posted by Sam Richards
Here’s an interesting article from TIME/CNN about the upcoming U.S. Census and the use of racial signifiers. Quite fascinating discussion of “new school” – “old school” terminology and who should get to decide which terms should be deemed acceptable for public use.
“Should the Census Be Asking People if They’re Negro?”
By Barbara Kiviat – TIME/CNNUse of the word Negro to describe a black person has largely fallen out of polite conversation — except on the U.S. Census questionnaire. There, under “What is this person’s race?” is an option that reads, “Black, African Am., or Negro.” That has raised the ire of certain black activists and politicians as the Census Bureau gears up to mail out its once-a-decade questionnaires. The controversy has been cast by many as an instance of a tone-deaf agency not keeping up with the times. In actuality, the flash point represents a much larger theme: the often contentious way the Census both reflects and forges our evolving understanding of race. (See the best pictures of 2009.)
The immediate reason the word Negro is on the Census is simple enough: in the 2000 Census, more than 56,000 people wrote in Negro to describe their identity — even though it was already on the form. Some people, it seems, still strongly identify with the term, which used to be a perfectly polite designation. To blindly delete it is to risk incorrectly counting the unknown number of (presumably older) black Americans who identify with the term. (See rare photos at home of Martin Luther King Jr.)
But the Census Bureau is aware that times are changing — and not just when it comes to the word Negro. As part of the 2010 Census, the bureau will test 15 major changes to questions about race and Hispanic origin. For each, approximately 30,000 households will receive a slightly different questionnaire so that demographers and statisticians can use data — along with follow-up interviews — to decide if the modification helps or hurts the accuracy and consistency of information collected. “We hope this will help us better understand the way people identify with these concepts,” says Nicholas Jones, chief of the Census’ racial-statistics branch. One change being tested: deleting the word Negro. Others include combining queries about Hispanic origin and race into one question and getting rid of the word race in the question altogether.
Those modifications could have a lasting impact on how Americans think about race. Census data underpin broad stretches of society, from federal regulations to corporate marketing strategies, and how data are framed when collected speaks to our collective worldview (both contemporary and historical). Consider that in a 2006 study of 138 censuses from around the world, New York University sociologist Ann Morning found that only 15% of those asking about ancestry or national origin used the term race. Almost all of those that did were former slave economies. (See a video of perspectives in Harlem on President Obama’s first year in office.)
Further, among nations Morning studied, only the U.S. asked about Hispanic ethnicity in a stand-alone question. (Race and ethnicity are synonymous practically everywhere else in the world.) Morning concluded that talking about the two separately, as is done in the U.S., could unintentionally reinforce the view that while ethnicity is a product of culture and society, race represents something else — a set of characteristics inherent to a certain type of person (e.g., black people are athletic; Asians are smart). (See TIME’s special on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)
If it seems like a stretch that the Census would have such grand influence, take a moment for a little history. The first Census, in 1790, explicitly asked about only one race: white. Blacks, for the most part, fell into the slave category. Race was about civil status. In the 19th century, concerns about keeping the white race pure led to the addition of the “mulatto” category in 1850 (and “quadroon” and “octoroon” in 1890), a process traced by Harvard political scientist Melissa Nobles in her book Shades of Citizenship. With rising immigration, Chinese and Japanese were added as categories — but not Irish or Italian — underscoring that somehow Asians were more fundamentally different.
In the civil rights era of the 20th century, Census data took on a whole new meaning. The antidiscrimination laws written in the 1960s and the affirmative-action policies that followed relied on Census data to determine if minorities were underrepresented in any number of realms, from home sales to small-business loans. One of the largest leaps in the Census’ racial scheme came in 2000 when, for the first time, respondents were allowed to check more than one race box. The change was celebrated by those hoping to usher in an era of postracial America and assailed by those fearing the weakening of civil rights enforcement.
As it turns out, neither extreme came to pass — partly because only 2.4% of the population checked more than one race. Nonetheless, the instruction to “mark one or more boxes” signified a major turning point in how the Census sets the parameters for national discussion. In the words of former Census director Kenneth Prewitt, we are now moving from “a justice-based classification system” to “an identity-based classification system.” If not revolution, that is at least evolution. (See the world’s most influential people in the 2009 TIME 100.)
And it continues today. One of the possible changes the Census is testing during the 2010 count is allowing respondents to check more than one box not just for race but for Hispanic origin as well. A popular rally cry during the push to allow multiple races was, Why should a person with one black parent and one white parent be forced to choose between them? Indeed, why should a person with a Hispanic mother and non-Hispanic father be any different?
Another change under review is letting people who check “white” or “black” to write in more specific information afterward. In recent years, groups representing a number of backgrounds, including Afro-Caribbean and Arab, have lobbied to be included separately on the Census instead of being confined to broad categories (black for people of Afro-Caribbean decent; white for those with Arab ancestry). By trying out additional write-in blanks, the Census is attempting to see what other designations it might be able to reliably collect data about.
For the time being, write-in responses still often need to be shoehorned into broader categories for the purpose of following certain laws based on official statistics. But in the longer term, the write-in box could prove to be an even more momentous step in the evolution of racial categorization than the ability to check more than one race. By encouraging wider swaths of people to explain as precisely as possible how they see themselves, the Census is implicitly acknowledging that its count of the U.S. population is increasingly becoming a conduit for self-expression. “We are measuring the characteristics of the American people as they wish to be known,” says Prewitt.
That is true even when the way a person wishes to be known is as a Negro — at least for the time being. Considering that older black people are more likely to use the term, Negro will almost surely eventually come off the Census. But it is important to remember that when it does, it will not be a simple reaction to changing social mores. In 1970 the Census changed its black category from “Negro” to “Negro or Black.” The Federal Government sent a form to every U.S. household and effectively said, We have a new way of thinking about this particular group of people. Census categories reflect perceptions. But they also forge them.
This was a very interesting read and I was pleasantly surprised about the positive outlook it had. I do agree 100% with the fact that these Census questionnaires are a large reflection of how the government and/or the country views things. Especially when looking at what it has been like historically and when and how it has changed relative to the times, it's a really big deal to recognize the thought behind these questions. As I have mentioned in other posts, if it were up to me, the race question wouldn't exist because there is only one (the human race) but of course it's not up to me!
