"Your American Dream Score" Quiz

[MrsPete]

I scored an 81/100 and my soundtrack was Bruce Springstein's Born to Run. 

I found it difficult to answer some of the questions honestly.  I had a rough childhood (poverty, alcoholic parent, loads of siblings), but I saw the benefit of education from a young age, and as an adult I've earned some good breaks and have steadily moved up in the world. 

[Mikila]

I scored a 74.  The odds were against me. The odds say I would have been a divorced drunk and druggie on welfare, like my parents.  Thank God my life didn't follow that script.  He gave me fantastic grandparents who showed me a better way.

[Rosy]

67 - seems appropriate:) - "you had more things working against you than for you", but hey it all worked out in the end:)

Song: Over the rainbow - Judy Garland, OK, but - I prefer Satchmo, "What a beautiful world"

[ptgearguy]

56 as well for me. I have a good family even though we were quite poor when I was young. My social life through my younger years with peers was terrible but life has been good to me for the most part.

[Paul der Krake]

I got a low 50s score and immediately thought there was something wrong with the test because the patriarch class has conditioned me to only expect As in every test.

[the_fixer]

78

Not the best childhood and not the best roles models growing up. Busted my ass to get where I am today and could have turned out much different.

[Lmoot]

 I got a 70. This crap is racist and sexist. Two of my against me factors had to do with race and gender (those were really the only "negative" answers I gave. One was I could've been held back because of my race. And another was I could've been discriminated against because of my gender. So apparently the American dream is to be a white male? That's bullshit.

FWIW I had my college degree paid for by my family, both of my parents are still together, no discord in my family or upbringing.  Just remembered another factor against me was economic status, because I put that I work more than 50 hours in a week for most of my adult life. I guess those career driven folks making 100K plus who fought their way to the top working 70 hour weeks, are economically disadvantaged. I don't make that much, not even near, but it's an example of how not enough of the right questions can lead to major assumptions (not unlike stereotypes). This crap was to quizzes what BMI is to health monitoring.

[meatface]

53. Better than I expected.
I guess my divorced-when-I-was-1-year-old parents still did a good job with me despite being unlikable weirdos. :D

[accolay]

60/With a Little Help from My Friends- by Joe Cocker.

Come on... that's a Beatles song.

[boarder42]

49 here not surprising ... upper middle class growing up ... white ... male.... upper middle class now.

[dignam]

I got a 60 - growing up in a middle class suburban Midwestern area so not much surprise there.  Just for kicks I kept all answers the same and selected black female instead, and the score was 67.  Clearly "white privilege" is baked into that quiz.  Take that as you will...

[Milizard]

This quiz doesn't tell you whether you achieved the American Dream, it measures how much you had to overcome in order to get there.

[Lmoot]

This quiz doesn't tell you whether you achieved the American Dream, it measures how much you had to overcome in order to get there.

Fair enough, but the implication that race and gender is something you have to "overcome" in this day and age, is equally insulting. It holds the assumption that the white male is revered by all and therefore is given more benefit...however in other communities in the US, being white or male could be a disadvantage to your odds. Being of an ambiguous race and culture has been to my benefit, and working in the education field with young children, being a woman is probably easier as well, so it's difficult for me to accept the interpretation that either is a definite obstacle. The quiz didn't even ask follow up questions such as " On a scale, have you ever felt your race or gender counted against you?". It assumed it must.

[wildbeast]

This quiz doesn't tell you whether you achieved the American Dream, it measures how much you had to overcome in order to get there.

Fair enough, but the implication that race and gender is something you have to "overcome" in this day and age, is equally insulting. It holds the assumption that the white male is revered by all and therefore is given more benefit...however in other communities in the US, being white or male could be a disadvantage to your odds. Being of an ambiguous race and culture has been to my benefit, and working in the education field with young children, being a woman is probably easier as well, so it's difficult for me to accept the interpretation that either is a definite obstacle. The quiz didn't even ask follow up questions such as " On a scale, have you ever felt your race or gender counted against you?". It assumed it must.

