I scored 36.
Solidly middle class, with enough education and comforts to be accused of bordering elite.
Depends on who’s pinning on the labels.
The test is called “How Thick is Your Bubble?” alluding to the insulation the wealthy have from the “real world” of the middle class and especially the poor, and conversely how out of step the country’s poor are with the “real world” of middle-income earners and especially the upper class.
The test was devised by Charles Murray, a sociologist who has written several books on what he considers the decline of America. Murray contends the United States is no longer a melting pot, but, in fact, more like a Hollandaise sauce that’s separated, leaving neither the top nor its base suitable for consumption.
His last book, “Coming Apart,” has attracted the attention of dozens of columnists, who get their kicks agreeing or disagreeing with his analysis.
Murray isn’t as hard on the elite in their “SuperZIP Code” enclaves that keep them from having to brush against the lower classes.
Yes, they should get out in an effort to become more sensitive to what average is. But they’ve earned their exclusivity, he maintains.
The poor remain poor, Murray contends, because they are less religious, honest and responsible than the wealthy.
Never mind that the country — in fact, the world — has turned away from conventional worship. Or that white-collar crime continues to soar — think Bernie Madoff. Or that the dismal marriage rates for the poor are in large part related to the stresses of under-employment or unemployment.
Instead, Murray conveniently, if not smugly, equates wealth with superiority.
I was offended by the quiz. It made me feel like a country bumpkin just because I not only knew that Branson is the entertainment capital of the Midwest, but also that I have been there, which added “points” to my score.
Other questions were if I’d ever worked a job that left me physically hurting at the end of the day, if I have friends who believe in Creationism over evolution, if I live in a neighborhood where more than 50 homeowners don’t have college degrees, if I watch mindless TV shows, or if I live in a city of less than 50,000.
Murray admits he is surprised to learn that 21 percent of U.S. residents live in rural American, and another 10 percent in towns fewer than 10,000.
“What do they do?” I imagine him saying.
