Quiz "Do You Live in a Bubble?"

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickeyd baseball

Playpen.:sly:

[kneehigh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamer I am grateful for many of my early childhood experiences, because I appreciate very much where I am now. I also realize how lucky I was, to be given many different chances in life. For instance, I hate to think of how my life might have turned out, if my relatives in PA did not get us 5 kids out of the orphanage in CA, when I was 11 years old. My DH and I have much more than we ever thought we would when we were first married. We are blessed.

Amen...

Got 28 points. Spot on. A first-generation upper-middle-class person with middle-class parents. Typical: 33
Also a second-generation (or more) upper-middle-class person who has made a point of getting out a lot. Typical: 9.

I lived in a bamboo hut in a third world country until I was twelve when my family immigrated to the US. Both my parents were professionals and they eventually reaped the benefit of being in the middle class community. Education was paramount in the family and it was the equalizer we needed to help us move out of the environment we were in.

So I guess I was outside of any bubble until fate brought us into the land of "milk and honey" for which we are eternally grateful.

I question "upper-middle-class" status, however. Maybe cf. to the rest of the country; but in the west where I'm at, I'm just your average Joe. A very grateful Joe, that is. :P

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrabbler1 Instead of a question about pick-up trucks, how about one about Priuses?

Right. The whole concept of what a "bubble" is bothers me.

Some urban people may not be in a bubble, but since they don't know about Jimmie, they are designated as such by this survey.

And taking the other side of the equation should be considered (do you drive a Prius vs pickup).

And on top of all that, why would it be bad to to be in the bubble or out of the bubble? What's so bad about knowing how to navigate the streets of Manhattan? Conversely, what's so bad about knowing how to grow 10 acres of high yield corn? We need both. Neither is bad, but this survey is trying to ping "badness" on one or the other, even if only subtlely.

[brewer12345]

43. Would have been higher given that I fish, hunt, own a truck, occasionally drink cheap beer, know evangelicals, etc., but I lost out on all the tv and military/factory stuff. I live like the good ol boy working class would if they did not have to punch the clock.

[bmcgonig]

51. I think growing up less than middle class, being in the military and living in a trailer park for a few years while there, helped me out


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

[AllDone]

I got a 41. I'm a fifth-generation college graduate with several ancestors who floated over on a famous little wooden boat. It didn't strike me as particularly accurate, especially if you had spent most of your life in the state that is home to just over 10% of the US population. I know I got points for various periods where I lived in the flyovers. California is a big damn "bubble", but consider the source of the "test".

[hnzw_rui]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kneehigh I lived in a bamboo hut in a third world country until I was twelve when my family immigrated to the US. Both my parents were professionals and they eventually reaped the benefit of being in the middle class community. Education was paramount in the family and it was the equalizer we needed to help us move out of the environment we were in. So I guess I was outside of any bubble until fate brought us into the land of "milk and honey" for which we are eternally grateful. I question "upper-middle-class" status, however. Maybe cf. to the rest of the country; but in the west where I'm at, I'm just your average Joe. A very grateful Joe, that is. :P

Agreed. Even when we first arrived and were technically considered living at poverty level and receiving welfare (Medicaid/CHIP), I never actually felt poor. We could afford the necessities and the government helped with healthcare. Even minimum wage was equivalent to 4 years' worth of my mom's salary as Math Department Head at her high school. Heck, we actually had centralized air conditioning and heated water at the apartment, something that I used to deem as purview of rich people.

My parents were already 50 when we migrated so it was harder for them to find jobs (most employers look for local work experience and age discrimination is alive and well). ER's not a possibility for them but they've got good jobs with pension and benefits now. The move has certainly benefited me most and I've caught quite a few lucky breaks. The land of milk and honey definitely holds true for my family. We've been in the US for 11 years and our household income now is 4-5x what it was compared to our first year here. Whenever I convert our annual gross income to Philippine pesos, it always just seems so staggering. That said, with CA HCOL, I'd say we're still more middle class than upper middle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllDone I got a 41. I'm a fifth-generation college graduate with several ancestors who floated over on a famous little wooden boat. It didn't strike me as particularly accurate, especially if you had spent most of your life in the state that is home to just over 10% of the US population. I know I got points for various periods where I lived in the flyovers. California is a big damn "bubble", but consider the source of the "test".

Lol, I had to Google what flyover state meant. I've lived in California since we moved to the US so I haven't really been to any of the other states bar a trip to Universal Orlando/Disney World.

[Lucantes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by davemartin88 I got a 70? Spent some time outside th US and in the military so might be a factor.

+1 I guess the same for me, got a 78: A lifelong resident of a working-class neighborhood with average television and movie going habits.
So I guess my success hasn't gone to my head?

[Sasset]

62 for me. Makes sense since I had working class parents and grew up in a town of less than 50,000. Also, worked on factory floor as first a QC technician and then as a supervisor.