[Maine Mariner]

My parents did not have much education but they sacrificed to help me through college. I am in agreement with Sotomayor
on this one. If someone asked me if I was culturally deprived I would have told them to go pound sand and walked out. We could not afford trips to the opera and concerts but we traveled
a lot and my dad used 1/2 of his vacation time to be with me at scout camp for the week. I could go on but I think many of us on this site have worked hard to succeed and had parents to help us. I did not hang out with Buffy, Muffy, and Biff at the club.

[Vigilanteman]

While this was a poor way to phrase the question and possibly indicated ignorance, racism or worse on the part of the questioner, it was hardly the type of question which would constitute overt discrimination or even a hurtful comment to all but the most sensitive of people. I've been asked much worse things in interviews over the course of my career.

My father once had a black lab assistant who was very nice and competent in her job. She almost broke down and cried once when he gave her a sincere and well-deserved compliment because she said, up to that point, everyone had assumed she was an affirmative action hire and nobody assumed she had a brain.

[brytlea]

Why wouldn’t you just answer the question? I came from a modest background (I was the first in my family to get a college degree and my husband paid for most of it, while also supporting a young family and getting his own degree and MBA). If someone asked me a question like that I would answer it, but then, I don’t go around trying to find things to be insulted about. Perhaps I’m missing the boat!