I haven’t received my Census questionnaire yet, but I already know the answer to question number nine:
Notice anything? Mark Krikorian did.
Fully one-quarter of the space on this year’s form is taken up with questions of race and ethnicity, which are clearly illegitimate and none of the government’s business (despite the New York Times’ assurances to the contrary on today’s editorial page). So until we succeed in building the needed wall of separation between race and state, I have a proposal. Question 9 on the census form asks “What is Person 1’s race?” (and so on, for other members of the household). My initial impulse was simply to misidentify my race so as to throw a monkey wrench into the statistics; I had fun doing this on the personal-information form my college required every semester, where I was a Puerto Rican Muslim one semester, and a Samoan Buddhist the next. But lying in this constitutionally mandated process is wrong. Really — don’t do it.
Instead, we should answer Question 9 by checking the last option — “Some other race” — and writing in “American.” It’s a truthful answer but at the same time is a way for ordinary citizens to express their rejection of unconstitutional racial classification schemes. In fact, “American” was the plurality ancestry selection for respondents to the 2000 census in four states and several hundred counties.
So remember: Question 9 — “Some other race” — “American”. Pass it on.
The conservative blogosphere has been lighting up over this, and rightly so. Hyphenated Americanism is a bunch of bull, and frankly, race-based politics in this country need to die. It’s interesting, because many of the race hustlers in this country would surely mention Martin Luther King, Jr as one of their heroes — a man who wanted people to be judged by the content of their character, and not the color of their skin. Yet here we are, with race hustlers intent on making sure that Americans are judged solely by their race, feminists wanting Americans judged by their gender, etc., etc. This is a small way of fighting back against race-based politics, so please, when you fill out your Census form… list your race as American.
And for good measure, here’s Teddy Roosevelt’s famous take on the subject.
There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all… The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic… There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.
(6 votes, average: 4.17 out of 5)
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Why bother with doing the Census at all? It’s a waste of time.
Because it is constitutional, that’s why. You’re breaking the law if you don’t.
“Because it is constitutional, that’s why. You’re breaking the law if you don’t.”
Oh no, I’m breaking the law. Like any of those other government jerks don’t, day after day? Tell you what: if Clinton can lie under oath and basically get away with it, then I should be allowed to piss on the Census. Besides, it’ll be nothing than a freaking multicultural diversity festival anyway. That small sample Cassy focused on pretty much proves it.
Frankly what annoys me more is you can label yourself as part of an Asian, or Pacific Islander or Native sub-group, but not a European or African sub-group. What if someone is 3/4 Nigerian or 5/8 German. There is no space to put that, but if someone is 1/4 Cherokee and enrolled then they can put that down? Or if someone has Korean ancestry they can put that specifically. They only seem to care about information on diversity for Americans of non-European or non-African heritage.
Of course this sort of ridiculous race checklist is not new, but still annoying. Have a check list of what continent your heritage is primarily from, then a line next to that to list the national group you hail from. (i.e. Europe – Bavarian or Asia – Kurd)
I don’t buy the melting pot BS, sorry. Our heritage is important, but it needs to be recognized as that – heritage. Once you are an American citizen you are an American but with X heritage.
The media perpetuates this racial stuff. Almost every story I read — if the person is non-white — mentions their race. “So and so, who is (enter non-white race), did this and that…” Ever see a story like this: Steve Taylor, a caucasion, was elected to…”
A recent “article” on HuffPost said that the Tea Party was all about race.
I certainly sick of all this, and I believe I will put in “American” in other. (Or maybe I’ll put in Texan.)
So if you answer African does that mean you are Black?
If you came from Johannesburg but were born to Dutch blonde parents would you be considered African American or African Dutch or African?
Oh no, I’m breaking the law. Like any of those other government jerks don’t, day after day?
Do you really want to live in a society whose members treat the law as a guideline instead of stuff you shouldn’t do?
Also, for grins, ask your Momma how the excuse of all the other kids are doing it panned out the last time you tried it.
The Census does determine representation within the House and within statewide offices. If you want to disenfranchise yourself, go right ahead. (Then again, if conservatives in blue states were to systematically undercount themselves, then Congress would have more people from Texas and Alabama and fewer from California. Hum….)
That aside, I’m not “white” – I’m Caucasian or European-American. What kind of b.s. is it when we are filed under the generic “white” and other groups are divided up among their actual heritage (e.g. Korean, Japanese)?
Darth Aggie,
“Do you really want to live in a society whose members treat the law as a guideline instead of stuff you shouldn’t do?”
Seriously, we already do, more or less. One little blurb isn’t really going to change anything. Like I said, the Census is politically motivated and just a bunch of multicultural diversity garbage (and to be honest, I’m getting a little tired of that concept).
