After I was engaged and her mantra continued with no regard as to my love and respect for my spouse-to-be, it became one of the many reasons I stopped talking to her.

I’m a college (cooking school) drop-out and at 30 haven’t really felt the need for higher education, since it comes with a huge bill. But I damn well wish I had learned a trade.

I should point out that my mum is quick to point out ‘faults’ in others. She remarked the other day that a family friend’s wife is “much” older than he. Which, to my mum, means 6 years. Which, I pointed out, wouldn’t phase her in the least if he was the older one.

It’s taken me decades to figure out, but I finally realised that there are a number of tribes such as “rich & greedy”, “drunk soccer louts” and so on and so forth. I belong to the “artist” tribe. I won’t even go near the pretentious hotels that cater to the “rich and greedy,” I find their vibe so offensive. The ancestor with whom I feel most in common is my maternal grandfather, who was a master carpenter, which in the UK means a carpenter who can produce the finest woodwork, including cabinet making when required.

I dated a PhD for a while (longer than was emotionally necessary but the sex was really good) and she was constantly amazed and constantly dismissive (to the point of looking things up to try an prove me wrong) about my general knowledge.

You might want to go to http://lafalafu.com/krc/privilege.html for a variety of checklists on privilege, bias, assumptions, and so on.