As a non-white female, I've had my ethnicity denigrated to my face and was told (at work, by a white male) that I was worth less as a human being for being non-white.  I can't imagine that he was/is the only person to ever feel that way, but he was honest enough to tell me to my face. 

If this has not been your experience, and if you feel that your gender and/or race has had no impact on how you have been perceived, treated, and such.  Then good for you.  Count yourself lucky, be grateful and move on.  There is no need to rail on when there are many people who have had their life impacted by these things.  Yes, even today, even in this country.  Ignorance is bliss, if you have no awareness of this phenomena, enjoy your bliss. 

[wildbeast]

So it looks like a majority of folks here fall in the 50's category and then it spreads out with the minority in the 80's.  But interestingly, it looks like those of us in the 80's still managed to retire quite early for our timeline - ie, spartana retired at 42 when it was definitely not the norm, and I'm a bit younger than her (not much) but still retired quite young, and I know at least one other person who was in the 80's also retired quite young.  And yes, we should be damned proud of ourselves and our accomplishments!!!  :)

I'm adopting Kate Perrry's Roar as my soundtrack.  Although I like the Self Made lyrics, it's not a very catchy dancy tune.  So I'll have 2 soundtracks.

[mm1970]

This quiz doesn't tell you whether you achieved the American Dream, it measures how much you had to overcome in order to get there.

Fair enough, but the implication that race and gender is something you have to "overcome" in this day and age, is equally insulting. It holds the assumption that the white male is revered by all and therefore is given more benefit...however in other communities in the US, being white or male could be a disadvantage to your odds. Being of an ambiguous race and culture has been to my benefit, and working in the education field with young children, being a woman is probably easier as well, so it's difficult for me to accept the interpretation that either is a definite obstacle. The quiz didn't even ask follow up questions such as " On a scale, have you ever felt your race or gender counted against you?". It assumed it must.

I wonder if some of this is age related?

As a white woman in a male-dominated field, where I've been for 25+ years, I can say gender HAS BEEN and STILL IS something to "overcome" in my industry.

But hey, I've got the whole ladies' room to myself in my building, because I'm the only woman here.

I'm sure it's better for 46-year old me than it was for my friends in their 50's.  And it's even better for my friends in their 30's.  It's gradually getting better, but we've still got a LONG way to go.

[Luck12]

I got a 70. This crap is racist and sexist. Two of my against me factors had to do with race and gender (those were really the only "negative" answers I gave. One was I could've been held back because of my race. And another was I could've been discriminated against because of my gender. So apparently the American dream is to be a white male? That's bullshit.

Boo fucking hoo!  Apparently it's racist to point out that being white gives you advantages in America.   It's reality buddy and maybe you're too sensitive to accept that reality.   Pretty sure I know who you voted for. 

I've always said "If you are white and don't accept that that has been at least a small advantage, you are an asshole". 

[Lmoot]

This quiz doesn't tell you whether you achieved the American Dream, it measures how much you had to overcome in order to get there.

Fair enough, but the implication that race and gender is something you have to "overcome" in this day and age, is equally insulting. It holds the assumption that the white male is revered by all and therefore is given more benefit...however in other communities in the US, being white or male could be a disadvantage to your odds. Being of an ambiguous race and culture has been to my benefit, and working in the education field with young children, being a woman is probably easier as well, so it's difficult for me to accept the interpretation that either is a definite obstacle. The quiz didn't even ask follow up questions such as " On a scale, have you ever felt your race or gender counted against you?". It assumed it must.

As a non-white female, I've had my ethnicity denigrated to my face and was told (at work, by a white male) that I was worth less as a human being for being non-white.  I can't imagine that he was/is the only person to ever feel that way, but he was honest enough to tell me to my face. 

If this has not been your experience, and if you feel that your gender and/or race has had no impact on how you have been perceived, treated, and such.  Then good for you.  Count yourself lucky, be grateful and move on.  There is no need to rail on when there are many people who have had their life impacted by these things.  Yes, even today, even in this country.  Ignorance is bliss, if you have no awareness of this phenomena, enjoy your bliss.