“Also, for grins, ask your Momma how the excuse of all the other kids are doing it panned out the last time you tried it.”
On the contrary, from what I see here, I’m doing precisely the opposite of what everyone will be doing with the Census. Hence, I won’t be the lemming. Besides, when you have a society that thrives on people making gains while breaking the rules (I mean, Jesus, politicians are laughing all the way to the bank), then what point is there in supporting it? Hmmmm?
Here’s a thought. Consider what I do as just going a little “Galt.”
“The Census does determine representation within the House and within statewide offices.”
Technically speaking. Of course, I could argue that the House pretty much mis-represented me when they decided to back the banks in Sept. 2008. And whatever times they decided to vote themselves raises. Realistically, Congress stopped representing my interests long ago.
“If you want to disenfranchise yourself, go right ahead. ”
I’m already disenfranchised. We don’t have a democracy, but an oligarchy. See above. Your point being?
“(Then again, if conservatives in blue states were to systematically undercount themselves, then Congress would have more people from Texas and Alabama and fewer from California. Hum….)”
Well, I’m from New York State, so I don’t think I’ll be missed too much here. I mean, this is the state that’s elected Cuomo, Spitzer
and until a couple of months ago likely Patterson.
ve been wondering – can I claim to be Native American? After all, all of my ancestor for 3 generation were born here, well, except for one great-grandfather.
Actually, the only Constitutionally required information is the number of permanent residents – that’s it.
I am going to answer the “race” question with “Native American” – after all, I AM a Native American – I was born here.
In 2000 I self-identified as ‘Cablinasian’. Obviously I won’t be doing that again this year. ‘American’ works for me.
Ona side note on Native Americans. If you want to know what Obama Health Care will be like just look at Indian Health Service. That will cure any desire for government health care.
Mat: the Constitution provides for a decennial Census (Art. I, Sec. 2). I find it hard to believe that James Madison and his ilk were thinking about political correctness when they wrote that.
My point about representation was not about functional representation, but actual representation. Likewise, my point re: blue-staters undercounting themselves was not for statewide office, but national office.
Here’s how it works: if the 2010 shows a shift in population, then states will either gain or lose US Congressmen. If blue-state conservatives don’t fill out the Census, then their states will lose Congressmen (likely liberal) and red states will have more (likely conservative) Congressmen. Make sense?
I’m going to use my unrequited dreams of having a job naming Paint colors to inspire me to swing for the fences making up wildly fictitious tribe names.
“Mat: the Constitution provides for a decennial Census (Art. I, Sec. 2). I find it hard to believe that James Madison and his ilk were thinking about political correctness when they wrote that.”
I agree, which is why I decide to not participate until we get back to some semblance of what the Founding Fathers wanted (and no, I really don’t think they wanted a socialist dictatorship).
“My point about representation was not about functional representation, but actual representation. Likewise, my point re: blue-staters undercounting themselves was not for statewide office, but national office.”
I see those two types of representation as linked, not separate. One cannot exist without the other.
“Here’s how it works: if the 2010 shows a shift in population, then states will either gain or lose US Congressmen. If blue-state conservatives don’t fill out the Census, then their states will lose Congressmen (likely liberal) and red states will have more (likely conservative) Congressmen. Make sense?”
I’m aware of all of this, since I almost got a political science degree. The problem with all of this is that it doesn’t mean squat unless the “red” people (i.e. Republicans) don’t act the way they’re supposed to. If they continue to act like Democrats, then you might as well paint all the states blue. What doesn’t make sense to me is that you can have a Socialist Democratic Party and a semi-Socialist Republican Party. Not much difference between them.
“
Maybe once states see that the majority of their population is “Hispanic” they will finally remove the label of “minority” from that particular group.
“What nationality are you?” it used to be. “American,” I’d said, being an Italo-German-Irish-Polish mutt (and that’s rounding it off to try and define my grandparents). The more things change…
I’m still confused about why so many Asian ethnicities are listed as separate races (which isn’t necessarily inaccurate) but, for example, “white” is meant to be a catch-all including Arabs, Slavs, Greeks, Spaniards, Nordic, on and on.
Since the census is supposed to be about numbers, do we even have to answer such questions?
But ultimately, I’m with you (and Glenn Beck’s hero of heroes Teddy Roosevelt)…X (Some other race) “American”
John,
That was my point earlier. The Census is supposed to be about how many people live in the country. Nothing else. It was never meant to see how many minorities live here so they can get a free lunch and benefits (which is exactly what they’ll use the Census for). This is why I won’t do it. It’s a load of political crap now.
Done and done. Census form arrived yesterday–all 6 members of my household tagged accordingly.