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Being that I am only twenty years old, I'm not very educated when it comes to the demographics of the census, since I was less than a year old for the first one and only ten for the second one. Even now that I'm twenty, because I'm still considered a dependent because of the financial situation regarding college. However, the significance of race does always seem to be an issue. Personally I don't understand why so many people make a big deal about it. Sure I could understand the use of offensive words to describe people like back in olden days could be a problem but I really think that we have moved on from that kind of pointless banter, and if we haven't, we need to take a good long look at ourselves as a people of this country. I can also understand why ethnicity would be important when it comes to things such as the census. It is very important to have an idea of the demographics of a country or region, because it affects the resources that go into that particular area. Although the question comes into mind why would that matter? The answer is because some regions of the country need resources more than others, even though it usually works out that a general white population will still get more resources than that of a minority region nearby in clearer need of necessities. But honestly, because I really have no idea, what is the point of having different label associated with generally the same group of people i.e. Black, African American, Negro etc. All it leads to is senseless quarreling. If anything, the census should have all of the countries of the world on it and then families could go down through it and pick the different countries of origin that they're from. So they may be able to lie and put a different origin down, but honestly they could do that right now anyways, and what kind of person doesn't have pride in where they came from. I have no problem telling people that I'm part Lebanese despite looking (and mainly being) either eastern or western European. I would gladly put down Lebanese on a census form, because honestly, that is the country I most recognize when it comes to my culture, despite looking as white as flour. I still don't know how some people want to be classified. It all really comes down to how a person is born and raised. I normally call people of color black, and I have yet to be chastised for it. I feel that negro sounds slightly more offensive, but if so many of them put it down in their own words on the census, then I guess that it is not as bad as I thought it was
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In my opinion generation after generation is getting better and better at accepting differences; however, we still need to accommodate the “old school” by keeping “negro” there because there are still black people living that identify themselves as “negro”.
I see the question why do we need the racial demographics in the census. One reason this information is needed is to evaluate the effectiveness of federal programs that work to ensure the civil rights of all ethnic groups. For example, we would have no way of knowing if women are being paid at rates similar to men or if black people are receive similar salaries as white. As we see in class this is not equal just yet. There are biological and social reasons to track demographics in this country. Whether it is for medical purposes or educational issues we need to know in order to get the right federal and/or state programs helping those who need it the most and have it designed in a way that is best suited for the targeted ethnic group.
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The U.S. Census is doing exactly what it should be doing. It is a formal questionnaire without any racist intentions. If there are people in the world that identify as Negro, then it is not offensive. It may be outdated but it is not offensive. When you check the box “Black, African American, or Negro” it means that you identify with one of these terms, not necessarily all of them. They are trying to be as inclusive as possible and that is what they should be doing as a government that represents such a great variety of people.
They are not just including the term Negro and not considering the thoughts of the nation. They are distributing different versions of the census to compare how people identify and react to the different possibilities for phrasing. They are also using a variety of methods to figure out how people identify and giving them the opportunity to express themselves as they feel fit. They allow you to check more than one box for race and in the 2010 census in ethnicity as well. They have the option of “other” in case you do not feel that your race was included. They also are considering adding a blank space for you to explain yourself further if you checked the box “black” or “white”. This allows for you to further identify your origins and does not limit you to broad categories.
It may seem like the best idea is to remove race completely. This is not so. Race is not used to discriminate. The information gathered helps the government to know what community service to provide. It also allows businesses to know where their target population resides and what kind of advertisement will best suit that of the people in the area. There was a controversy in the mid 1960s about “integrated” advertising. That is whether or not to include black actors in commercials with white actors. They wanted to gain black consumers, but feared alienating white consumers. This may not be the case anymore. People have become more accepting of other cultures so this may not affect sales as it would have in the 60s. However, the 60s were only fifty years ago. Some people change but there are many who still hold their prejudices. Even if the majority of the population has come to understand the differences in culture there may still be a slight bias. It is very likely that a white population is going to be more affected by a commercial with Bradley Cooper and a black population is going to be more affected by a commercial with Jamie Foxx.
The U.S. Census is not trying to alienate people. They are doing quite the opposite. They are trying to gather useful information about the country that they represent and they are trying to find the most appropriate and accurate way of doing so. It is clear that there is no offense meant and that are trying to account for everyone in the U.S.
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This article was very interesting and it gave me a new point of view about how words can change through time and have different meanings. The word "negro" was a socially acceptable normal word back few decades ago and now it has a completely different connotation. People get offended when they hear the word; some might even start a fight out of frustration and anger. It is very clear the Census is using this word to make sure everyone identifies themselves and the data is as accurate as it can be. Black or African Americans that have lived through the generation where negro was a common ward will not have any problems identifying themselves in that manner. It is not in anyway offensive and if the word is not available, they will not pick an ethnicity. Taking about and African Americans, it has always intrigued me that blacks and African Americans are interchangeable terms. In my perspective if people of color are born in the United States and have parent that were born in America, these people have no connection to Africa other than ancestry and should not be classified as African Americans. If we are going to categorize and call blacks African Americans, Whites should also have specification as Irish Americans and Italian Americans available. I was born in Africa specifically in an eastern part of Africa in a country called Ethiopia and once i become a citizen of the Unites States, people can refer me as African American. I strongly disagree that Blacks are refereed as African Americans since most blacks have no idea about Africa and what it is about. As long as we keep changing as a society and words are born and dead in history, i am very confident that words such as African Americans, negro and caucasians will no longer be in use. I also found a very interesting idea in this article that made me stop and think for a second. It has been shown through the census in the last decades that the terms they use to categorize people affect how race and ethnicity is perceived through the population.If the census can make an influence in how people look at others that are not categorized in the same race as them, i definitely think that the census should be used as a tool to eliminate race tensions, stereotypes and offensive racial terms.
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I don't see why race is a huge factor for this census. Sometimes people cannot relate to these limited choices that the government or who ever decide to put as a option to choose for. I think it is unfair that people from different backgrounds or countries who have migrated to the United States that have a certain complexion have to be identified as either Black, Negro , or African American. The fact of the matter is that they are none. They do not share the culture or lifestyle. Although they have all adapted to the ways of America, they do not share similar beliefs and their ethnicity same to reign supreme in their hearts. I think that there should not be a space asking about what race you are because everyone is not educated the same and relate to these "titles" differently. Black, Negro, and African American all denote the same view in peoples mind so it it is pointless to even change it. Doesn't "negro" mean black in Spanish so I don't see why people are making a big deal out of this.I also think that some people do not take the census seriously. They just fill it out just because and turn it in. If the race of an individual is the most important aspect for living in America than we need to get our priorities straight.
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There is no way that the United States Census Bureau can please everybody. There will always be one person that won’t be happy and will be offended in some way. The workers of the Census Bureau have it tough. They simply want American citizens to fill out the form and hand it in. I’m sure they didn’t expect that one of their primary complaints would be about an option for a checkbox in the race category.