My quarrel isn't against the idea that some people have experienced that, or feel that way. It's that  the quiz did not even follow up with a simple question as to if you've had those experiences or feel you've been at a disadvantage because of race and gender. To me that says someone else is deciding that that was those were a disadvantage to me, even though I did not experience that for myself. A lot of it has to do with where I live also. So I'm not ignorant to assume it doesn't still happen. But it's just as ignorant to assume that it always happens.

[Luck12]

My quarrel isn't against the idea that some people have experienced that, or feel that way. It's that  the quiz did not even follow up with a simple question as to if you've had those experiences or feel you've been at a disadvantage because of race and gender. To me that says someone else is deciding that that was those were a disadvantage to me, even though I did not experience that for myself. A lot of it has to do with where I live also. So I'm not ignorant to assume it doesn't still happen. But it's just as ignorant to assume that it always happens.

Quiz would get too unwiedly if they tried to account for every little nuance.  Reality is on average in the US it is an advantage to be a white male. 

[Lmoot]

I got a 70. This crap is racist and sexist. Two of my against me factors had to do with race and gender (those were really the only "negative" answers I gave. One was I could've been held back because of my race. And another was I could've been discriminated against because of my gender. So apparently the American dream is to be a white male? That's bullshit.

Boo fucking hoo!  Apparently it's racist to point out that being white gives you advantages in America.   It's reality buddy and maybe you're too sensitive to accept that reality.   Pretty sure I know who you voted for. 

I've always said "If you are white and don't accept that that has been at least a small advantage, you are an asshole".

It's racist to apply the idea that white men are viewed higher up on the social ladder, as a universal view. That's like saying everyone has that same interpretation of the white male being more competent, or somehow better. Like I said before there are advantages also to not being white or male, in certain communities/careers. However the American dream, and success are always measured in terms only of certain industries, which happen to be conquered by mostly white men. That is not a coincidence.

Time and time again minorities and women, and the industries and areas in which they are prolific, are ignored when creating a status quo on which to base certain "quizzes" and "statistics" on. The point I am trying to make, and the irony of it all, is that most of these articles and quizzes, and stats, .are themselves white male centric...in what data they choose to collect, and what they are attempting to measure.

[Lmoot]

My quarrel isn't against the idea that some people have experienced that, or feel that way. It's that  the quiz did not even follow up with a simple question as to if you've had those experiences or feel you've been at a disadvantage because of race and gender. To me that says someone else is deciding that that was those were a disadvantage to me, even though I did not experience that for myself. A lot of it has to do with where I live also. So I'm not ignorant to assume it doesn't still happen. But it's just as ignorant to assume that it always happens.

Quiz would get too unwiedly if they tried to account for every little nuance.  Reality is on average in the US it is an advantage to be a white male.

 Yeah, maybe because a lot of white males have that middle to upper middle come upbringing, and the wealth that goes along with a good education.  But how do you separate the nonracial factors, from the racial factors that explain their success? How do you know it's not because of their economic status? I think too often these types of quizzes conflate race with economic status.

 I am not saying this is always the case, but often times it's really a class issue and not a racial one. Because of America's unique history the fact is a lot of white families did get the leg up, and social discrimination in the past, and yes, today also, have created an economic advantage even to those whites who didn't grow up economically advantaged, that goes back to the birth of the country.

It is not outlandish to  propose that more white males reach success, or at least how it is framed in this quiz, because of the prior advantages that may have allowed them to have the ideal upbringing… And not because they are a white man today. Which is all I'm saying.  I am merely saying that echoes of previous advantages, is not necessarily an indicator that Being a white male holds the same power today and going forward.

[kelvin]

81.

"While hard work contributes to success, each of us have encountered different people, experiences, systems, and services that have helped or hindered our efforts.

Your score of 81 shows you've had much more working against you than in your favor. To see what your score means compared to others, click here.

