I'm not part of the elite after all

The selective use of the word "elite" as an insult is a pet peeve of mine, as I'm sure it is for all of us in the elite. In response to an op-ed piece in the Washington Post by Charles Murray (author of the appalling Bell Curve), Claire Berlinski has created a quiz to identify who belongs in the "elite", as defined Murray's use of the word.

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.

6. How about pilates? I know it's an exercise program, but not what it entails.

7. How about skiing? No.

8. Mountain biking? No.

9. Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is? No.

10. Does the acronym MMA mean nothing to you? Yes.

11. Can you talk about books endlessly? Yes.

12. Have you ever read a "Left Behind" novel? No.

13. How about a Harlequin romance? Yes, when I worked in a book store.

14. Do you take interesting vacations? Very rarely.

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

16. What about an exquisite B&B overlooking Boothbay Harbor? I don't even know where that is.

17. Would you be caught dead in an RV? I've been caught alive in one.

18. Would you be caught dead on a cruise ship? I can't afford to go on a cruise ship.

19. Have you ever heard of of Branson, MO? Yes.

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

21. How about the Rotary Club? No.

22. Have you lived for at least a year in a small town? Depends on your definition of small. Does Idaho Falls, ID count?

23. Have you lived for a year in an urban neighborhood in which most of your neighbors did not have college degrees? I never polled them, but probably yes.

24. Have you spent at least a year with a family income less than twice the poverty line? Yes, if I count as a family.

25. Do you have a close friend who is an evangelical Christian? I don't have very many close friends at all, but I do have friends who are.

26. Have you ever visited a factory floor? Yes. I'm counting a fish processing ship as a factory.

27. Have you worked on one? Yes.

You're a member of the elite if you answered yes on 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 or no on any of the others. I get an elite score of seven out of twenty-seven. I guess that makes me a non-elite, real American, just like the millionaire media personalities on Fox.

We could go on and on about all the things that are wrong with Murray's article, but I'll hand this over to you guys for now. How did you do?