I think that the term Negro should stay on the census until the percentage of people who identify themselves as Negro is very low. In the future, the term Negro should phase out of the census as the percentage of people who identify themselves as Negro also phases out. In class, I remember Sam saying that the people who identify themselves as Negro are typically older. So, maybe the next census they won’t have it. I understand that the term Negro offends a lot of people, but there are still 56,000 other people that identified as Negros for their race. I don’t think it’s fair to take away someone’s race when so many people still check it on the census.
The term Negro in the Census is not meant in a derogatory way. It’s not meant to make anyone feel uncomfortable or offend anyone. People perceive things very differently. Clearly, when some people see the word Negro on the Census they think of their race. When others see that term, they immediately get offended. I feel like just seeing a word on paper is not effective to interpret. Maybe if it were all capitalized or had an exclamation point, more emotion would be conveyed. In the Census, it’s very clear that the term Negro is not meant to cause any harm. Simply, It’s just a race category that you have the option of checking the box for. Do you really think the Census Bureau would put it on there to offend people? Their main concern is gathering the data and interpreting it.
Time has shown how far the United States has come in terms of offering more categories for the census. The organization seems to be trying to satisfy the diverse citizens of the United States. It’s good to see that the Census Bureau is trying to keep up. As new generations identify themselves as more and more different races, the more options the Census Bureau offers in the race category come in handy. Adding more options makes the results more accurate. The Census information is used to help allocate funding to specific areas in the United States. The more specific the categories are, the more accurate the results will be which can get areas funded that need to be that weren’t previously.
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This article may spark a lot of controversy, but I think an argument is needed nowadays. It is fantastic that we are offering more categories to race, however I am not sure why race is so important. If we are 99.99% alike genetically, why should our race determine our lifestyles. I understand that this is an issue for most people, especially regarding stereotypes, but I can only hope this will change someday. Realistically speaking though, it will not. I was shocked to hear how many “black” people wrote “negro” on the census. Our race title should not determine anything. I am very happy to see though how many options we are putting on the census. With more options we get a clearer view at how people are identifying themselves.
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Just wow. I don’t understand why it took so long for this thing to be dealt with. If I were one of the players I would have walked away from the game. No person should go through this. I understand that they want to distract the players but not in this childish manner. I am happy that they are threatening to shut down entire soccer games because of the fans which gives them a incentive to keep their mouth shut and enjoy the game.
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You can be anything you want to be. I’m not talking about your career or Halloween costume; I am talking about your race. Race is a made up term used to categorize individuals into groups. I don’t know why it is such a big deal to keep the word Negro on the census or take it off. If you want to be known as Negro, then check Negro, and if you want to be known as Black or African American, then check one of those. It is 5 letter of ink on the sheet, so what is the big deal to take it off.
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I never understood why people were offended by the word, “Negro.” First of all: a little bit of history on the word – the word “Negro” was the term to described colored people of African descent for dozens of decades. The word came from the Spanish and Portuguese languages for the word, “black.” The word, in itself, means, “black.” And another funny thing, before the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s the word, “Black” was offensive. The only ethnic slur that was ever conceived to actually be used as an ethnic slur to African Americans is the word, “Nigger.”
The ONLY reason why Negro is offensive to blacks nowadays is because during the Civil Rights Movements in the 1960s black movement leaders told their supporters to abandon the word as it was associated with African American slavery, segregation, and other such injustices. But in reality, at the time, the word “Negro” was the most polite way to address a black person. And now, it’s an ethnic slur. Why? Because some leaders told people that the word was offensive. (Though I wonder why they decided to embrace an offensive word as the new norm).
I think people need to take a step back and remember something: in official government forms, all words in that document are meant to be denotative, not connotative. That means, for all intents and purposes, the words on that paper are to be taken in their definition, not what the word is associated with. In our particular example with Negro and Black, the meaning of Negro is supposed to mean “A person of sub-Saharan African descent; a person with black or dark brown skin” nothing else. So what’s the big deal?
Another thing that I find funny: does anyone even know what Negro is supposed to mean when it’s taken as an offensive word? Think about it: Historically it was a respectful way to refer to people of “A person of sub-Saharan African descent; A person with black or dark brown skin.” So what does it mean today? If I were to ask anyone, I know what the answer would be (Side note: I live in the ghettos of Philadelphia. I know.) “That’s offensive, yo.” Why? Why is it offensive? No one I ask is going to say, “because Malcom X said it was.” And that would be the correct answer. Instead, they would say something along the lines of, “Because they used the word during slavery” or “it puts down the black race.”
I just don’t understand why people are so worked up over this matter in the Census. Do they honestly believe that the United States Government is trying to offend the black Americans living here today? What would be the point? The President of the United States is half black for God’s sake. It’s not like they have another more offensive word on the Census. If they had, “Nigger,” on the census, then I can see a problem. But no, they have Negro. And they even explained WHY they have the word “Negro.” They gave a reason, it serves a practical purpose, and I doubt half the people in America even know why the word “negro” is offensive. They should just let it go.
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I think that this questioning and debate over what word to use for certain races really only emphasizes the reality that race doesn't exist. I don't really understand the benefits of statistics that categorize people according to their skin color. I do believe that black people in America faced terrible horrendous and disgusting discrimination until the 1960s and that is the sole reason for the differences that the census shows between different "races. " Because the grandparents of today's black people were prevented by law and by fierce discrimination from getting jobs and providing for the families. Therefore, they were probably not able to provide financially stable environments for their children. It is a common sociological fact that households with money probems face a ton of stress and are not good environments for strong marriages and for raising children. THerefore, the grandparents of today's black people probably were prevented for giving good households for their children. While their children were not prevented by law from getting jobs or higher levels of education, many of them may not have grown up in the best neighborhoods and did not take advantage of many opporutnites to increase their quality of life. Then they have children, which are the young black people of today's generation. WHile affirmative action helps in closing the gap between races economically, the effects of racism are still here today. We see that in the different incomes between races. I don't think we need the census to keep telling us there is a difference. The census asking for race and trying to draw conclusions is not based on anything scientific. The only thing it could indicate is job discrimination, and there are many laws preventing that today. The question of what race people are and what word to use are trivial problems and only encourage racism. By saying that there is a difference between people of diffferent skin colors, people emphasize that there is a difference in many areas between people of different skin colors. This only creates more unnecessary strife.