If your life had a soundtrack, it might include Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell demonstrating your effort to get where you are today."

I come from lower-income and many of my friends are still lower-income. I spent my 20's working two jobs while in school and being told by doctors that my illness was "all in my head" (it wasn't). Finally got the treatment I needed, got help getting through school, and have landed a great job with an awesome union.

It wasn't easy, and while yes, it is possible to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps", it isn't something I would wish on anyone.

[bacchi]

It is not outlandish to  propose that more white males reach success, or at least how it is framed in this quiz, because of the prior advantages that may have allowed them to have the ideal upbringing… And not because they are a white man today. Which is all I'm saying.  I am merely saying that echoes of previous advantages, is not necessarily an indicator that Being a white male holds the same power today and going forward.

Is this a Marxist analysis?

Yes, it's true. It's "not necessarily" an indicator. However, the older one is, the more likely it has occurred (not everyone taking the quiz is 30). It also depends on the profession. See The Atlantic's articles on women in Silly Valley.

[Lmoot]

My quarrel isn't against the idea that some people have experienced that, or feel that way. It's that  the quiz did not even follow up with a simple question as to if you've had those experiences or feel you've been at a disadvantage because of race and gender. To me that says someone else is deciding that that was those were a disadvantage to me, even though I did not experience that for myself. A lot of it has to do with where I live also. So I'm not ignorant to assume it doesn't still happen. But it's just as ignorant to assume that it always happens.

Quiz would get too unwiedly if they tried to account for every little nuance.  Reality is on average in the US it is an advantage to be a white male.

The more likely reality is that on average in the US it is an advantage to come from a middle upper class upbringing…which many white men happen to come from (often because of the past social advantage of being white). But not because necessarily, that they are white today. Are you still not see the distinction?

Minorities and women in positions of power outnumber white men...kinda a lot. Do you really think that simply being white male is the overriding factor of advantage here? However, I agree with some others that age has a lot to do with it. We are a very young country, and you don't have to go back very many generations for the white male advantage, to be a major factor.

[J_Stache]

56 for me also.  I knew going into it that my score would show lots of privilege.

[bacchi]

Minorities and women in positions of power outnumber white men...kinda a lot.

Wait, what? Only ~30% of Federal Judges are women. Only ~5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Only ~5% were minorities.

Where do women and minorities in positions of power outnumber white men? We're talking about the US, right?

[MsPeacock]

70. I felt like it was pretty accurate. Some of the scoring relates to generational issues - e.g. joining the workforce during a recession (as I did) and others are individual issues (health problems, for instance). I found it very interesting.

[caracarn]

67, which seems about right.  I've had some luck, but had to work hard to get where I am.

[redbirdfan]

63.  I feel like I am the luckiest person ever.  I've experienced a good deal of subtle racism, but nothing even close to what my parents went through - (the South in the '60's).  Having two great parents, being raised with the expectation of hard work, college and gainful employment, not having to deal with any health or substance abuse issues, and having enough money to not know that money was an issue gave me the best of childhoods.   "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban is my soundtrack.   

[Goldielocks]

67 -- much higher than I would have expected for a white girl with two well-off parents in a stable family.  hmm..

"Somewhere over the Rainbow" 

?!?  does that mean never?  I will always dream and never attain?

mm1970 -- I can agree about the washroom thing, especially as the woman's washroom is LARGER than the men's, despite very very few women at some of the places I have worked.

I do recall in the 90's that most employers had a rule about not dating someone from your workplace, with the culturally accepted idea that if it got serious, it would be the woman who quit her job to find another place...

[tiger002]

I got 60 and the description sounds about right. I've worked hard and made good decisions to get the success I have, but I had a good foundation from my family, lived in a good city, and also had some college professors that helped me to get the job I have now.

[Lanthiriel]

63. Really my only obstacles have been that my parents weren't educated and I tend to make friends with whiny losers (this is probably more of a reflection on me than anything), so they aren't particularly helpful in my adult life.

