Live In A Big City? You're Probably Culturally Inept

by Courtney McGowan · February 27, 2012

    An online quiz was recently brought to my attention (yes it's 1999), which posed the question, "How Thick Is Your Bubble?" (spoiler alert: it's opaque). Inspired by American Enterprise Institute scholar Charles Murray's new book "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010," the quiz measures your level of American mainstream cultural isolation in 20 unintentionally hilarious, offensive questions. Here are some that stood out...

    Before we begin, let it be known that I am 24 years old and have lived in NYC my entire life.

    Have you ever held a job that caused a part of your body to hurt at the end of the day? This desk chair could do with a little lumbar cushion action.

    Have you seen last year's mega-hit movie, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"? Never heard of it.

    Can you name this NASCAR champion?

    Will Ferrell and/or Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    During the past year, have you stocked your own fridge with domestic mass-market beer? No, but my friend who lives in Brooklyn likes PBR.

    Have you eaten at an Applebee's, TGIFriday's, or Outback Steakhouse in the past year? How many times?

    Have you or your spouse ever bought a pickup truck? Wait, I'm married now?

    Have you ever attended a Kiwanis or Rotary Club meeting, or a gathering at a union local? Never heard of it.

    Have you ever participated in a parade that did not involve global warming, gay rights, or a war protest? War protest parades are the only parades.

    Did you ever watch an "Oprah" show all the way through? The more accurate question would be, have I ever not.

    Did you or your spouse ever serve in the armed forces? I mean, I've seen some things.

    During the last month, have you voluntarily hung out with people who were smoking cigarettes? Force may have been used.

    My Result:

    On a scale from 0 to 20 points, where 20 signifies full engagement with mainstream American culture and 0 signifies deep cultural isolation within the new upper class bubble, you scored between 5 and 8.

    In other words, you can see through your bubble, but you need to get out more.

    Want to calculate just how out of touch you are?

    Take the quiz HERE.

    I'll see you at the Indy 500.

    [Photo via]