Cultural Capital - what do you do in your household?

[californiagurl]

We have a huge range of books, frequent theatre visits (although these have been online in recent times), visits to art galleries/exhibitions, support with learning languages.

What's anyone else up to?

Apart from having loads of books we do precisely none of this shit. I fucking hate art galleries and don't really like the theatre much either. We listen to lots of music but it's not particularly highbrow. We go outside and learn about real stuff.

@1FootInTheRave

Malbec for me. Fortnite for the kids.

Love this.

Minecraft

Watch YouTube

Eat Snickers

(Is that what you wanted? Feel good now?)

My children frequently have chocolate croissants for breakfast.

I’ve got teenagers. They don’t have any interest in sharing culture with us so anything I come up with would be a waste of time.

I buy them books and they have access to Apple Music and Amazon Prime.

When little, as someone said, free museums. Oh and and a Wiggles live show.

DH and I are respectively a Professor and an academic librarian though I’m retired. We do love a bit of Netflix and also both of us love gaming which according to MN makes us childish teenagers.

There were some interesting cultures in the yogurt I threw away the other day.

I've been doing virtual museum tours, also notable outdoor spaces like the gardens at the Palace of Versailles and Central Park New York. Plus the online Heritage open days stuff.

I'm also learning about different world cultures through the medium of the Craft Gin Club. Every month they send you a bottle of gin along with snacks and a nice magazine, which if you manage to read before you get too pissed, you can learn interesting things about the place of origin of this month's gin of the month. September was India and came with some fabulous onion bhaji flavoured nik nak like snacks. I can't wait to see what is winging it's way to me for October.

I've got a cushion with Cwtch (Welsh for cuddle) written on it for the kids Welsh heritage....does that count?

Smoked a Lebanese black zoot with adult DS in the garden....guess that doesn't count

Currently binging Buffy and Battlestar Galactica. Love rock/dance/indie gigs but just as happy with a covers band at the pub. We have tons of books. The 12 year old is obsessed with anime, manga and cosplay. The 10 year old watches any old shit on TV all day. We live in an uncultured area so nobody cares.

Watch Peppa Pig

Go to the playground

Go to the park

I've got a cushion with Cwtch (Welsh for cuddle) written on it for the kids Welsh heritage....does that count?

Yep but it would be better for them to learn how to swear in Welsh.

As a kid I was only interested in learning how to swear in other languages.

I have always taken my kids to museums (because they have play areas and child focused activities). They don’t sit and contemplate the act art or exhibits in any meaningful way, but will happily play or do a craft activity.

They’ve been to the theatre many times to see stuff they’d like. I used to take DS1 to stuff at the Edinburgh fringe because there are always loads of stupid things aimed at kids. And we walked past the people with flyers on the royal mile regularly. So it was convenient.

Equally they’ve seen a lot of cartoons and superhero films in the cinema. And are extremely knowledgeable about videogames, retro and modern.

They’ve also had lots of opportunities to enjoy the playparks and outdoor areas of national trust properties, while ignoring the houses full of old furniture.

None of it is about ‘building cultural capital’. No. It’s about having things to do with them on weekends and School holidays.

DS2 also does a sport (and competes at regional level). Again, that’s because he loves it and wants to do it. It’s not some plan to engineer cultural capital.

My parents did a lot of cultural capital with me only they had no idea it was called that.

My DF got into opera as when he was in the RAF they did cheap tickets for the military so he thought he'd try it out and he liked it.
My DM was into theatre as she'd been an au pair for some luvvies.
And I got taken to loads of museums as my DM worked nights so we needed to be out of the house so she could have peace and quiet!

I have a vivid childhood memory of going to see The Tempest outdoors at a racecourse in the pouring rain. Poor bloke playing Ariel only had sparkly Speedos as a costume and I felt v sorry for him.

DC sing and play 8 musical instruments between them, we have our box for the proms, take them to Glyndebourne and the London art galleries, trips to the theatre and museums every half term and holiday and they spend most of their summers abroad improving their languages and going on music tours and summer courses - same as every other family we know.....

@RedRumTheHorse

I've got a cushion with Cwtch (Welsh for cuddle) written on it for the kids Welsh heritage....does that count?

Yep but it would be better for them to learn how to swear in Welsh.

As a kid I was only interested in learning how to swear in other languages.

DS3 has a 3-6 month size bodysuit with ‘the wean’ on it.

Does teaching him Glaswegian scots count?

I just had to Google Cultural Capital, still don't get it. Google is talking about speech, dress and appearance, what's that got to do with books and going to museums??

DC are avid watchers of The Office. Does that count?

OP I'm taking the piss but your initial post is poorly worded for general forum. @WooMaWang point of None of it is about ‘building cultural capital’. No. It’s about having things to do with them on weekends and School holidays is spot on.

(Oh and we do more than watch Peppa Pig when inside otherwise my 24 month old wouldn't be able to count to 20 missing out 15.)

@Thisseatisnotavailable this definition may help you -

Cultural capital in sociology comprises an individual’s social assets (education, intellect, style of speech, dress, etc.) that “promote social mobility within a stratified society“.

On a serious note (much to the amusement of most of MN it will seem) I did strive to instill some cultural capital, I grew up in a forrin home in the UK so lost out on what you might say are quintessentially "British" things, such as the theatre, galleries, a love of literature. I can categorically say it appears to have been a waste of time though. They hate museums, the theatre is "boooring" and we were kicked out of the Picasso museum because ds kept leaning against the wall. Just yesterday I took a massive box of classic books to the charity shop as they were collecting so much dust on the shelf.
Other than that I try to keep up with our heritage language and travel as much as possible.

My family have a lot of talent between them, as in two authors, a pianist, a fine art painter, and a half famous singer and actress, all self taught mainly. People who troop around art galleries and museums and go on frequent theatre visits, are just doing visual stuff, and not doing anything themselves, Apart from the book reading,which is excellent.

Loads of things but I don't tell people therefore it probably doesn't count.

Cultural capital is about having all the right cultural cues and experiences to fit in with a particular group really.

Thing is, it is dependent on the cultural group you want to fit into. In MN it’s usually assumed the aim is to become more elite (hence all the comments about high court judges on baby naming threads). But equally, you can feel marginalised by any group because you lack various aspects of the culture of that group: you might have the wrong kind of name, or haircut, or not know about a particular artist that is a cornerstone of that culture. It’s still about ‘cultural capital’.

Like economic capital you can accrue more or less of it, but some people will accrue dollars and others pesos. The problem comes when their life prospects are determined by them being able to pay in dollars and people view their capital as lesser or worthless.

That’s why all that bollocks about ‘high court judges’ persists on name threads.

Swing ball, curtain twitching, cocktail making.

@Lanterm156, did you and your DP not try and inculcate culture and knowledge to your oocytes pre-conception using gonadal bluetooth speakers and organic natural treatments as practiced by remote South American cultures. I thought everyone who really loved their DC did epigenetic conditioning or something. Have you condemned your child to a life time of simulatenously trying to catch up with the children of loving parents while racing to stay ahead of the hoo polloi. You'll be saying next you chose one of the top-1000 most popular names instead of one that will truly represent their uniqueness of your child (only joking, I can tell by your post that you wouldn't let your standards slip so low). Hope the natural water doula-led birth goes well.