Are you a Charles Murray "elitist snob"? Take this quiz and post your results!

[agentS]

Here's the link.
http://ricochet.com/conversations/How-Elite-are-You

And a sample from the original article by Murray.

With geographical clustering goes cultural clustering. Get into a conversation about television with members of the New Elite, and they can probably talk about a few trendy shows -- "Mad Men" now, "The Sopranos" a few years ago. But they haven't any idea who replaced Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right." They know who Oprah is, but they've never watched one of her shows from beginning to end.

Talk to them about sports, and you may get an animated discussion of yoga, pilates, skiing or mountain biking, but they are unlikely to know who Jimmie Johnson is (the really famous Jimmie Johnson, not the former Dallas Cowboys coach), and the acronym MMA means nothing to them.

They can talk about books endlessly, but they've never read a "Left Behind" novel (65 million copies sold) or a Harlequin romance (part of a genre with a core readership of 29 million Americans).

They take interesting vacations and can tell you all about a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada or an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor, but they wouldn't be caught dead in an RV or on a cruise ship (unless it was a small one going to the Galapagos). They have never heard of Branson, Mo.

There so many quintessentially American things that few members of the New Elite have experienced. They probably haven't ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club or Rotary Club, or lived for at least a year in a small town (college doesn't count) or in an urban neighborhood in which most of their neighbors did not have college degrees (gentrifying neighborhoods don't count). They are unlikely to have spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line (graduate school doesn't count) or to have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian. They are unlikely to have even visited a factory floor, let alone worked on one.

So, fellow DUers, answer truthfully to the following 25 ridiculous questions posited by Murray.
1. Can you talk about "Mad Men?"
My answer: No, not really. I only know it's on cable tv.
2. Can you talk about the "The Sopranos?"
My answer: A little bit. I never watched it because it was on a network I didn't have.
3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right?"
My answer: Drew Carrey, right?
4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end?
My answer: Once in the 90s but I've seen plenty of Springer from end to end!
5. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga?
My answer: hell no.
5. How about pilates?
My answer: fuck no.
5. How about skiing?
My answer: Not animatedly but I have done it before. I know quite a few average Joes who can though.
6. Mountain biking?
My answer: Yes! I would direct most questions on that to fmr. President Bush. I heard he was a fan.
7. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is?
My answer: The football couch for Dallas and Miami with the ugly toupee?
8. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you?
My answer: Yeah, good ole MMA. I remember a few hilarious UFC fights. Kimbo SLICE!!!
9. Can you talk about books endlessly?
My answer: Sure but they'll be humor books and repair books and science books.
10. Have you ever read a "Left Behind" novel?
My answer: Yes and it SUCKED FUCKING ASS! I don't understand why people like that series. The writing is really bad and the plot is hard to follow.
11. How about a Harlequin romance?
My answer: I'm a guy. what do you think?
12. Do you take interesting vacations?
My answer: Yes. So do a lot of people, rich and middle class and even poor.
13. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada?
My answer: I wish. I've heard it's beautiful there in the summer. Dangerous, though! Weather changes and fire dangers certainly don't make it a cakewalk.
14. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor?
My answer: where the fuck is that?
15. Would you be caught dead in an RV?
My answer: I've been spotted alive in one, but it was painted in Jaguar colors.
16. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship?
My answer: Only if I catch Legionnaires' disease. Cruise ships are breeding grounds for that one and I doubt I would handle an infection all that well.
17. Have you ever heard of Branson, Mo?
My answer: Yes, and I've heard of a lot of places.
18. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club?
My answer: No. They don't exactly send out invites.
19. How about the Rotary Club?
My answer: Ditto.
20. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town?
My answer: Yes. It was not exactly pleasant.
21. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees?
My answer: Yes. It was not exactly pleasant either, but that was due to hurricanes.
22. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line?
My answer: Yes, quite a few years.
23. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian?
My answer: No and yes. See Loving vs Virginia, Eddie Long, Ted Haggart and Religulous the movie as to why I keep my distance from those types. I have a few friends who consider themselves Evangelical, but they're not spending their hard-earned cash on killing abortion doctors or bullying gay kids, so I guess that makes them bad evangelicals, huh?
24. Have you ever visited a factory floor?
My answer: Once when I was a kid. It was amazing!
25. Have you worked on one?
My answer: Several. It's one reason why I vote Democratic very often. There's a reason why there's so many regulations- people do get killed on the floor.

