posted by: Mrs. Who at October 19, 2007 02:39 PM (oHNtt)
3
I think the "not knowing how to think" point is correct and quite brilliant. I wonder of some of the resistance to things like timed-testing in math (I remember doing timed tests for things like the multiplication table when I was a kid - they were stressful but you learned your stuff) and homework, and what is sometimes sneered as as "drill and kill" is coming from people who don't comprehend that work done outside of class reinforces what's learned in class.
You know, maybe I need to talk to my students about thinking and the importance of thinking about what you are learning. I kind of took it for granted that they understood that, but I guess now they don't.
I don't offer extra credit. Once in a while, if, as I'm writing an exam, I come up with a question that's really good but I know only 10% or so of the class would get, I put it on there as "extra credit" - it's a reward for the people who are paying attention and making connections that the average student isn't; it's not a way for someone who's slacked to salvage their grade. Once in a while in my gen. bio. class I announce a "homework amnesty" where I will allow people to complete and hand in any homework that they missed doing earlier. That's as close I as come to "extra credit" - giving them a chance to redeem themselves on the actual assignments. (And you'd think the people with Ds would jump at that chance. Nope, it's usually the A and B students who were maybe sick for one of the homework assignments who jump to do it and who thank me for the opportunity.)
Posted by: ricki at October 20, 2007 05:51 AM (qrkix)
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One of my favorite lines was when a classmate asked if there would be extra credit available the professor respond, "You should really be focused on getting your regualr credit done."
Posted by: the Pirate at October 21, 2007 12:46 PM (tM0AO)
5
I had a professor one time who, when asked for extra credit by someone in the class actually assigned a 2 page essay for five points. Needless to say, I don't think many people ended up turning it in since the work was not worth the reward. I don't think anyone asked for extra credit again after that.
Posted by: Carmen at October 22, 2007 07:23 AM (9VWj+)
Wii are the world....
We had decided a while back that what we wanted for our birthdays (5 days apart) was a Wii. But as most of you know, they are in scarce supply, and we had no idea when they would be shipping, or even if they would be in stock come November. To this end, we've been saving our pennies.
Well, Saturday afternoon, we made a quick trip to the local Tar-zhay, and on our way over to the Halloween section, we decided to duck into the Wii aisle on a whim. There were 7 white boxes on the bottom shelf of the case. Yep, they were in stock. Just in, too, according to the guy working there. Long story short, when we left the store, there were only 6 white boxes in the case. And the price was $50 less than what we were seeing them for previously. Woot!
So we spent basically the rest of the weekend proving that 30 year olds don't have teenage bodies anymore. Did I mention my right arm feels like I spent too much time on weights at the gym? But it was hella fun and I totally see how Wii could be a part of anyone's exercise regimen. Especially the boxing game in Wii Sports. That's quite a cardio workout, holding up your arms and punching...
Honestly, though, my favorite part is that I'm actually pretty good at some of this. Unlike games with the traditional controllers.
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Awesome! I was going to send you an email and see how it was going, and I'm glad you tore yourself away from it for just long enough to let us know that you've been Wii-ped! =)
Posted by: Amanda at September 24, 2007 05:50 AM (ay+rD)
2
Woah. A cardio workout?
I JUST FOUND MY REASON TO GET ONE! LMAOOOOOOOOO!
Oh honeyyyyyyyy......
Posted by: Margi at September 24, 2007 12:35 PM (zFQsX)
3
I was actually thinking of getting a Wii for a 'family gift' at Christmas, but I wondered just how much fun I would have with it. Now, I am thinking I might enjoy the thing too!
Posted by: Theresa at September 25, 2007 11:02 AM (9N3o3)
It's Me(ez)
Y'all may have noticed the new animated avatar in the left sidebar. I've had a Meez for a while, but I never bothered to add it. Until I saw (thanks BR!) that Meez loves Fred (well, you can get a T-shirt, background, and sign for any of the major candidates).
And I love Fred. So YAY! If you want to get your own Meez go here, and say I referred you (caltechgirl), and we both get "coins" for special outfits and backdrops. They have some great Halloween costumes, too!
My Movies
Both my darling blogchild and the crew at Dean's World have been hashing out a list of movies you can see over and over again.
I have a few of those myself. In our house they're called "Movies I can fall asleep to".
See I have this thing with movies. If they get really predictable, or really embarrassing for the main character, I skip it. Fast Forward, skip, turn off, you name it. I won't sit through it. Consequently, there are VERY FEW movies I can sit through more than once without skipping through, let alone enjoy over and over and over.
The funny thing is, those movies somehow migrate to the bedroom. I'm a slow-sleep insomniac, and (like everything else with me) contrary to the usual advice of removing distractions from the sleep zone (aka no TV in the bedroom), TV actually distracts my brain enough to let me fall asleep. Especially things I've seen before. So we have a rotating stash of movies that live in the DVD player in the bedroom and get pressed into service in conjunction with the 90 minute sleep setting on the TV just about every night.
So, without further ado, movies I can sleep to:
White Christmas Blazing Saddles Star Wars Empire Return of the Jedi Fellowship of the Ring (either disk 1 or 2; but not Twin Towers. I always want to skip the "Sam and Frodo" parts too much) Return of the King (Disk 2 works better... less Sam and Frodo) Kill Bill vol 1 Kill Bill vol 2 The Blues Brothers South Park Team America A Christmas Story Fiddler on the Roof Disney's Robin Hood
I'm certain there are more, but these are the ones currently in the DVD case in the bedroom.
) 
ocket
4. Blow ::Job
5. Coach ::Bag
6. Effort ::Less
7. Leadership ::Study
8. Snore :
