Recently there has been a lot of drama over the race selection options for completion of the census form. The controversy includes questions about the term Negro to Arab-Americans seeking their own option instead of being classified as white.
What is interesting is how non-whites are concerned about how they are defined by race in America. In our nation with our legacy of racism for to long Black Americans were subject to the 'one drop rule" which was a racist notion which allowed whites to classify all non-whites as Black despite their own self identifications and demand for self-determination.
Many people refuse to accept any government designation and instead view the census as a violation of their heritage as well as personal privacy. Some people simply want to be defined as individuals and classified as members of the human race. The census remains a fascination for people and the government in how to define and describe people. The census is a provocative exercise that will always be a feature of any government that catalogs and takes an inventory of their citizens.
What do you call yourself????
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6 comments:
American.
1 American.
That is the lawful extent of US Census information ("Enumeration" Article 1, Section 2).
The race query is a progressive (read: "liberal") tool to keep the wound fresh, to keep the groups segregated, and thus, to keep the political power play alive for another 2 minutes.
D20
Perhaps the race query considers the nature of goverance requires an inventory of its citizens....
If so, then the nature of governance is built on the assumption that not all Americans are equal. This is in direct opposition to fundamental tenets of American government, as stated explicitly within founding documents.
Proportional representation (another fundamental tenet) requires only a numerical count and well-defined state boundaries.
D20,
That is a very myopic and flawed reasoning and analysis of our consitution and way of life in America.
Your strict constructionist view of our consitution is not realistic in a republic where people not computers or machines render decisions.
I understand you have a blind spot given your education and profession but that should not ever prevent you from surrendering your free will.
Originalism and those those who follow this doctorine always forget that it is a academic and theoretical posture only.
I recall rules are made to be broken and in the context of our consitution it was always a flawed document and never an original masterpiece. It was constructed to incorporate amendments.
Something in the universe is original only once....
No, sir... Rules were not made to be broken. That is a tired cliche from an era of childish, misguided individuals who wouldn't dare to try and cash that check. (I dare you to drive down an I-275 off ramp, you big, brave rule-breaker.)
Yes: The rules were made to be amended. The provision for amendment, driven by overwhelming support from the people, is a political masterpiece. The authors were not so short-sighted.
You want change? Amend the rules. Do not ignore them. Do not break them.
As it currently stands, the hard reality is that not enough of your fellow citizens want the flavor of change that you advocate. By all means, please continue to be active and state your point of view. However, you're going to need to work on changing minds (and not simply practicing declaration), if you want to change the rules.
Americans are, overwhelmingly, a lawful people. Amend the rules using the lawful prescription, and the change will be accepted. Bypass the rules, and the lawful majority will be forced to consider pushing the big "RESET" button.
D20,
You simply have no understanding of the civil rights movement which was very American which codified the moral and legal premise of civil disobedience..
You also seem to ignore our collective responsibility and duty as citizens to object to the injustice of the state.
No rules are made to be broken and let me reiterate something is original in the universe only once...
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