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The usage of the word "Negro" on the U.S. Census is an interesting fact. Considering that we as a nation seemed to have done away with that word in our society and daily lives. Rarely will you go around and hear someone described as that "negro man". More commonly a that person would be called "black". I feel as though the word "Negro" was just used as a politically correct way to segregate black people after our nation was "integrated". But I don't just feel that the race "negro" should be removed from the U.S. Census. I believe that race should be removed completely from the Census all together. Putting race on the Census in my opinion has no real good to the citizens of the United States. I thought the idea of a Census was just to keep count of the number of people who are in our country. Instead it is really a demographic. It tells what races make the most income, which have dominant populations, and where different races are geographically, and other things of that nature. What I see, is that the primary use of the Census is just for politicians to target certain demographics. By breaking the nation up into groups by income, race, gender, employment, etc. simply make it easier for politicians to target certain peopled when election time comes around. By eliminating the race category on the U.S. Census that would truly show that the government is viewing each "race" as equal. It is not as important to not take "negro" of because only a few number of people identify, as important it is to take race off. And to address the people who are multiracial the Census is actually as inaccurate. Like the article said only 2.4% of people actually checked more than one race when in actuality we know that the percentage is far greater than that. Typically, multiracial people only identify as the race that they are most commonly associated with. For example, we know that President Barack Obama is half Kenyan and half whit, but he considers himself a black man so he is black in the eyes of the world. So the demographic is very inaccurate because multiracial people are extremely underrepresented. The inaccuracy of the Census further proves my point that race on the Census is only used for political reasons. If race was actually important than the lack of people identifying themselves as multiracial than we would have to have some effect on the government to run efficiently. Right? So in closing I feel as though our nation is passed the age where the word 'negro" should be used to identify black people and thus should be removed from the Census, but more importantly race should be removed from the Census because it categorizes and stereotypes different races.
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I have never and will never refer to myself as a "negro." I am an African-American young woman. To me, "negro" is too closely corelated to the derogatory term "nigger," and I would never accept being called that either. It is disrespectful on so many levels and only people of ignorance refer to themselves or other persons of color as "niggers." It is an odd rememberance that people hold on to for some reason. I just don't understand it. I don't think that I would be hurt if someone called me that. I think I would be more disgusted that people are so closed minded and rude.
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This article was very eye opening. Obviously, as generations go on, traditions and what is or is not accepted changes. Words that my generation says now can be taken as extremely offensive to the older generations before us. In this case, it can be quite the opposite. The generations older than us grew up around the word Negro. Now, the word can be seen as rather discriminatory. I would never go out and straight up call someone a "Negro". It just is not seen as polite. Words have a way of evolving over time, either in the good or bad way. Also, it definitely depends on who is addressing someone as a "negro". If it was a fellow black or african american, it would be completely acceptable to call someone that. But, when someone outside call them a "negro", it is looked at in a completely different light. This is why, I think, that many households have been reacting how they have been. They do not find it bad to call themselves "negros", but when the government asks them to address themselves that way, the tables completely turn. In the long run, I do not think that it is an offensive enough word to really upset people. Obviously, so so SO many people still identify with that term. Therefore, it really cannot be that bad. It is more of an issue to have something to talk about. I still do not quite understand exactly what race is. But in this year's Census you have the option to check more than one. I think that it is great that they have the option to select more than one. My understanding is you are not just a single race. To be honest though, I think that if this article had not come up on this site and if I did not have to do this for my class, I do not think I would have heard about it. I read the news, but only the top headlines. It also is not an issue everyone cares about. Many people would put this on the back burner of news stories because it is not as big of a deal as events like that are happening in Haiti. I think that this is a very important issue for people to consider. It would help people realize the race and ethnic relations projects. In defense of the government controlling the Census, it would be near impossible to make the Census perfect. People look at words in different ways. One word may be offensive to one person and not to another. There is no way that you can make every person in the united states happy. I think the government is handling it well, with their follow up interviews and really asking everyone on their opinion.
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This article addressed a topic that is extremely personal to me. As a person of mixed race, my mother is white and my father is black, I have often faced the confusing question, “Which box do I choose?” I often end up selecting other or selecting “more than one box”, as the article mentioned. Due to my own situation I can certainly relate to those African Americans who prefer the term “negro” when describing their own race. Personally I describe myself as neither white or black but African American and Irish. This is a personal preference of mine and I would not be willing to alter this description. Many African Americans of an older generation identify with this term and do not find it offensive, rather they find it as a term they have used all their lives. I can specifically remember my black grandmother using the term “negro” to describe a neighbor. She used the term diminutively, which makes me understand those who wish to have it removed from the census. For those 56,000 people however who do not find the term offensive and wish to use it to describe their race, I say more power to them.
After exploring my own issues with race and listening to Sam’s lectures I have begun to realize that race is just a word, just as the terms used to describe different races, including “negro”. The problems only arise when people associate negative connotations and stereotypes with these words. Take for example the word “nigger”. Simply it is a six letter word, just a term like “negro”. It is the history and pain behind the word that gives it such power and creates feelings that are different for each and every person. Personally I do not use the word, and do not think that anyone black or white should use it. To me it reduces the black race to something subhuman, a word to describe slaves who where only considered part of a person. To me a word that directly relates to this mentality should not be used, in any manner. Moreover I do not agree that black people should use the word either. Some say they are “taking back the word”, however acknowledging its meaning and perpetuating its use is just as bad as letting white people say it. No one can change the meaning of the n-word, nor can they “take it back”. I also believe this practice confuses people of other races and creates unnecessary problems because every black person has a different opinion regarding the n-word. One person may find it empowering and is perfectly fine with others using it, another person like me may however find it abusive and offensive. By not using this word this confusion can be eliminated and people that find it offensive will not be hurt or upset by the word.
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My first impression after reading this newspaper was surprising. Now, we are living in 21st century and it was believed that civil rights of minority people have been progressed a lot since Warren Court. However, the fact that such term was appeared on the questionnaire seems pretty odd since the use of such term has been prohibited according to social norms. Even before I came to United States, I was warned very seriously that the word should not come out from my mouth. Then, what about this article? The census, the part of federal government which has been pursuing the extinction of racial discrimination or minimization, at least, the stereotypes toward a race, has such offensive term (what I mean by offensive is that general African American population would not be liked to call in that way.
Regarding this matter, the Census’s questionnaire was happened to include the term due to the last census results which more than 56,000 people ‘wrote down,’ rather than circling given choices which included African-American category. This reason seems that it somewhat failed to meet the legitimacy of the questionnaire. I am not denying that 56,000 people’s opinions and values are not worthy to be respected, but there are more than 34.6million respondents who did not write down ‘Negro’ to describe their races. It is just results. We do not know why they chose in that way. It may be due to their voluntary willingness to be described as ‘Negro,’ but it was also because of other reasons. Without knowing the intention or the background of those respondents, Census 2010 questionnaires would be a consequence of dangerous assumption.