[Grey]

1. guess I'm a Snob, only said yes to 3 of the questions.

20, 21, 22.

[OHdem10]

2. I can navigate in both cultures, but I find it off-putting for Murray

classify one group negatively "elite-snob". Are there
snobs? Yes, I have found some pretentious snobs at
all levels.

I have seen some very sophisticated, well-educated persons
comfortable enough in their own skin and down to earth
enough to be very comfortable around anyone, no matter
their culture, background education or lack thereof.

[realisticphish]

5. I think it's a false dichotomy

I mean, Mad Men and the Sopranos? Those were ridiculously popular, even with the "proles"

This guy is a bigoted piece of shit, and it shows. People from the country=people who don't read, drive their RVs to Branson for a Kiwanis conference, then sing God Bless America and drip tears on their WWF shirts. Projection to the nth degree

[Starry Messenger]

3. Um, Charles "The Bell Curve" Murray is pointing fingers about the Elite?

I'm not into hipster snobbery either, but at least they aren't writing books about the brains of black folks being inferior. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Curve

[Hannah Bell]

14. +100

[realisticphish]

4. Kiwanis? Rotary?

What, is the is 19-freaking-70s?
Apparently, "quintessential American" means "things old people like." And, why the FUCK doesn't grad school count? Is there a magical grad school fairy that pays your rent?


So, fellow DUers, answer truthfully to the following 25 ridiculous questions posited by Murray.
1. Can you talk about "Mad Men?"
-Watched 2 episodes, never really got into it
2. Can you talk about the "The Sopranos?"
-Didn't like it. Sons of Anarchy? Now we're talking
3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right?"
-No, because I don't give a shit
4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end?
-No, because I hate Oprah
5. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga?
-Uh, no
5. How about pilates?
-Arrr, matey... oh, sorry
5. How about skiing?
-Not even a bit
6. Mountain biking?
-Nope
7. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is?
-NASCAR, 48 car. Jeff Gordon's teammate
8. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you?
-Yeah, but I don't like it
9. Can you talk about books endlessly?
-Sure, because I'm, you know, literate
10. Have you ever read a "Left Behind" novel?
-No, because what fractions I have read is ridiculous apocalyptic horse shit
11. How about a Harlequin romance?
-What, like the Joker's girlfriend?
12. Do you take interesting vacations?
-no
13. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada?
-No, because I'm poor
14. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor?
-You made that name up
15. Would you be caught dead in an RV?
-No. Because RVs are for pansies who can't stand going 10 minutes without air conditioning
16. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship?
-Maybe. They sound boring
17. Have you ever heard of Branson, Mo?
-Yes, and I will never deliberately go there
18. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club?
-No, because I'm not 150 years old
19. How about the Rotary Club?
-Ditto
20. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town?
-Born and raised
21. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees?
-Yup. West side of Columbus, working-class Hispanic neighborhood
22. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line?
-HAHAHAHA Yes.
23. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian?
-Of course.
24. Have you ever visited a factory floor?
-Yes; my Dad has spent 25 years working on one
25. Have you worked on one?
-Like there are any manufacturing jobs

[Ozymanithrax]

6. I guess I am not an elitist.

1. Can you talk about "Mad Men?" No.

2. Can you talk about the "The Sopranos?" No

3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right?" No

4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end? No

5. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga? No

5. How about pilates? No

5. How about skiing? No

6. Mountain biking? Yes

7. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is? No

8. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you? No

9. Can you talk about books endlessly? Yes

10. Have you ever read a "Left Behind" novel? No. I tried. They are quite possiblly the worst novels in the English Language.

11. How about a Harlequin romance? Yes

12. Do you take interesting vacations? No

13. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada? No

14. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor? No

15. Would you be caught dead in an RV? Never owned one, and never will.

16. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship? Twice, and will go on my third Cruise next march.

