Can you pass the Beverly Hillbillies test?

[LOL!]

Here is a Postrel's short treatise on Murray's book "Coming Apart in America" Can You Pass the which I found thought provoking.

I will stick out my neck and state that .... Never mind I will not stick out my neck.

 

[tryan]

Score "between 9 and 12" which means"

In other words, even if you're part of the new upper class, you've had a lot of exposure to the rest of America.

Must be something about collecting rents in the inner city ....

 

[braumeister]

I was already well aware of this:

On a scale from 0 to 20 points, where 20 signifies full engagement with mainstream American culture and 0 signifies deep cultural isolation within the new upper class bubble, you scored between 5 and 8.

In other words, you can see through your bubble, but you need to get out more.

 

[Nemo2]

Between 5 and 8.

But....I've never lived in an American neighborhood, (but I have lived in a Canadian neighborhood where many/most people may not have had degrees), and although I've undertaken jobs involving continuous manual labor in my life, I've never 'hurt' at the end of the day.

 

[RetireBy90]

I'm in trouble, 13-16 which means bubble, what you talking about Willis?

Thanks for the link.

 

[Lakedog]

....you scored between 9 and 12. In other words, even if you're part of the new upper class, you've had a lot of exposure to the rest of America.

The part about "a lot of exposure to the rest of America" is right since I moved around quite a bit during my career.

 

[scrabbler1]

Zero to 4 for me, but I am not surprised. I don't own a cell phone, either.

 

[Midpack]

I scored a 30 which suggests the first group, though the second is probably a more accurate description?

• A first-generation upper-middle-class person with middle-class parents. Range: 11–80. Typical: 33.
• A second-generation (or more) upper-middle-class person who has made a point of getting out a lot. Range: 0–43. Typical: 9.

Interesting quiz. Based on the result posts above, I guess I don't belong here with all you upper class folks.

I watched a review of the book with the author on Charlie Rose, and I'm looking forward to reading it. I'm 4th on the list at my library, so it may be a while.

 

[Nemo2]

Zero to 4 for me, but I am not surprised. I don't own a cell phone, either.

Cell phone? What's a cell phone?

(Geez, I barely answer the land line when we're home.)

 

[Texas Proud]

Some must have taken the short test I guess...


I scored 55...

"A first- generation middle-class person with working-class parents and average television and moviegoing habits.
Range: 42–100. Typical: 66."

A lot of points come from my childhood... as an example, I was in a parade when I was 1 YO.. I did not have a choice about it... but I get points... (BTW, I was Mr. Hawaii as it was a new state and they wanted someone young... it took me 50 years before I actually set foot in Hawaii)

 

[brewer12345]

Scored a 29. Appropriately, I most closely resemble the first generation high falutin' offspring of middle class parents.

I am currently reading this book. Very interesting.

 

[REWahoo]

I scored 59 and closely fit the "first-generation middle-class person with working-class parents" profile. I scored big points by growing up in a small, backwater town, serving in the military and vacationing in Branson...

 

[Nords]

Oh, good, the "Bell Curve" guy is back. Give yourself 10 points if you remember this important cultural [-]disaster[/-] phenomenon, and reflect on how long it's taken for him to rebuild his credibility.

I scored 65 points:
A lifelong resident of a working-class neighborhood with average television and moviegoing habits.
Range: 48–99. Typical: 77

The irony is that I no longer live in a working-class neighborhood, I no longer drink, I don't watch TV, and I went to at least one of those movies for the express purpose of spending quality time with my daughter.

By the way, one of the reasons I scored so highly was because of military service. Military servicemembers make up less than one percent of the population of the U.S. and even the running/historical total of military veterans is less than 3%. I'm having a little trouble understanding how that puts me squarely in the middle class.

Most of those cultural phenomena he refers to don't have anything to do with life in Hawaii. Yet many of this state's residents feel that they're squarely in the middle class.

 

[Nodak]

Between 13 and 16, no bubble.