As we talked about in the class, race means ‘nothing.’ Some pictures of persons were shown to the class and students were asked to determine what ‘race’ does each of people in the photo is. The answers were very contradictory to what we usually think. The physical appearance may be a factor to determine one’s race, but it, with this exercise, might be not enough. We saw ‘black’ people whose skin color is close to white than black and Latino people who the class thought to be African or African-American. In addition, it was said that 2.4% of total respondents in Census 2000 reported that they have two or more races. We do not know exactly how much portion of our blood is consisting of White, Black, Asian, Native American, or Latino’s blood without precise DNA test. Then, why respondents are so sure in answering questions of race on Census survey? If they were asked to do this exercise I bet almost all respondents would be unable to determine their race or even choose two or more races.
This article was somewhat frustrating but I was surprised when I found out that I was thinking in the way that I could not even imagine.
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When the powers that be create the U.S. Census ballots what must have been of importance to them were 1) all the possible categorizations people give themselves and 2) choosing between maintaining political correctness or obtaining the most accurate picture of the people living in the United States today. Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t believe the Census has a “check all that apply” system when it comes time for them to ask about race. This gives multiracial people the opportunity to choose a single race that they belong to for based on personal preference. Politically incorrect terms and racially charged terms are divided but can overlap. I prefer to be called a Native American and am put off when I am called Indian. The term “Indian” is used to describe what almost everyone will agree as “Native American”, yet to me it has a different connotation. Using this example, misusing the term Indian is politically incorrect, not racist in intent. This cannot be said for other words. I cannot speak on behalf of Africans, African Americans or Blacks but I find that the word ‘colored’ has dabbled into being racist and politically incorrect. This is because the word refers to a period of segregation in the United States: a period that we have thankfully pushed from. It is culturally obsolete and inaccurate. What is the fundamental difference between using the term “colored” and “people of color”? Is there one at all? Why has the Census Bureau never pursued an estimate of LGBTs living in the United States? Those who categorize themselves as Negro and in fact ‘are’, should not lose the chance of checking so on their surveys. The way a racial group defines themselves is idiosyncratic and should not be discouraged because of it. Let us not try to find a single word that lumps an entire group together. For the sake of counting everyone, use as many different words as possible so long as you don’t cross the line into offending people.
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My first impression after reading this newspaper was surprising. Now, we are living in 21st century and it was believed that civil rights of minority people have been progressed a lot since Warren Court. However, the fact that such term was appeared on the questionnaire seems pretty odd since the use of such term has been prohibited according to social norms. Even before I came to United States, I was warned very seriously that the word should not come out from my mouth. Then, what about this article? The census, the part of federal government which has been pursuing the extinction of racial discrimination or minimization, at least, the stereotypes toward a race, has such offensive term (what I mean by offensive is that general African American population would not be liked to call in that way.
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I find it hard to understand why the word “negro” will appear on census for the United States. When I heard this word, I immediately associate it with other derogatory terms. Although several thousand people wrote in the word to describe themselves on a previous census, I think that a greater number of people will be offended, than those who will benefit. Because of this, I think that the word should be omitted. Rather than causing an uproar from those who seriously disagree with this decision, the government should avoid the trouble and allow those people who wish to refer to themselves as “Negros” the option of penciling it in.
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With times changing and people becoming familiar with “political correctness”, I think that most people of a different race understand that those who are ignorant with their vocabulary do not mean any harm by it, and therefore shouldn’t take (that much) offense to words. However it is good to hear that something that is taking statistics like the Census is changing how they provide it and showing their respect, even if it isn’t a large population of people who are insulted by the descriptions on the Census. Eventually race won’t be as big of a deal as we make it now, and we will be able to look past our .01% differences and make the world a better place, as cheesy as that sounds.
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I found this article both stimulating and partially incorrect. The modern goal of the census is to gain a better understanding of the individuals who make up the country. This knowledge helps facilitate other government expenditures such as knowing which cultural groups need the most help, and thus money, and knowing who is underrepresented or overrepresented in different aspects of society. Thus, the goal of the census is a noble one and this, above anything else, needs to be kept in mind when discussing its flaws and ramifications.
As many other students pointed out in their responses, the census is a rare instance of noble government efforts. As if this weren’t enough, now the individuals behind the census are working harder to make sure no one is insulted by the terminology present in its wording. People need to realize this! America doesn’t run efficiently when the government is trying to appease every single individual, but operates by working to satisfy the needs of the majority. A number of individuals identified themselves as Negroes on the previous census, and so while this term may offend some, it clearly resonates well with the overwhelming majority.
The article mentions how the Hispanic population is going through a similar issue with wanting more varied choices when it comes to identifying themselves in the census. The census has responded by providing room for individuals to write any additional comments which they feel necessary to add other than the simple check of a box. Besides this, the census now allows for more than one box to be checked when it comes to race. My question is, when is enough enough?
I am all for equality and for political correctness to not anger or insult any group of individuals, but this article makes me think that the census is on a slippery slope to losing effectiveness for correctness. People need to keep the goal of the census in mind when filling it out. Maybe you would like to write that you are an African-America, or that you are a Negro, or black, but as long as one of those three choices appear it shouldn’t be that difficult to pick one. I am white, Caucasian, or non-Hispanic Caucasian, and as long as one of those three choices appear on the form I am not going to get insulted or throw a fit. In my opinion, if someone really feels so strongly that they are black that they cannot identify themselves as Negro, just leave the census blank!
The article also gets into discussion about how the census can have effects on the way people see themselves. I would disagree with this as well, as I feel the census IS a reflection of how people see themselves, and is not what causes people to see themselves as a certain race. Overall I found the information in this article to be both interesting and troublesome. Interesting for showing how the census has adapted to a changing society, and troublesome for showing how an almost universal good can be rendered obsolete when people forget about intention and focus too heavily on political correctness.
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Race seems to be a fabricated idea that I don’t really seem to agree with. However, I come from a town where racism is very prominent. The KKK in the north started up in our town earlier in this century. I have never really thought of people as different, though. It’s mostly because there wasn’t much diversity in my town. When a black person started going to our high school, it didn’t seem to be for very long. Even my family, who is very diverse (my mom is Honduran, my dad is Pennsylvania Dutch/European?) had its own secret racist tendencies. I learned at a very young age what the n-word was in Spanish. I do not consider myself racist, but when I am thrown into a diverse community (Penn State is pretty diverse) it’s like a reality check from the tight knit white town I grew up in.
