Decline To State Race
I was disturbed by the race questions on the U.S. Census form, but filled the form out truthfully. LaShawn Barber blogs about declinetostaterace.org -- and declining to state race on government forms:
According to a new government report, some Census workers "incorrectly communicated" questions about race during face-to-face interviews, and others made assumptions about the race of interviewees based on appearance.
My friend Charlie, for example, is black but just a bit more tanned-looking than a rather white friend of ours. He likes to call himself "beige" or "incognegro."
Barber continues:
The story frames the problem as miscommunication and incorrect assumptions (one-drop rule redux?) about interviewees. The real problem is the government asking Americans to state their race. Not only should the government not ask about race, the more multiracial America becomes, the more difficult it will be to classify people along rigid racial or ethnic lines.
She quotes from the Census Bureau's PDF about why race is important to know:
"Information on race is required for many federal programs and is critical in making policy decisions, particularly for civil rights. States use these data to meet legislative redistricting principles. Race data also are used to promote equal employment opportunities and to assess racial disparities in health and environmental risks."
Her response:
Why is race critical in making policy decisions, and how does checking a box on a form "promote equal employment opportunities"? Government policy is supposed to be colorblind, and the law protects the rights of all individuals, regardless of race. If someone faces racial discrimination, he may seek redress. Checking a box on a government form doesn't protect his rights.
She also makes a very good point:
...The more multiracial America becomes, the more difficult it will be to classify people along rigid racial or ethnic lines
More at the link. She encourages you to sign the petition at the link above. I'm with her on the sentiments, but it's my guess that these online petitions don't do diddly beyond making people who sign them feel like they've done something.
Yea, it's tough to rig the system through Gerrymandering if you don't know who your constituency is and and where they live. I long for the day when race is no longer a predictor of political affiliation. It won't happen until the 50 percent of the people in this country don't pay any taxes, have some skin in the game.
Isabel1130 at June 26, 2010 7:30 AM
I told the Census worker to put down "American" as my ethnicity. He responded, "You're not white"? I said, no, I am American - that's what I want you to put down.
Feebie at June 26, 2010 8:31 AM
A dear friend said to answer that census question satirically, so I did. Y'know, Welch never registered for the draft, but black helicopters aren't a problem for him yet.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at June 26, 2010 8:31 AM
From a genealogy curiosity stand point, I enjoyed the question of race being asked. You can use past census information for tracing down family linages and the race question can be somewhat helpful for those with common names.
But with today's government social programs the race question becomes more about government hand outs than a lineage curiosity. And that is problematic.
Juniper at June 26, 2010 10:01 AM
I think that anyone on public assistance should have to surrender their voting rights until they are off the public tit
lujlp at June 26, 2010 11:00 AM
Hmmm...incognegro helicopters.
Pricklypear at June 26, 2010 11:03 AM
...And speak of the Devil.
Crid [cridcomment at gmail] at June 26, 2010 1:16 PM
I think that anyone on public assistance should have to surrender their voting rights until they are off the public tit
How about doing it the simple way -- if you pay $0.01 more in taxes than you take -- you get the right to vote.
So if you are on unemployment or welfare for a whole year you don't get to vote. But if you are employed you can.
Jim P. at June 26, 2010 2:33 PM
Ther are alot of racial difference between black and white race, but not much racial difference within asians of various ethnicity and various shade of very light pale browns(those usually are originated from north asia) or dark browns(those usually are originated from south asia). and with those islamic people in some asian countries trying to make their islamic "religion" or their socalled malay ethnicity into a special kind of race, it gets even more disgusting and confusing for outsiders, as it seems as that while they called themselves malays, their total focused seems to be their totalitarian islamic ideology.It is even more confusing in thailand and cambodia(another asia country) that is predominantly buddhist but too many of their main foodstuff have the islamic halal label on them, though malaysia and singapore is even worst, where they put their islamic halal sign on too many food and nonfood products by, causing us nonbelievers inconveniences and without a decent choice. I also don't understand why they put the horrible islamic label on popular nonislamic international product such Nescafe. It is just so weird and so revolting.
WLIL at June 26, 2010 5:12 PM
There is no petition needed. We just need for more people to say "Go to Hell, Government, I don't have to identify with any race if I don't want to"
No one can make you check a box. No matter what race I am, I decline to answer.
Cat at June 28, 2010 3:17 PM
"but it's my guess that these online petitions don't do diddly beyond making people who sign them feel like they've done something."
Kind of like praying, wouldn't you say?
I agree also with the sentiment about how hard it is to classify along racial lines.
Question: If someone is 1/8 American Indian, 1/8 Asian, 1/4 Black, 1/4 Caucasian, and 1/4 (whatever's left - maybe Polynesian?),....then what are they? Answer: a human being.
GHarkness at June 29, 2010 7:27 AM
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