 

[W2R]

I got a 50, but have no idea what that proves. I don't fit into any of the listed categories:

• A lifelong resident of a working-class neighborhood with average televi-sion and moviegoing habits.
Range: 48–99. Typical: 77.
• A first- generation middle-class person with working-class parents and average television and moviegoing habits.
Range: 42–100. Typical: 66.
• A first- generation upper-middle- class person with middle-class par-ents.
Range: 11–80. Typical: 33.
• A second- generation (or more) upper-middle-class person who has made a point of getting out a lot.
Range: 0–43. Typical: 9.
• A second- generation (or more) upper-middle-class person with the tele-vision and moviegoing habits of the upper middle class.
Range: 0–20.Typical: 2.

 

[Moemg]

• A first-generation upper-middle-class person with middle-class parents. Range: 11–80. Typical: 33.
• A second-generation (or more) upper-middle-class person who has made a point of getting out a lot. Range: 0–43. Typical: 9.

.

At 51 I am in the middle of those two . Scored big points for growing up in a really small town & wearing a uniform for work ( RN). The book does look good I definitely want to read it .

 

[Onward]

I took the short, interactive test and scored "between 9 and 12":

In other words, even if you're part of the new upper class, you've had a lot of exposure to the rest of America.

Boy howdy!

 

[Bestwifeever]

Hard to find the quizzes in the midst of so much marketing for that book. The long one in the book was was too much like work ; the short one put me in the middle, I think. Very scientific, I'm sure, and proving lots of I don't know what.

 

[Brett_Cameron]

Scored 73, long version. I win.

 

[Midpack]

Scored 73, long version. I win.

Congratulations Jethro...

 

[aaronc879]

62 points.

"A lifelong resident of a working-class neighborhood with average television and moviegoing habits.
Range: 48–99. Typical: 77"

 

[Brett_Cameron]

Congratulations Jethro...

Thanks, Mr. Drysdale!

 

[scrabbler1]

After scoring in the measly 0-4 category on the short version, I decided to venture out and take the long version (which was tough to read on my screen). I scored a whopping ELEVEN on it LOL! And 7 of those 11 points came from two answers: neither of my parents worked in a managerial or "prestige" job, and 30 years ago I lasted (worked?) for 2 weeks in a cafeteria kitchen and came home achy.

Being an atheist who doesn't drink and gets ill when around cigarette smoke makes me "upper-middle class?" Despising NASCAR, Oprah, and the garbage which passes for popular TV these days makes me "upper-middle class?" Being an honors student who hated jocks and was not old enough to have ever been drafted into the military makes me "upper-middle class?" I don't think so.

 

[W2R]

After scoring in the measly 0-4 category on the short version, I decided to venture out and take the long version (which was tough to read on my screen). I scored a whopping ELEVEN on it LOL! And 7 of those 11 points came from two answers: neither of my parents worked in a managerial or "prestige" job, and 30 years ago I lasted (worked?) for 2 weeks in a cafeteria kitchen and came home achy.

Being an atheist who doesn't drink and gets ill when around cigarette smoke makes me "upper-middle class?" Despising NASCAR, Oprah, and the garbage which passes for popular TV these days makes me "upper-middle class?" Being an honors student who hated jocks and was not old enough to have ever been drafted into the military makes me "upper-middle class?" I don't think so.

Yeah. Thanks to the OP for bringing this test to our attention, but now that I have gone through it I think this is one of the lamest tests I have ever taken! Seems like the author likes to categorize by stereotypes, and many of us don't fit his preconceived notions of class. He also seems to assume that none of us have any significant class mobility.

 

[MichaelB]

Yeah. Thanks to the OP for bringing this test to our attention, but now that I have gone through it I think this is one of the lamest tests I have ever taken! Seems like the author likes to categorize by stereotypes, and many of us don't fit his preconceived notions of class. He also seems to assume that none of us have any significant class mobility.

Exactly. The boomer generation does not fit well into his categories.