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It's interesting that “Should the Census Be Asking People if They’re Negro?” was used as a title for this article. It's clear that this title was chosen to catch people's attention and attract readers because of the potentially racist connotations of the term Negro. However, the author spends a lot of time talking about the history of the race/ethnicity section of the census and does a poor job of putting out the fire fueled by the title choice. Anyone who had chosen to read the article because they were expecting some intense discussion of how we've made too many advances in equality to still be classified by Negro may finish feeling unsatisfied and have an undeserved negative attitude toward the upcoming census. True, Ms. Kiviat did touch on a few of the legitimate reasons for using Negro on the census, but she didn't do enough to appease her readers. It is clear to almost anyone that we are a society that is comforted by statistics, if she had included that 45% of people prefer to be called Black, 28% prefer African-American, 12% prefer Afro-American, and 3% prefer Negro, it may have helped her reasoning behind including Negro in the census. If she had been able to show that the 3% that preferred Negro is equal to approximately 140,000 people, readers may have been more inclined to agree with its inclusion so as not to lose the data of the large a number of people. Instead, she left the reader right where the started off, most likely offended by the use of the term.
Something else that caught my attention was the quote from the former census director Kenneth Prewitt that said that we are moving away from “a justice-based classification system” to “an identity-based classification system.” I am inclined to agree with this assessment. Why should it matter whether one race/ethnicity needs more hospitals, job centers, or emergency centers? Shouldn't the important thing be that someone, no ANYONE, goes without the things they need? One race shouldn't deserve services more than another. We are all Americans, and as such, we all deserve to benefit from the services our country has to offer. I'm tired of the argument that Whites had a 200 year head start on Blacks so Blacks deserve to have more opportunities. There have, and always will be, deprived and destitute people of every race/ethnicity in this country. Poverty is a problem in this country. Should one group be given a boost at the expense of standing on another's shoulders? Now, I'm sure there's someone out there who thinks I'm supporting a communist society, but I'm not. I'm not even going to get into the whole communist/socialist/capitalist argument. I'm not arguing that we should all have everything or all have nothing. There are always going to be different socioeconomic statuses, but there is no excuse for even ONE American to be subjected to living in conditions that would be unfit for most animals. These racial/ethnic classifications we make are irrelevant when there are people in every group that are not provided the chance to live comfortably. So I have to ask where is the justice in that?
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I was very surprised to see that the word negro was still being used on the U.S. census. Being white I don't truly know how that word would make an African American feel, however, I had always thought it to be an offensive term. I was also surprised to see that a lot of African American's actually wrote negro in to identify themselves. I feel that as more older of the older African Americans who identify with this term pass on, the word negro will become less and less used. Certainly none of my young black friends identify with this term and I feel that it is unnecessary to have it on a nationwide census.
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Coming into this class, I would have seen “Black” and “African American” as meaning the same thing. Both these terminologies have been used to classify in most peoples minds as “people of darker skin” thanks to associated learning. Coming into this class I might have looked at some of my friends and just said “they were black” or “African American” but now I look and wonder if one is Dominican, or even a part of Europe. We don’t know where one culture or classification ends and where another one begins, and neither do the average census. It’s important that they list as many options as possible and continue to add on the “others” as the number of those marking themselves as other increase.
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I can see people being upset about the word "Negro" being on census papers, but I thought those that wish to acknowledge themselves as a specific group can do so, but I think it has to be a majority decision. You can split the ethnicity of people into to an unbelievable amount of subgroups that marking everyone down would just be impossible. I found that if the "Negro/African American/Black" culture could identify under a new name for those that cannot trace their ancestry back to slavery, than there might be a solution. Until that is agreed upon I don't think that many people will like seeing the word "Negro" on the ballad but then again, most people don't have the right to complain about such a menial fact as what people refer themselves to. If i were to be labeled as Italian American instead of white that would be more correct in my ideas of politically correct, but I'll never get that chance because the majorities have labeled all from Europe as white, so there really isn't any equality on the rosters in both directions.
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During this day and age, I am really surprised that the Census would still put Negro on the questionnaire. The world is changing every second, every hour, and every day. People are always trying to be politically correct. It really does not matter what goes on the questionnaire. I understand why they still put negro on the Census, because 56,000 people wrote the word Negro on there. People need to stop being so difficult when it comes to terms of race. Apparently, when they put a certain word that pertains to black people, people need to check the bubble for being black or African American. That is what is wrong with this world. Everything has to be politically correct. Every word tends to offend a certain group of people. The world does not always have to please people. I think that if people want to be politically correct. They should just be miscounted on the Census. Then when people get miss counted, they will realize they need to check off the race that pertains to them whether they like the term or not. There are absolutely too many terms in this world to be politically correct. No one will ever be politically correct. I want people to get it through their heads. I also think a lot of people put the word negro, because the people were older. Older people probably are used to the term Negro, because that is what they were called. I understand that, but they must realize this is a new day and age. I do not think most black people care what they are called anymore. I know I do not care. This generation is more different than any other generation. We are more carefree and laid back. We would check black or African American if it was put on the Census. This really should not be a big deal anyways. Who cares what is politically correct. I know I emphasize "politically correct." I only do it because there is no such term. If people have not realized, any word you say offends some person in some way. Words and terms will always offend. What we have to do as a nation is not care. It would make things a little less tense then they are these days. There would not be a big dispute over a word that means the same thing as another word. But since people are difficult, they write what they want to write. We as people should work together to make things easier. Life could be way easier, if we could start to agree on things. I think the Census should stop compromising and just put what they want on the questionnaire. People either can choose to be counted for or choose to not be known. It is that easy.
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I think that it is good that the census bureau is making efforts to make changes in order to fit the liking of the people in the United States. I feel that since times are changing, it isn’t really necessary to include Negro on the census anymore. Although older black people may identify best with this term, I think that they should be directed to mark down a synonymous word that can be added to the census. I don’t really get how just because the term Negro is not on the census that they would just refuse to mark anything down. For example, if Asian/Pacific Islander is on the census and the person filling out the form is from India, even if they would rather identify themselves as Indian and not identify as “Asian”, they would still mark that box because it is technically what they are. Bottom line I feel that the term Negro is a little bit outdated, and removing it will only drive people to be a little more politically correct.
I think that the Census Questionnaire’s given in the U.S. are extremely important due to the extensive amount of diversity in this country. In order to cater towards individuals it is important to know the distribution of races in different states and cities. Therefore, I don’t really understand why people are making such a big deal about not having the “correct term” on these questionnaires.
