“Race” and the U.S. Census
September 29, 2013
Race, nationality, ethnicity, oh my. Do defined categories help us measure and promote progress towards a color blind society? Or do they hold us back? Click here to read an excellent article.
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CJS-360 Diversity Issues 
I can fully understand why it is important or necessary to classify individuals into categories. These categories are made to define and separate race but who makes the categories. The government, I assume. The section “other” is to fill in the gap of those who do not identify with a main labeled race or have mixed backgrounds. This category of “others” is to bridge the gap between people who identify with one race and those who otherwise would not fill that portion out. Personally, as a younger child, I would purposely check the box that said “other” since we, as human beings, are just that humans, we are initially the same. The five races of mankind leave out large groups of people and leave them unaccounted for such as Arabs, Central Asians and so on.
The five race’s of mankind is an absolute preposterous idea first of all. It only identifies a small portion of the population. Although it is somewhat important for the federal government to identify certain demographic’s, I do not think they are going about it in the correct way. Most of there data collected is invalid let alone borderline discriminatory. I think they could put a simple open ended question in their. Ex: What culture/race do you identify yourself with. I feel this would solve any problems with discrimination and data. Moreover, most people in this country these days are a mixed race. The integration of races in the United States gets larger and larger every year.
I agree with you on the single box option. I think simple check boxes for race is inaccurate at best for figuring out the racial make-up of any country. Having boxes makes it easy to process the data but it results in inaccurate and bad data which leads to bad or useless results. The census should have an empty box instead for people to choose how to identify which would result in a more accurate representation of races in the country.
A colorblind society in itself isn’t necessarily a good thing. We have a lot we can learn from other cultures and ignoring the differences of other people’s cultures means we lose out on experiences and things that make others unique.
I agree with your colorblind statement about how it isn’t necessarily a good thing. Yes we as Americans want to have a colorblind society, however this gives a great disadvantage to us by not allowing us to learn about other cultures. We are all different and unique, we just need a way to be able to express that with out leaving out any race.
I like the idea of an open ended question for defining what your race is, but I think to make things simpler they specify the general race and then have the last option as “others” so you can define what you are if it was not an option listed. If you really want to include all the race in the world it would probably be too much therefore they shorten things out. Ex. I am Hmong and they put my under the category of “other Asian”. If “other Asian” did not include Hmong, I would simple check “other” and write Hmong in it. There is no issue of defining race on these type situation in my opinion.
As for having a colorblind society, I think the idea behind is for good reasons, but the idea contradict what society wants. We want a world in which racism does not exist and people are not define by the race or color of there skin, but rather who they are. On the other hand, we feel like minority should have a fair and equal chance to get jobs and college enrollment just as much as a white person would. What do we do in return then, we accept people of different race into these jobs or colleges so it can look more “diverse”. The truth is, we are not really look at these people as an asset to society, but for cover up for the amount single race jobs and colleges.
I agree with you Kou. Having an open ended question is a nice thing to have but I still think they should have the predetermined races up top to not only make things easier but also for people who can identify with one of the top options without having to write in anything.
Being colorblind IS a good thing. Not seeing someone for their race is what we are supposed to do but when filling out important forms or documents such as the U.S. Census, it would be wise to have options available. This will make it easier to report, read, and archive I think. Having that extra option is a must especially if a person’s race is not listed at the top, but it shouldn’t be the only thing on the piece of paper or webpage.
If a certain race is being excluded for their race only than that is a huge problem, but if race is just for documentation and documentation only, than I don’t think it should be a big deal.
I agree with you Kou! Having that option at the end to have people answer for their selves what their race is is more credible than having to check in 5 boxes that might not even have your race listed. As for your colorblind society statement, it totally makes sense because for one, even though we do not like to state it, a lot of minorities do get accepted in jobs and colleges because of wanting to be “diverse”. I don’t think it is fair if colleges and work places are just accepting minorities for “show”. I mean, those accepted are probably pretty happy about it but will they be treated fairly and equally as their “White” superiors? Everybody knows this is a white men’s world and it’s going to be that way for a long time. As much as we want this world to be colorblind for the sake of making this place a better place to live in, we as the minorities will never surpass that standard.
The issue with race and the census, I believe, isn’t that there aren’t enough options, it is the fact that there is a race question in the first place. Is there any specific reason to track race by the federal government in the first place? If the issue is appreciating different cultures, why is official tracking by the government part of the enrichment? I think that tracking race is a method of oppression by the privileged establishment tracking their waning grasp of power.
