A "Class" Activity

Plenty of people argue with Ruby Payne about her methodology, but from her 24 years worth of direct personal experience in dealing with issues of poverty, she can construct some pretty interesting scenarios. This comes from her book A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Which list do you "fit" in? Most people will have some crossover with all three lists, but will find that they can answer nearly every question in one category. (Put a mental check by each thing you know how to do.)

Could You Survive in Poverty?

1. I know which churches and sections of town have the best rummage sales.
2. I know which rummage sales have "bag sales" and when.
3. I know which grocery stores' garbage bins can be accessed for thrown-away food.
4. I know how to get someone out of jail.
5. I know how to physically fight and defend myself physically. (We're not talking about theoretically knowing how to throw a punch, here, but rather that you can and have.)
6. I know how to get a gun, even if I have a police record.
7. I know how to keep my clothes from being stolen at the Laundromat.
8. I know what problems to look for in a used car.
9. I know how to live without a checking account.
10. I know how to live without electricity and a phone.
11. I know how to use a knife as scissors.
12. I can entertain groups of friends with my personality and my stories.
13. I know what to do when I don't have money to pay the bills.
14. I know how to move in 1/2 a day.
15. I know how to get and use food stamps or an electronic card for benefits.
16. I know where the free medical clinics are.
17. I am very good at trading and bartering.
18. I can get by without a car.
    

Could You Survive in Middle Class?

1. I know how to get my children into Little League, piano lessons, soccer, etc.
2. I know how to properly set a table.
3. I know which stores are most likely to carry the clothing brands my family wears.
4. My children know the best name brands in clothing. (This includes you even if all your kids "know" is that your shoes have to be Nikes :).
   
5. I know how to order in a nice restaurant.
6. I know how to use a credit card, checking account, and savings account--and I understand an annuity. I understand term life insurance, disability insurance, and 20/80 medical insurance policy, as well as house insurance, flood insurance, and replacement insurance.
7. I talk to my children about going to college.
8. I know how to get one of the best interest rates on my new-car loan.
9. I understand the difference among the principal, interest, and escrow statements on my house payment.
10. I know how to help my children with their homework and do not hesitate to call the school if I need additional information.
11. I know how to decorate the house for the different holidays.
12. I know how to get a library card.
13. I know how to use most of the tools in the garage.
14. I repair items in my house almost immediately when they break--or know a repair service and call it.
    

What I find instructive about these two lists is that it's assumed that the middle class owns a car. It's implicit in being middle class, and so is insurance; whether you can afford it or not, you at least know about it and how it works. The middle class is supposed to be savvier about financial choices. There's also evidence of enough leisure time to pursue activities like reading--getting a library card. There's also a remarkable flavoring of future preparation, again with the purchasing of insurance, but also with one's children--planning for college, communication with teachers, extracurricular activities. Her lists ring true to my experiences in working with people in poverty. I find the third category a bit misnamed, but I take it she means could you fit in with this class, where survival becomes social survival, because your connections are what help you to maintain your wealth.

Could You Survive in Wealth?

1. I can read a menu in French, English, and another language.
2. I have several favorite restaurants in different countries of the world.
3. During the holidays I know how to hire a decorator to identify the appropriate themes and items with which to decorate the house.
4. I know who my preferred financial advisor, legal service, designer, domestic-employment service, and hairdresser are. (And yes, you need to be able to use all of these services. :)
5. I have at least two residences that are staffed and maintained.
6. I know how to ensure confidentiality and loyalty from my domestic staff.
7. I have at least two or three "screens" that keep people whom I do not wish to see away from me.
8. I fly in my own plane or the company plane.
9. I know how to enroll my children in the preferred private schools.
10. I know how to host the parties that "key" people attend.
11. I am on the boards of at least two charities.
12. I know the hidden rules of the Junior League.
13. I support or buy the work of a particular artist.
14. I know how to read a corporate financial statement and analyze my own financial statements.
    

I got a few of those, but not very many. I got about half of the poverty ones. And I'm solidly middle class except my child doesn't know any brand names. Not a bad thing though, eh? Where do you fall in these categories?

-- Virgil