However, I really like the fill in the blank idea so that the Bureau can get a better idea as to what people prefer to be identified as in order to create a good Questionnaire. It at least allows the majority of people to identify themselves as they wish to be known to the rest of the country. As with any decision that affects a large number of people, not everyone can be completely satisfied.
As far as checking multiple boxes on the Census Questionnaire, I think that people should definitely be allowed to do that. In a century of many interracial relationships, it is difficult to tell the race of anyone anymore. Especially because most people nowadays are never just “Black” or “White”. It is difficult to find people who have pure blood and no mix of anything else. I think that for the questionnaire it is important to check what you truly are as well as what you personally identify as. Some people may be part Native American, but they might not identify with the culture at all. However, people might be more African American and have a small percent of Chinese blood and still identify more with the Chinese culture within their family. Since the purpose of these Questionnaires is to better cater to the people of the country, I think it is important to note both down.
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I think this article was very interesting. In class the other day, we looked at a picture of Obama and his family and were asked to define his race. Most people couldn’t do it, as we were looking at Asians, blacks, and white people. However, he calls himself an African American. Also, we learned that an African American is traced back to slavery. I found out that he is Kenyan and Irish, but goes by black. I find it interesting that people of a mixed race have to choose one primary race that they are. This article stated that there used to only be the whites and the blacks, which were often referred to as the slaves. Now, the census is putting more categories on the list to check. However, some race will always be left out. I feel that there is always going to be a new person who is a different mix of races, and who has a different background. To just classify people as white, black, Hispanic, or Asian is not ideal, because you can’t simply say someone is one race, if they have a different background or family then others. Also, in class we learned how it is hard to even identify others race by just looking at them. When you see a dark skinned person, most automatically assume they are black. However, no one can truly be sure of where every single person came from in the world, and you certainly can’t with a broad race category. As for the word Negro, I feel that it has a negative connotation to it, and is associated with slavery. I think that the black community has overcome a lot of struggles and have gained a lot of rights, that it is not appropriate to continually use that word that is related to the poor times in their lives. I also found it interesting that they were discussing getting rid of the word race altogether. I wonder if the word was deleted from our language, if people would see people more for their character and less for the color of their skin or not. I feel that race in today’s society is so common to hear about, and if the word would be deleted, that people would focus on their personality rather than their outward appearance. Also, the word race refers to a social construction about others, and if it were gone, maybe the constructions the public puts on others would be gone too. It was also interesting to find out that in most other countries in the world they use ethnicity and race to mean the same thing, however we use them to mean different things. Race shouldn’t be about what you look like. It should just be where you are from and what your background is. Unfortunately, I feel that race, as a social construction is here to stay, at least for a while.
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When I first heard Sam say that the word Negro was still on the census forms, I thought that it was a bit too dated to be there. Although, seeing that how thousands of people checked off “Negro” in the 2000 census, it seems a lot more appropriate since clearly there are still people who use this word. This article then made me wonder what is so bad about the word “negro” in the first place. I can for sure understand why people are offended by the “n-word,” but the word “negro,” as far as I know, does not seem to carry any real negative history. I can understand that it is dated, but does that necessarily make it a bad word? Words like “swell” and “groovy” are also dated words, but they are not considered inappropriate to use. I guess I can see that the word “negro” was used at a time when black people were not treated as equals, but I do not see how using the word automatically makes it offensive and inappropriate. Is it just because the word “negro” is related to race? Another issue also came into mind as I was reading this. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter what the census uses as labels as long as they include everyone? I can understand that many biracial people feel pressured to label themselves into a category that glosses over them, but does it really matter what terminology is used (since any offensive terminology is obviously only used in order to eliminate discrepancies). I personally think that it is an overreaction to say that the census is creating these categories and influencing the public. Like at the end of the article it says, “Census categories reflects perceptions. But they also forge them.” I think that this is a bit dramatic. The only reason the census uses certain terminology is because the people who are filling out the forms still use that terminology, and they wish to get as accurate as possible. I do not think that the census creates categories, but if people do, then a write in box can solve that problem pretty quickly. In general, I think that this whole issue of political correctness is rather stupid and a waste of time. The idea that simple words send people into hysterics does not really make much sense to me. These words bother people because they have bought into the idea that their meaning should be offensive to them, and therefore it seems to be inappropriate or unacceptable. I think that if we all just sit down and question why these words are offensive, we would find meaningless explanations, or no explanation at all.
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I really believe it’s just going to be a matter of time until race is completely taken off of the census. Because the fact is most of us in the United States, our families, have lived here for at least 3 generations. That should if anything make our races American. I believe that by naming us anything other than we are just setting up for discrimination. Maybe the question should be changed to nationalities in the last generation of your family so if you are an immigrant you would be counted then. Other than that I feel as though asking your race is just setting people up for a difference.
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I think this article made a lot of interesting points, just like the ones that were made in class. Everyone identifies themselves differently, everyone is not going to agree of acceptable race categories-because there are none. People in older generations use words that people in our generation would find offensive and people in our generation use words older generations wouldn't identify themselves with. I agree with some of the other writers above that I am not quite sure why on the census we even need race to be specified. I thought that unity as a nation was supposed to put all of its people on the same playing field and yet they still keep feeling they need to separate us by race to understand demographics. Why do these matter?
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It is interesting to see how different words affect different people. Being a white person I never really thought twice about what people call my race or ethnicity. There has only really ever been white or Caucasian that has come about. The closest thing I have to being offended is when people say I’m from the South instead of the Midwest. But the only reason I make a fuss out of that is because people need to learn their geography. This has made me realize that everyone is different. Each person may prefer a different name for this race. I guess it is always important to ask before referring to the color of anyone’s skin.
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This is an article that we discussed in our small group yesterday. It is unbelievable to me that the word negro is stilled used in the U.S census. We live in a world where we have had a civil rights movement and we are trying to make steps forward in accepting of other races. There are some countries that are still extremely racist and we pride ourselves as being a country who accepts people of all kinds. This contradicts all of that. We want to live in a world where race does not affect anything. It should not matter for jobs, for sports, or schools. In fact, I don’t think the census should even ask your race. I don’t think college applications or job applications should ask race. And I don’t think that there should be any rules saying how many nationalities you must have on your sports team or in your organization. I don’t think that pictures on brochures should be sure to include every race to show diversity. All of this is just taking steps backwards. It is showing that race does matter. If we all want to live equally, then we should not acknowledge race for any of these things. By asking what race someone is, we are drawing attention to it, and not blending all races together.