In a philosophically perfect world, there would be no race question; America is a melting pot, the history of immigration in this country should preclude its interest in seeing who designates where different people live and in what concentrations. If someone really wants to take pride in their cultural heritage; let them celebrate in their own way. Additionally, with the breaches of privacy occurring with the federal government, I would rather them not have any of my information to begin with.
I don’t think recording race is inherently bad but like most things, depends on how people use the information after the fact. It provides a good basis for plenty of other polling data and studies. The simple fact is that different groups tend to view issues differently.
With this data we are able to look at things like breakdowns of who is voting versus who is eligible to vote: http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p20-568.pdf and we can see that white people are voting at a higher percentage than their actual percentage of the electorate, meaning minorities aren’t voting for their maximum representation.
This kind of information lets us actually help quantify racial issues and under-representation in the country instead of just assuming everything is fine, or there are issues.
I think the data needs to be as accurate as possible if we going to be to recording as US census information. If a person has multiple races they should be able to include all, not just other. Some people could be 1/3 of a specific race yet relate more to that race and only choose that race, which would be inaccurate information.
I’m not sure what the best way is of going about this. Obviously there is a problem here. Naturally I tend to be more on the side that political correctness in our country has gone overboard. I believe to some extent that this stuff is overblown and doesn’t matter, and that by trying to recognize and help other races so much, that we actually tend to handicap them and our society as whole. They become dependent on the system, and then other races (like white) are actually discriminated against I don’t think we should hold them back, but I don’t think we should hold their hands either, that to me is the only way to really let go of the past. I understand this comment is reaching a little bit…so let me get to my alternative thought process. To truly recognize where we are at as a society we need to recognize that there are more than just “5 races” and that will help us see where we fall short in every area and improve upon them. I am not sure of what the best way is to help everyone though. I know you shouldn’t handicap them though. Truly our society should strive to be racially/ethnically blind. I do see the connections between the past and the present and recognize that it is a weird marriage and doesn’t allow us to move on as far as we should. Or we try to overcompensate. It shouldn’t make a difference what race or ethnicity you are. I do realize deficiencies are there though, so yes this recognition is needed. Honestly I believe we need to unify. Our nation is extremely divided on a wide array of issues, case in point the recent government shutdown. The only way we can make real progress is to unite, but we must not be stupid about it and unite just to unite. We need a truly unbiased education and to form our own opinions. I do believe the census is too limited in it’s choices and needs to be more up to date with the progress we are making, even if I feel that the process is imperfect itself. If this post seems confused it’s because it kind of is, there are a lot of things that are wrong, but I think we should take the training wheels off so to speak. It only promotes more division. Of course that doesn’t solve the problem of those in power with hidden prejudices. I would hope enough time has been given to fast track other underprivileged groups towards promoting their own self sufficiency and eliminating prejudices. A person should be judged based on the content of their character, not the color of their skin. The last line is extremely hopeful thinking, and I hope we can get there. There will always be flaws, and there is no pleasing everyone but if we could just work towards this idea we would be so much better off as a whole.
I believe this type of form is accurate, because a person is to choose their race defined in their own opinion. If a person is of a combination of races that person simply looks at his or herself and evaluates their own color and ethnicity in relation to their own cultural beliefs. I do recognize that there is room for some improvement by adding to the five categories and the option of allowing a person to check more than one box. If a person wanted to check multiple boxes on this current form I don’t see what is stooping them.
African or Kenyan, both are black, as is the same case with Swedish and German both being white. People are to quick to look for something wrong, and pick apart something that is irrelevant on an individual basis. We are overly attempting to be politically correct, our time and effort is to valuable to waste on such a petty thing. There are more important things to focus on in this country and in the world.
Let us not forget that America was formed by immigrants and we all are descendants of an immigrant family line, or are an immigrant directly. Even the Native Americans are descendants of immigrants.
I read this and it made me wonder why we need to track the race of individuals? I understand there needs to be some sense of how many people are living in the United States, and maybe they are tracking race to see the immigration levels?
However, there will be a day when it is going to be so hard to track race because it will soon become a hybrid America with numerous nationalities and not the few large racial blocs. Will the census bureau be done with the race box all together when we reach this point?
A colorblind America would not be the answer, we need to embrace each others differences and learn one another through our stories to really have a strong community and I don’t think that is with the ignorance that comes with pretending we are all the same. We as Americans have a moral obligation not to say one race or culture is above any other. Does checking a box do this? Some may say it does.
I do agree the census bureau will need to do a gradual re-engineering to match census statistics to demographic realities to keep up with the ever changing society.
Last note, be proud of who you are and embrace your culture, heritage, morals, values and race. Stop the ignorance that our skin color is not being looked at and judged, move past this and embrace it. Make this positive and not negative. Sometimes we are our own worst critique and once we can accept who we truly are, others will do the same.