[Trifle]

I got a 76, theme song "Tubthumper."  I felt like that was about right.  I feel like my successes are down to me, and i wasn't handed much. 

For shits and giggles, my younger brother took the quiz and he got a 66. Some of that difference is explained by gender and a slight age difference (he entered a different job market, I guess), but I was surprised there was that much difference between the two of us.     

[47%MMM]

Another 56 here, it seems to be the most common answer. I was mostly raised in a single parent home but she always cared and showed interest. That combined with solid health seems to be driving the score.

I wonder if there are certain questions that really drive the score to the more negative range.

[47%MMM]

This crap was to quizzes what BMI is to health monitoring.

+1

haha I love that comment, here I thought I was the only one that hated the BMI with passion.

[FL_MM]

Wow...74. Glad we are able to overcome our upbringing.

[Spitfire]

60. I felt more than lucky than privileged, as some things could have gone badly but ended up being fine or even good. I had immigrant, working class parents. The city I grew up in is not so nice, but we lived in a safe area of it. The schools were not good, but I was with the nerds and didn't get caught up in anything bad. My dad did landscaping for a college, it wasn't much money but it was enough for basics, and I got free undergrad tuition to boot.

Hmm, maybe I was privileged. 

[aceyou]

53.  I've been very fortunate.

[rpr]

Minorities and women in positions of power outnumber white men...kinda a lot.

Wait, what? Only ~30% of Federal Judges are women. Only ~5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Only ~5% were minorities.

Where do women and minorities in positions of power outnumber white men? We're talking about the US, right?

To add further:

Current number of Women in the US Congress  ~19%
Current number of Women in the US State Legislatures  ~25%

The reality is that both racism and sexism exist in this day and age. It is hard to get rid of generations of cultural programming. It is nowhere near as bad as it used to be before the 60's but still exists. Overt forms may be present in some parts but covert forms exist almost everywhere. Such covert forms hugely enable  male privilege to continue persisting in the form of tilted playing fields in their favor. Males are frequently unaware that they both engage in and have been beneficiaries of this practice. To overcome this inherent bias requires some level of awareness and some training. 

[s_17]

56

Soundtrack: Imagine by John Lennon, as a sign your feeling pretty grateful overall

[Abe]

63, which I guess is pretty accurate. Really the only hardship I've had is growing up in a super racist town as an immigrant, but our family was rich and I left for a much better town by age 15 so didn't economically hold me back.

[ash7962]

53, Dancing in the Streets by Martha & The Vandellas.  Thought this was a neat little quiz and it is definitely true that I had a privileged upbringing.  The only 2 obstacles I had were possible gender based discrimination and entering the job market at a bad time.  Which for the 2nd one I came in at the very tail end of the 2008 recession so things were trending upwards by the time I made it into the work force. 

For gender, I would say I'm lucky as a female in the software development world.  The most "discrimination" I've faced from my male coworkers has been when they were unsure if they'd offend me with crude jokes haha.  However, when I had to deal with 3rd party vendor software a lot I'd call their support and have to explain to them that I'm a dev so that they'd ask me actual troubleshooting questions.  Also, my current company is all about diversity so I was possibly hired partly because of my gender.  I am frequently asked to do PR things for my company because it's so rare to have a female dev.  I feel this isn't really the norm especially considering the articles that have recently been coming out about Uber.  I consider myself very lucky.

Edit to say that I *know* this isn't the norm in many companies considering my company won a best workplace for women under 30 award and I was just at an event where the main idea was talking about how to improve opportunities and workplaces for women.

[Letj]

I got a 70. This crap is racist and sexist. Two of my against me factors had to do with race and gender (those were really the only "negative" answers I gave. One was I could've been held back because of my race. And another was I could've been discriminated against because of my gender. So apparently the American dream is to be a white male? That's bullshit.

Boo fucking hoo!  Apparently it's racist to point out that being white gives you advantages in America.   It's reality buddy and maybe you're too sensitive to accept that reality.   Pretty sure I know who you voted for. 

I've always said "If you are white and don't accept that that has been at least a small advantage, you are an asshole".

