Got my census yesterday and filled it out. It just had 10 questions. I refused however to fill out questions 8 and 9 because they were about race.
The way I see it the race issue will never be dead until we quit focusing on it. Ever since blacks were deemed to be people and women were given the right to vote, the purpose of the census is just to count people. If you go back in time far enough we are all African. So I decided the questions were out of bounds. My opinion is that this question will lead to race based decisions and is therefore racist.
TheOne,
Thanks for the story. It does take some getting used-to when you’ve spent your whole life as a member of the majority. Being a minority impacts you 1000 different ways. It’s not always tied directly to racism but it’s all a tangle of the same thing.
bobbo, can’t we all just be rational said, on March 16th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Lets just project whatever feelings/emotions/dogma we wish into an ambiguous/undefined/striated situation and draw from it whatever we were predisposed to do?
Bobbo,
>> #47–One Nice White Boy==
>> What do you think they were thinking? Did you ever get around to asking them?
Despite your initial rudeness, this is a fair issue. If you where in a all-black school and saw a bunch of new white kids, what would you think? I can think of a bunch of possibilities.
Jeff,
I also enjoyed your post.
In my experience social upbringing trumps any possible genetic racial differences.
I can be in a room of 100% ethnic people (Japanese, Indian, Hmong, African, French, whatever) and I will quickly find any individual who was raised in America.
_Where_ they where raised is so much more influential in personality than whatever narrow gene pool they are from.
Wilson, do not lie on the census. Just report your address and the number of people living there. Skip the racist questions. Screwing with the numbers makes too many Congressmen in some areas and too few in others.
As for which race is the minority: “The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.” – Ayn Rand
The individual does not need to identify himself with a race.
Perhaps we should just refer to our individual pigmentation by Pantone color code?
Just think of the graphs!!!
I couldn’t read the entire blather in every post on this subject but I wonder if anyone considered the implication of moving the census from the Commerce Dept. to the White House jurisdiction. One quote in the article says something like putting Raum Emanuel in charge of the census is like putting PETA in charge of issuing hunting licenses.
I am confused about this race thing on the census.
Am I native American because I am a registered tribe member or am I white because I look white and my mom looks more “Mediterranean” than Indian?
I mean are we operating under the 1/8th mulatto rule or the “one drop of non-white” blood rule here in 21st century America?
I guess I need to consult an expert in racial matters – Senator Robert Bird, after all, who better to answer a question on whiteness than the grand kleagle emeritus of the KKK.
# 29 Awake said, on March 16th, 2010 at 9:20 “The race question is there to help ensure that there is a fair balance, that all are given equal opportunity. Suppose you are in an area that is 80% black, yet 70% of the benefits (such as home loans) go to whites… ”
Bzzzt, wrong answer.
A home loan is not a “benefit” to be handed out on some racial quota.
then you said
“Equal opportunity has to be proactive, and that requires knowing the composition of the area.”
What is obvious is that you don’t understand what opportunity means
#42 – Greg Allen said…
It’s usually whites who think that race no longer matters in America.
Most minorities have learned painful lessons otherwise.
Don’t forget reverse migration (most do). As a white male starting in a new field back in the early 90′s, I was told by a senior management minority woman I would be at a clear disadvantage in my goals of career advancement. The company had clear direction to pick minorities over any white male.
The fact is too much focus is on race. I have worked with great and horrible of all backgrounds and sexes. But stupidity – and hatred – knows no racial boundaries.
Odd that you chose to skip those rather benign questions. I skipped 4 and 5, phone number and name respectively. I consider those questions more private than disclosing my name and telephone number.
#88 – TooManyPuppies
Don’t worry about the phone number. AT&T and other fat cat telcos already gave it to them. And your name is cross referenced with the invisible markings embedded in the paper.
But seriously, what is wrong with the questions? I got the short form and there is nothing there the Feds can’t already extrapolate with data they already have.
I think the tin foil brigade needs to get off the interwebitubes since they are monitored there. And stay off the roads. Do not use a bank. Don’t buy anything at stores.
Big Brother already knows who you are and what you do. Big Brother laughs at your feeble attempt at privacy.
@ 89 EvilPoliticians
Actually, if there’s any name or phone number associated with this address it’s the previous apartment resident. I just moved in 3 days ago.
The census form along with about 2 pounds of their mail was sitting in the mailbox when I opened it with the mailman yesterday.
The postal guy wanted to take it all back and I had to argue with him that the census form was generically addressed to “Resident” and thus applied to me. He wouldn’t budge until I asked him to call the main office. After all that he left it with me.