17. Have you ever heard of of Branson, Mo? Yes

18. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club? No.

19. How about the Rotary Club? No

20. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town? Yes. Grew up in Blackwell, Okla.

21. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees? Yes, most of my life.

22. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line? Most of my life.

23. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian? Yes, unfortunately.

24. Have you ever visited a factory floor? Yes.

25. Have you worked on one? Yes.

[rpannier]

7. Mine

Yes: 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 20, 21, 23

[blondeatlast]

8. What does, "Bite me, Charles "Bell Curve" Murray" make me?

I couldn't care less what Mr. Browner=Inferiorer thinks of me.

And I'm as white as skin gets.

[Hannah Bell]

15. +100

[eridani]

9. Not having a TV makes it hard to be either elitist or just plain folks

1. Can you talk about "Mad Men?" No.

2. Can you talk about the "The Sopranos?" No

3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right?" No

4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end? No

5. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga? No

5. How about pilates? Yes

5. How about skiing? No

6. Mountain biking? Yes

7. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is? No

8. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you? No

9. Can you talk about books endlessly? Yes

10. Have you ever read a "Left Behind" novel? Couldn't make it past 10 pages.

11. How about a Harlequin romance? Yes

12. Do you take interesting vacations? Used to.

13. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada? No. Ask me about the Cascades or the Olympics

14. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor? No

15. Would you be caught dead in an RV? No.

16. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship? No.

17. Have you ever heard of of Branson, Mo? Yes

18. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club? No.

19. How about the Rotary Club? No

20. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town? Yes--my entire childhood.

21. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees? Yes, for the last 28 years.

22. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line? Only before I turned 30.

23. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian? No, but quite a few relatives.

24. Have you ever visited a factory floor? Yes.

25. Have you worked on one? Yes--quite a long time ago, thoug.

[sandnsea]

10. More right wing teabag bullshit

pretending they're the party of the workin' man.

God this shit gets old. Why is it posted here?

[csziggy]

11. I guess I would be one of his "New Elites" even if I am old

My parents worked long and hard to make sure their daughters could have a shot at the "elite" class.

1. Can you talk about "Mad Men?"
My answer: No.
2. Can you talk about the "The Sopranos?"
My answer: No.
3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right?"
My answer: No.
4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end?
My answer: Not in the last two decades.
5. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga?
My answer: No.
5. How about pilates?
My answer: No.
5. How about skiing?
My answer: No.
6. Mountain biking?
My answer: No.
7. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is?
My answer: No.
8. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you?
My answer: Huh?
9. Can you talk about books endlessly?
My answer: Only if they are classic science fiction or mysteries.
10. Have you ever read a "Left Behind" novel?
My answer: No.
11. How about a Harlequin romance?
My answer: No. I tried once but it sucked.
12. Do you take interesting vacations?
My answer: Yes, if you consider birdwatching and visiting archeological sites interesting.
13. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada?
My answer: No.
14. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor?
My answer: No.
15. Would you be caught dead in an RV?
My answer: No.
16. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship?
My answer: No.
17. Have you ever heard of Branson, Mo?
My answer: Yes, and my parents once visited there. THEY thought it was pretty stupid.
18. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club?
My answer: No.
19. How about the Rotary Club?
My answer: No.
20. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town?
My answer: Yes. Only place I ever lived that was burgled.
21. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees?
My answer: No.
22. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line?
My answer: Yes.
23. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian?
My answer: No but I have relatives who are - does that count?
24. Have you ever visited a factory floor?
My answer: Would a phosphate mine plant be considered the same? I grew up around those and my father and grandfather worked at them.
25. Have you worked on one?
My answer: No, back then, girls were not even considered for jobs in the plants.

[tXr]

12. Mine -

1. Can you talk about "Mad Men?"
My answer: No. Don't have cable, don't care.

2. Can you talk about the "The Sopranos?"
My answer: See #1 (although I know the show ended several years ago and is no longer running on cable, I've never seen an episode and don't plan to.