+fucking 1000

[Letj]

I got a 70. This crap is racist and sexist. Two of my against me factors had to do with race and gender (those were really the only "negative" answers I gave. One was I could've been held back because of my race. And another was I could've been discriminated against because of my gender. So apparently the American dream is to be a white male? That's bullshit.

Boo fucking hoo!  Apparently it's racist to point out that being white gives you advantages in America.   It's reality buddy and maybe you're too sensitive to accept that reality.   Pretty sure I know who you voted for. 

I've always said "If you are white and don't accept that that has been at least a small advantage, you are an asshole".

It's racist to apply the idea that white men are viewed higher up on the social ladder, as a universal view. That's like saying everyone has that same interpretation of the white male being more competent, or somehow better. Like I said before there are advantages also to not being white or male, in certain communities/careers. However the American dream, and success are always measured in terms only of certain industries, which happen to be conquered by mostly white men. That is not a coincidence.

Time and time again minorities and women, and the industries and areas in which they are prolific, are ignored when creating a status quo on which to base certain "quizzes" and "statistics" on. The point I am trying to make, and the irony of it all, is that most of these articles and quizzes, and stats, .are themselves white male centric...in what data they choose to collect, and what they are attempting to measure.

I lived in a country with a small white population where white privileged was on full display. Even the majority non-white polpulation treated them and respected them much more than the rest. White privilege all over the world from Asia to Africa is a reality. Even in China they hire white models who sometimes don't know squat about what they're supposed to do to lend an air of sophistication to their establishments. People all over the world are staying out of the sun, bleaching their skin, fixing their noses, eyes, etc to look more white.

[Elderwood17]

I got a 56.  Neither parent went to college but they stayed together, we lived in a stable safe small town and I was encouraged to study hard, work hard and expect good things.  Lots of advantages there. Also, I am white and male, and quite aware of the advantages that gave me.

[sisto]

I got 81 and Ain't no mountain high enough. I agree with what other have said thing definitely could have been different for sure. I worked hard to get where I am and have always said I don't think I would be this strong if my life wasn't so hard.

[cadillacmike]

Minorities and women in positions of power outnumber white men...kinda a lot.

Wait, what? Only ~30% of Federal Judges are women. Only ~5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. Only ~5% were minorities.

Where do women and minorities in positions of power outnumber white men? We're talking about the US, right?

To add further:

Current number of Women in the US Congress  ~19%
Current number of Women in the US State Legislatures  ~25%

The reality is that both racism and sexism exist in this day and age. It is hard to get rid of generations of cultural programming. It is nowhere near as bad as it used to be before the 60's but still exists. Overt forms may be present in some parts but covert forms exist almost everywhere. Such covert forms hugely enable  male privilege to continue persisting in the form of tilted playing fields in their favor. Males are frequently unaware that they both engage in and have been beneficiaries of this practice. To overcome this inherent bias requires some level of awareness and some training. 

Before putting up those numbers, why don't you find out the percentages of who RAN for elections over the past 25 years or so?

The "quiz" smacks of a leftist pile of doo-doo.

[aspiringnomad]

56 and Imagine by John Lennon "to show my gratefulness."

Biracial immigrant kid growing up in a dirt poor town with divorced parents, but I had pretty much everything else go my way. Fell in with the right crowd, parents were/are very educated and caring, have been healthy (knock on wood), and school was mostly fun and easy for me right through grad school. Worked a lot of low-wage jobs early on, but that experience and ethic paid off about as well as I could've hoped. Very fortunate, all-in-all.

[arebelspy]

56.

[expatartist]

60 with soundtrack "Youll Never Walk Alone" by Elvis.

twinsies

Nope. Triplets. See reply #19.

Quadruplets!

60. Parents stayed together (miserably) til most of us had left the house, home and school life were terrible but education was a priority. A Bachelor's degree in an impractical subject has taken me to many places around the world. Also, being Caucasian with a first-world passport is its own privilege!

Edited grammar.