Hell, maybe I should have let him take it away and send it back.
#17 TheOne – Ok, wiki human. Also, oldest bones found in Africa. I have my own personal theories on how Asians, whites, Indians, etc. got their separate characteristics, but I have no proof or scientific studies to back them up. Wiki albino. Did you know people can be partially albino? Have you ever seen two white/asian/indian people give birth to a black child? Think about it buddy.
#23 MrMigu – My thoughts exactly. Race for humans is exactly like breeds for dogs. It’s about as superficial as that too. In fact, I call racists breedists. It seems more appropriate to me. And we’re all breedists anyway, you’d have to be blind or mentally challenged not to be. How you allow that to affect your judgement is what separates intelligent thinking people from sheep. I laugh at breedism. Just like I laugh at religion and government. These are all constructs created by man to manipulate other men for one reason or another. I don’t see myself as a breed, belonging to any religion or any nationality. I refuse to allow others to define who I am. Instead of depending on government (and their lame census) to tell us how to interact with each other like children, why don’t we all act like adults and deal with each other voluntarily and according to the NAP?
As for me, I won’t be filling out a census. The government can kiss my butt.
Let them keep coming back, I just won’t answer the door. Congressmen don’t represent my views or interests, they represent their own. Wake up people.
#56 Sea – I think we just migrated really fast, and unlike finches, stopped evolving as much due to conquering our environment instead of allowing our environment to define the species. Also, what #59 bobbo said – imagine if Neanderthals were still around? We’d be trying to preserve them…interesting huh?
#63 – TheOne looks like he’s having a hard time coping with the fact that he’s black. Relax dude, if you go back a little farther, we’re all single celled amoeba (or something along those lines, don’t quote me, you get my point.)
#70 – Wilson – A blantant example of government waste…there are many many more…Amen, and amen! That is freakin hilarious! Wow, I might just do that too…in fact, I might just call into FTL and put that bug in a wider audience’s ears. Thanks for the idea!
#73 Faxon – yeah, go along to get along. You have every single right to be scared, but going along won’t solve the problem, in fact, it will just give them another inch to be fascist.
#89 Evil – then why waste millions of dollars on a census? Because government is so blatantly inefficient it’s embarrassing.
#91 – TooManyPuppies
They ‘could’ track down your new address within a short time. Correlation of data – unless you fall completely off the grid anymore – is easy for some. Not saying “I” could. But it’s there.
And no I don’t wear a tin foil hat. I don’t avoid most things they would. My life is not so interesting anyone would want to get in my details.
#92 – BmoreBadBoy
100% right they are blatantly inefficient. But there are pockets here and there that are. I doubt any of them will control Nationalize Healthcare though…
The Census……oyyyy…
The census is sent out for people to fill out and return. In this modern time , the powers that be REALLY want these things taken seriously so that the White House can start taking care of all of those poor, downtrodden, “disenfranchised” Black folks. The delicious irony here is that an overwhelming percentage of blacks won’t even bother to do it, then complain even more about being “kept down” by their very own government. No one should be surprised at this, for the ethnic group in question is notorious for not participating. Open the newspaper to the obituaries. Look for the dearly departed black folk. In almost 100% of the listings one does not see “In lieu of flowers, please make a DONATION to…” This is in addition to their behavior in restaurants- running the server ragged, complaining about every aspect of the meal, then either tip badly or not at all. This is all topped off by driving in the left lane at a very low rate of speed, and refusing to move or honor the “slower traffic keep right” rule of the road. They don’t play by the rules, follow directions, believe they are entitled to everything free. My favorite/least favorite quirk is what happens when you get 5 black women sitting around doing nothing. They describe everyone by race, then compare light-skinned blacks with dark-skinned blacks and find someway to act in a racist fashion to their OWN ethnic group. Talk about spinning your wheels as a segment of society.
I really don’t like questions 8 and 9. The note above the two questions says that “For this census, Hispanic origins are not races”. Therefore, all hispanics must state in question 9 that they are of a race other than hispanic.
I filled out questions 8 and 9 honestly.
Question 8:
I answered both yes and no for question 8 (I was born in the US, don’t speak Spanish, have never been to a Spanish speaking country and don’t share their culture. Therefore no – I am not of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin. However, I have Hispanic ancestry. Therefore – yes I am of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin. I checked Yes – other and filled in “United States” in the box.)
Question 9: Since I think this question is blatant racial profiling and I didn’t want to go to jail for not answering, I answered honestly – Other and filled in the box. “UnRacially Profiled” fits in the box perfectly.