Billi
I love your last note. It’s so true. You have to love yourself and embrace yourself.
I also agree with you, America is colorblind. It’s all black and gray to some people and for others they see colors and they are willing to learn about others.
Yes, along with Pa, you made a very good point. It only starts with one person and as long as it continues the world will turn like we want it to. With that being said, don’t you agree with me that there should only be box and that box should indicate if we’re human or not. LOL, but true right. I’m sure that only a human being would be seeking work or what ever their looking for because I’m sure that if it’s any other creed, they would run far away from this cruel world. Just a thought! 🙂
We seem to forget the purpose of the census and the data it collects. It is not just to show who lives here, but we use it to support programs in our communities. All companies (Governments are no exception) look at the demographics of the community they serve. They base the services they provide on the need of the community. Race affects the needs of the community. While race is not the only factor, it certainly is a factor. The idea of a colorblind society is great when it comes to privilege and advantages, but to supporting the needs of the people within the society we have to have the information available. The only way to get the information is to ask. Colleges use this information when they design programs for their students. Who do they serve? Metropolitan State University, for example, boasts that 36% of its students are “of color.” Contrast that with another University and it may be why students choose to attend or not to attend. Having the census information about race is not a bad thing; it is what we choose to do with it once we have it that is the problem.
I do understand why we check boxes and mark who we are on a piece of paper. But for that to be a factor when applying for a college, job, etc… that is pain wrong. America is becoming so diverse with the new immigrants, with interracial dating, etc… that soon there will be more than a page to mark boxes and identify what your racial, gender etc… It is important to keep count for population and race but to factor that when applying for a education or job is completely wrong and unethical. But again we do live in a society where race and gender plays a big role.
I believe this type of form is accurate, because a person is to choose their race defined in their own opinion. If a person is of a combination of races that person simply looks at his or herself and evaluates their own color and ethnicity in relation to their own cultural beliefs. I do recognize that there is room for some improvement by adding to the five categories and the option of allowing a person to check more than one box. If a person wanted to check multiple boxes on this current form I don’t see what is stooping them.
African or Kenyan, both are black, as is the same case with Swedish and German both being white. People are to quick to look for something wrong, and pick apart something that is irrelevant on an individual basis. We are overly attempting to be politically correct, our time and effort is to valuable to waste on such a petty thing. There are more important things to focus on in this country and in the world.
Let us not forget that America was formed and founded by immigrants and we all are descendants of an immigrant family line, or are an immigrant directly. Even the Native Americans are descendants of immigrants.
Do you agree with me that regardless of political or social, there is prejudice involved somehow? At the same time I do believe that as we all get more educated about the topic and situation, we tend to be less ignorant about each scenario. Although, there are definitely going to be a hand full of those that will forever choose to be ignorant, we are just not going to talk about them at the moment. Anyways, as for this matter of indicating your race, sex, ethnicity, and so on, I believe that it depends on the circumstances. For example, if it’s for your government ID, then “yes” you should indicate what ever that is necessary but as for work or school, then “no” you shouldn’t have to indicate it.
I believe that it does bring bias to certain individuals and that is the reason why we shouldn’t have to answer those types of questions. I mean just because a person’s a different color doesn’t mean they are going to do a better job. This just doesn’t make sense.
There were many great responses to this topic and according to our amendment rights, everyone is right in their own ways. At the same time, I again do believe that as the world turns and changes, that’s when we will really find out how the world really do feel.
The other day I was filling out a health care application and on the application it asked me if I were latino or hispanic in a separate box and then below that it gave me 5 other options to choose from. Why are those ethnicities separated from the rest? If I was latino or hispanic does that mean I would get different healthcare or cheaper/more expensive healthcare? I definitely don’t see the need to put that on a healthcare application. There is definitely a bias towards certain ethnicities and I don’t see a point in having to give up what your race is when you apply for things like healthcare or a job. What does it matter if I am a Caucasian woman or an African woman applying for a job? Or what does it matter when I am applying for healthcare? It simply doesn’t, well in my opinion at least.
What the article says about the five race’s of mankind is absolutely insulting. How can a population the size of the U.S fit into ONLY five different races? I think that even though the census made a huge mistake with the decision of the five races; the census is trying to improve its standards. The Census is at least talking the right step to improve its process but the improvements may not even be complete until the year 2100. I definitely believe that the Census needs to have different steps to fill out the “race” section because most people under the age of 30, like they said in the article, are made up of numerous races. People are not just black or white because in the U.S we have such a large population of diversity. Furthermore, in the year 2100, hopefully the Census will have fine tuned all of the mistakes that are present in today’s Census.