Before I start, two bits of business: (1) we really, honestly, truly think we’ve nailed the latency problem. Try and see! I am very interested to know your results. (2) If you didn’t see it before, remember we’re having a WEBINAR which I discussed in this post. In fact, the CEO just wrote me and nailed down a date and time – January 31st at 2 p.m. PST (that’s an hour after the market closes). So please go to the post if you haven’t and sign up.

So, now – – in my review of Coming Apart, I alluded to a questionnaire in the book which measures how much of an Overeducated Elitist Snob you are (and this is offered in the most loving way possible). Just for fun, take the quiz below – it only takes a couple of minutes – and give yourself a point for each “Yes”. See how YOU rate! The lowest the score, the bigger an OES!

 

Q.1

Have you ever lived for at least a year in an American neighborhood in which the majority of your fifty nearest neighbors did not have college degrees? You should make your judgment with regard to your neighborhood, not your zip code. Answer "No" if you are thinking of a gentrifying neighborhood in which you were one of the gentrifiers. *

• Yes
• No

Q.2

Did you grow up in a family in which the chief breadwinner was not in a managerial job or a high-prestige profession (defined as attorney, physician, dentist, architect, engineer, scientist, or college professor)?. *

• Yes
• No

Q.3

Have you ever lived for at least a year in an American community under 50,000 population that is not part of a metropolitan area and is not where you went to college? *

• Yes
• No

Q.4

Have you ever lived for at least a year in the United States at a family income that was close to or below the poverty line? You may answer "yes" if your family income then was below $30,000 in 2010 dollars. Graduate school doesn't count. Living unemployed with your family after college doesn't count. *

• Yes
• No

Q.5

Have you ever worked on a factory floor? *

• Yes
• No

Q.6

Have you ever held a job that caused something to hurt at the end of the day? The question applies to any part of the body that hurts because of physical labor using the large muscles. Headaches don't count, and neither does carpal tunnel syndrome. Sore feet from having to stand up for long periods of time does count. *

• Yes
• No

Q.7

Have you ever had a close friend who was an evangelical Christian? The distinguishing characteristics of evangelical Christians are belief in the historical accuracy of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, including especially the divinity and resurrection of Christ, and belief in the necessity of personal conversion — being "born again" — as a condition for salvation. *

• Yes
• No

Q.8

Do you now have a close friend with whom you have strong and wide-ranging political disagreements? Answer "No" if they are disagreements within the same side of the political spectrum (for example, you are a liberal who has an ultraliberal friend or a conservative with an ultraconservative friend). *

• Yes
• No

Q.9

Have you ever had a close friend who could seldom get better than Cs in high school even if he or she tried hard? *

• Yes
• No

Q.10

During the last month have you voluntarily hung out with people who were smoking cigarettes? *

• Yes
• No

Q.11

Do you know what military ranks are denoted by these five insignia?

• Yes
• No

Q.12

Do you know who Jimmie Johnson is? *

• Yes
• No

Q.13

Have you or your spouse ever bought a pickup truck? *

• Yes
• No

Q.14

During the last year, have you ever purchased domestic mass-market beer to stock your own fridge? *

• Yes
• No

Q.15

During the last five years, have you or your spouse gone fishing? *

• Yes
• No

Q.16

How many times in the last year have you eaten at one of the following restaurant chains? Applebee's Waffle House Denny's IHOP Chili's Outback Steakhouse Ruby Tuesday T.G.I. Friday's Ponderosa Steakhouse *

• Yes
• No

Q.17

In secondary school, did you letter in anything? Answer "Yes" if you got any high school varsity letter except for the debating team or chess club — or if you were a cheerleader or in the marching band. *

• Yes
• No

Q.18

Have you ever attended a meeting of a Kiwanis Club or Rotary Club, or a meeting at a union local? *

• Yes
• No

Q.19

Have you ever participated in a parade not involving global warming, a war protest, or gay rights? *

• Yes
• No

Q.20

Since leaving school, have you ever worn a uniform? Wearing a uniform in a dramatic production or on Halloween does not count. *

• Yes
• No

Q.21

Have you ever done either of these for a trip of fifty miles or more? Ridden on a long-distance bus (e.g., Greyhound, Trailways) or hitchhiked *

• Yes
• No

Q.22

Which of the following movies have you seen (at a theater or on a DVD)? Iron Man 2 Inception Despicable Me Tron: Legacy True Grit Clash of the Titans Grown Ups Little Fockers The King's Speech Shutter Island *

• Yes
• No

Q.23

During the 2009–10 television season, how many of the following series did you watch regularly? American Idol Undercover Boss The Big Bang Theory Grey's Anatomy Lost House Desperate Housewives Two and a Half Men The Office Survivor *

• Yes
• No

Q.24

Have you ever watched an episode of any of these shows all the way through? Oprah, Dr. Phil, or Judge Judy *

• Yes
• No