3. Do you know who replaced Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right?".
My answer: Drew Carey.

4. Have you watched an Oprah show from beginning to end?
My answer: Yes, although it has been many, many years (like 20).

5a. Can you hold forth animatedly about yoga?
My answer: Don't care about yoga.

5b. How about pilates?
My answer: See above.

5c. How about skiing?
My answer: Refer to 5a and b.

6. Mountain biking?
My answer: I have the second part of the equation, but until very recently lacked the first, so no. Also see answers to 5 a, b, and c. My bike is for basic transportation, not falling down the side of a mountain.

7. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is?
My answer: NASCAR driver, won Winston Cup (or whatever it's called these days) for the past few years. I don't follow NASCAR as closely as I used to in the 90s and early 00s.

8. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you?
My answer: I think it stands for Mixed Martial Arts, but again I don't care much for sports or TV, so I don't watch it.

9. Can you talk about books endlessly?
My answer: Not endlessly. I really need to put the interwebz down and pick up a dead tree every once in a while.

10. Have you ever read a "Left Behind" novel?
My answer: No, and I ain't a-gonna.

11. How about a Harlequin romance?
My answer: Nope. Not my cup of tea.

12. Do you take interesting vacations?
My answer: What's a vacation?

13. Do you know a great backpacking spot in the Sierra Nevada?
My answer: Nope. Sounds like it would involve climbing and stuff. Not interested.

14. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor?
My answer: Sounds New England-y. Never been there, probably never will,

15. Would you be caught dead in an RV?
My answer: I lived in one (a travel trailer) full-time for 8 years.

16. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship?
My answer: Can't afford it, and even if i could I think it's a waste of money.

17. Have you ever heard of of Branson, MO?
My answer: Yes. From what I've heard, it's a tourist trap.

18. Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club?
My answer: No. Aren't kiwanis those cute little birds from the land next to the land down under? :P

19. How about the Rotary Club?
My answer: Nope. Isn't that some type of business club?

20. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town?
My answer: No. Lived in a really big city for most of my life.

21. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees?
My answer: I doubt many of my trailer-dwelling former compadres had green cards, let alone high school diplomas.

22. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line?
My answer: Oh, hell yes! I lived on jobs paying $5.15 to $8 an hour the entire time I was a trailer dweller.

23. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian?
My answer: No. My life is blessedly fundie-free.

24. Have you ever visited a factory floor?
My answer: See #25.

25. Have you worked on one?
My answer: I've never worked in a factory, but I have put in my share of time working at refineries and chemical plants.

[zbdent]

13. another case of starting with the answer you want, and then crafting the question

to fit the point you want to make with "the answer".

Kinda like the conservative elitist pundit who said that "there were fewer terrorist attacks on U.S. soil under Bush43 after we started the war in Iraq, than there have been under Obama." Confined the definitions of the debate to only the narrowest of avenues, which allowed the debate to point toward the argument she made.

(whatever happened to the argument that terrorists were in place under the previous president, who was thus responsible for the terrorist attack/attempt? The 9/11 terrorists were in the U.S. under Clinton, so it was his fault. The "Times Square" car bomber came into the U.S. and earned his M.B.A. all under Bush43 ... yet it was "Obama's fault" that he was here ???)

[Hannah Bell]

16. why would anyone bother to take a pointless quiz devised by a racist fascist elitist?

[agentS]

17. Projectionism by Charles Murray

After reading a few responses it would seem the average liberal has more in common with working class people than the "heroes" of the Tea Party Express, like Palin, Miller, and the other half-wits.

The real "New Elites" are those tea party candidates taking reams of money like they Hamid Karzai in Kabul, but can't understand fiscal policy, let alone spell it. The real "New Elites" are paid off by the "Old Elites" to make it look like they're actually grassroots.

Going to Branson or the Sierra foothills isn't a sign of whether you're elite or a common man. He's just trying to please his Koch brothers and keep people thinking the Koch brother acolytes are on their side, just because they have a beer or two, when they're not.

I think Murray got rung up on the curve of a bell too many times.