The days of forms which had "Race (pick one)" used to irritate my daughters - "Which of my parents should I deny?" Now that question in places with a great deal of diversity like America have started to acknowledge multi-"racial" people. The one that now jumps out is "White, non-Hispanic". Why is that an important demographic?
The days of forms which had "Race (pick one)" used to irritate my daughters - "Which of my parents should I deny?" Now that question in places with a great deal of diversity like America have started to acknowledge multi-"racial" people. The one that now jumps out is "White, non-Hispanic". Why is that an important demographic?
It's questions like these that I hope will eventually break the fever. Our notions of race are so simplistic. As more of us have to ask questions like these, I hope more people will start to think clearly about what "race" even is.
Interestingly that thinking may return in the quest for reparations. I can't find the article again, but I saw an article about an in California effort to determine linage for eligibility. Will we see a return of "Mulatto, quadroon, octoroon and hexadecaroon"?
My daughter's recent interest in ancestry and DNA confirms that DNA does not divide equally in each generation. She was perplexed that one fractional trace in her mother's DNA didn't show up at all for her, rather than the 1/16 which even division would anticipate.
Next up, "family history". Senator Elizabeth Warren was ridiculed when DNA did not confirm her Native American ancestry. The thing is, DNA dilutes out and her family record keeping could have been correct. Rather than the "drop" fading from importance in people's minds, "I want money" might bring it back as something of potential value. A new controversy.
It just gets more confusing and irritating as it gets more complex, trying to "honor" people's heritage in a standardized form. I've taken to checking "other" when it's available as a sort of weak protest.
I choose "other" or "prefer not to answer" if they are offered. I try to feed as few demographic labels to the "beast" as I can. If for no other reason, to confuse algorithms.
I recall reading somewhere that many Hispanic immigrants tend to integrate/assimilate to the US very quickly and subsequent generations start identifying as white. This has the potential to mess up Census and/or EEO-1 reporting, since the legal category 'White' has historically just meant European- and Middle Eastern- or North African- Americans. So the qualifier was added to government surveys and it spread outwards from there.
A couple of censuses ago I didn't mail mine in. A man my age and a young lady appeared at my door inquiring. I said, "Two adult citizens live here. They sent the long form to me, and I threw it in the trash. How much is the fine, I'll get my checkbook?" The young lady seemed astonished; the man told me there was no fine and asked if I would answer the "important" underlined questions on the form the young lady poked in my direction. One of the important questions was, "Do you have indoor plumbing?" Now I was astonished. Unless you consider construction site porta-potties outhouses you would not find one within 50 miles. Governments are strange. I rate them one star and do not recommend.
"Governments are strange. I rate them one star and do not recommend."
"... except for all the others"
Please, never forget that the alternative to government, however obtrusive or whacky it may be, is control by despotic warlords. Or by corporations, which would be even worse.
I'm sure a lot of questions about sexual orientation would be answered hesitantly, and for a lot of good reasons; we all know what life would be like for gays and lesbians under the right-wing Christian sort of government the Boeberts of America are eager for. OTOH I'd wager that the gender identity questions would be answered with such eagerness and at such length that the questioners would end up fleeing.
The days of forms which had "Race (pick one)" used to irritate my daughters - "Which of my parents should I deny?" Now that question in places with a great deal of diversity like America have started to acknowledge multi-"racial" people. The one that now jumps out is "White, non-Hispanic". Why is that an important demographic?
"Which of my parents should I deny?"
It's questions like these that I hope will eventually break the fever. Our notions of race are so simplistic. As more of us have to ask questions like these, I hope more people will start to think clearly about what "race" even is.
Before the Emancipation Proclamation 1/16 black was black.
Interestingly that thinking may return in the quest for reparations. I can't find the article again, but I saw an article about an in California effort to determine linage for eligibility. Will we see a return of "Mulatto, quadroon, octoroon and hexadecaroon"?
My daughter's recent interest in ancestry and DNA confirms that DNA does not divide equally in each generation. She was perplexed that one fractional trace in her mother's DNA didn't show up at all for her, rather than the 1/16 which even division would anticipate.
Next up, "family history". Senator Elizabeth Warren was ridiculed when DNA did not confirm her Native American ancestry. The thing is, DNA dilutes out and her family record keeping could have been correct. Rather than the "drop" fading from importance in people's minds, "I want money" might bring it back as something of potential value. A new controversy.
It just gets more confusing and irritating as it gets more complex, trying to "honor" people's heritage in a standardized form. I've taken to checking "other" when it's available as a sort of weak protest.
I choose "other" or "prefer not to answer" if they are offered. I try to feed as few demographic labels to the "beast" as I can. If for no other reason, to confuse algorithms.
I recall reading somewhere that many Hispanic immigrants tend to integrate/assimilate to the US very quickly and subsequent generations start identifying as white. This has the potential to mess up Census and/or EEO-1 reporting, since the legal category 'White' has historically just meant European- and Middle Eastern- or North African- Americans. So the qualifier was added to government surveys and it spread outwards from there.
Some countries track ethnicity, some nationality, some a hybrid, but they just about all want to track something. https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/ethnic-groups/
I wonder when they will track "racial" ЁЭЧ╢ЁЭЧ▒ЁЭЧ▓ЁЭЧ╗ЁЭШБЁЭЧ╢ЁЭШБЁЭШЖ since this has become a thing https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/household-pulse-survey-updates-sex-question-now-asks-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity.html I wonder how many people resist answering.
A couple of censuses ago I didn't mail mine in. A man my age and a young lady appeared at my door inquiring. I said, "Two adult citizens live here. They sent the long form to me, and I threw it in the trash. How much is the fine, I'll get my checkbook?" The young lady seemed astonished; the man told me there was no fine and asked if I would answer the "important" underlined questions on the form the young lady poked in my direction. One of the important questions was, "Do you have indoor plumbing?" Now I was astonished. Unless you consider construction site porta-potties outhouses you would not find one within 50 miles. Governments are strange. I rate them one star and do not recommend.
"Governments are strange. I rate them one star and do not recommend."
"... except for all the others"
Please, never forget that the alternative to government, however obtrusive or whacky it may be, is control by despotic warlords. Or by corporations, which would be even worse.
I'm sure a lot of questions about sexual orientation would be answered hesitantly, and for a lot of good reasons; we all know what life would be like for gays and lesbians under the right-wing Christian sort of government the Boeberts of America are eager for. OTOH I'd wager that the gender identity questions would be answered with such eagerness and at such length that the questioners would end up fleeing.