Why does it even matter what race we are for the census? The only reason they ask race is so they can say that a certain area is mostly black or mostly white. Then the politicians can go out and say certain cases in certain areas. This once again, is taking steps backwards. For college applications why does it matter what race we are? That just shows that there may be some biased in selecting applicants. In class we talked about a rule in sports that a team must interview someone aside from a white man for the job. To me, this is a ridiculous rule. Many teams already know who they are going to chose to be their coach before even interviewing. So they are basically wasting another coach’s time just to show that they accept other races by interviewing him. Race should not play a part in any of these aspects. Should we start asking on applications if a person is blonde or brunette, that way we don’t discriminate against them? No, we are all equal, no matter our skin color, hair color, or eye color.
I believe that all these rules are just taking us away from the improvements we have made since the civil rights movement. We need to take it upon ourselves to be sure that everyone is treated equally without rules and regulations. You constantly hear stories of people trying to boost themselves by saying how cultured they are, but we shouldn’t have to announce that. We should all be diverse and cultured in every way. I think that until this is true, until we all blend together without rules, we won’t have true equality everywhere like we strive to have.
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There is so much controversy over how to designate races and what words to use to describe someone. Why do we need these meaningless descriptions? In our recitation class yesterday we talked about this article and how some people may find it insulting to use the word Negro. There is so many different ways people take and interpret words it makes it difficult for anyone to speak about race. This shows why race is such a difficult topic. Everyone is always tiptoeing around race too scared to say or show what they really think because of worry that it may offend someone or that they will take it the wrong way. This makes it difficult in recitation and Soc 119 for people to talk openly about race- but slowly people open up more and become more able to talk about race issues. I am not of African assent so I don’t know if someone who is black may take the designation Negro; however, I could see that they may take it offensively. Also on the other side like the article discusses some older African’s use this to describe themselves and wrote this on previous censuses. I would say the important thing would be to discuss this with other Africans and see what they think on the topic and with they think should be done about the census with wording and different questions.
Another topic to discuss with this is why we need so many designations for race. What is the significance of any of them? Why do we need to have this question on the census to begin with? As we discuss in class race really means nothing because we all have practically the same genes, these small differences in appearance and where we come from make hardly any difference. Personally I do not really care what I am called whether it is white, Caucasian, American, they are all fine with me. It seems like we are getting way too into things and needing too many designations- we have too many ways to try and separate and distinguish ourselves from each other even more. We have come so far and made so many great moves in solving social inequalities that these types of things make us go backwards. What is the difference? Why does it matter what race we are or how we like to distinguish each other? We need to all come together as one and unite rather than separate.
The civil rights movement brought us all together and tried to solve racial problems and slowly it made a huge difference in our society. We need to continue these improvements on social problems and get rid of these social dividers so that we can further society. Race should not affect anything we do in society- whether it is getting a job, playing an athletic sport, or getting into a certain college. These barriers need to come down so that we can all come together and enjoy society as one unit.
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This article was interesting and something to be aware of that is taking place in our society in the present day, and causing major controversy. This article doesn't exactly pertain to me, nor do I have a say if the census uses the term 'Negro' or 'Black'. When this topic was first mentioned in class a few weeks ago, it caught my attention but nothing that I would really think much more into. Until, that following weekend I went home because my family was coming to visit. Well my aunt is Dutch and Scottish, the same as me. About twenty years ago she married a man from Nigeria. They have two gorgeous kids who are obviously white and black. We were all sitting around talking and I brought up this topic. My cousins didn't seem to bothered about being referred to as a 'Negro' or 'Black", maybe this is because they are both young and not to aware or worried about this topic. But my aunt on the other hand, said how she felt it was ridiculous that the older generation of colored can't just accept the fact that 'black' is also 'Negro' and mark 'black' instead they're making a fuss about how they want to be called a 'Negro'. The next day, I was wondering what my cousins check whenever they come across the question, 'What race are you?'. I'm still wondering this, but feel it'd be a little weird if i just randomly ask this to a family member I'm not that close to.
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I think that this article was highly informative and interesting at the same time. I think it's great what they are doing with the Census 2010. I definitely agree that as our nations evolves and changes every ten years, our Census needs to change and evolve as well. Like the article stated, the Census is used for so many different marketing strategies and federal regulations, which are just two areas the Census is used to find the proper method to get important information out to the public and how to center and focus research. What we see on TV and in the newspapers can be greatly impacted by the statistics found in the Census every ten years.
This leads to the point of why it is so important that this information accurately does not only reflect our "genetic" attributes, but also that it reflects our emotional perceptions and appeals about our own race and ethnicity. As Americans, we still have a fine line between these two words. Eventually this fine line may be broken, but as of now, I think it is great we are embracing this and working to understand American heritage more fully, rather than place it in only this box, solely this box, or that box and no others.
Two factors I think make being able to check multiple boxes important. One is the fact that what makes America the country it is is the fact that America is a "melting pot". With many families now more and more being able to as they have been in America for several generations, more and more people do not identify themselves with solely one race or ethnicity. Like the article said, why should someone have to choose which race they want to put on the Census? To an even greater extent, if someone had to choose between two ethnicities, that does not accurately depict America when the facts come out because a race is being left out, and with more and more people being of multiple races, the facts would be extremely inaccurate. The Census costs billions of dollars, and it is extremely time consuming, so what is the point of going through this whole process if it is not done the right way? Especially considering the fact that the Census has the potential to be make such a huge impact on our society for the next ten years. Really think about that. An inaccurate would make so many different aspects of our society inaccurate, especially in the media, which trickles into all other misinterpreted areas of life for Americans.
I think the Census 2010 is a great experiment for the future, and it gives me great hope that Americans are slowly trying to come together and work to finally want to do one thing that makes a world of difference: Understand.
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I find this issue to be very complicated. It is so hard to determine some peoples race because they can be made up of so many different ones. A person could have a black father and a Hispanic mother. If only allowed to check off one type of race, then what should they put? Allowing people to check off multiple races is a great idea. If there was a way to allow people to check off what percentage of each race they are, then that would be even better. That seems a little unrealistic though. As for the issues with what black people should check, I am not at all concerned. Black people refer to themselves as a few different things such as “black, African American or negro”. Since this is the case, I think it was a great decision to put all of them on the census. Black activists need to cool their jets on this issue. The Census Bureau is not being racist what so ever. They are just doing what is necessary to get an accurate count. Statistics prove that putting “negro” on the census is the correct decision.
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Hopefully this article will show people that the Census Bureau is diligently looking for ways to better survey Americans and collect their information – especially about race and ethnicity. In seeing both the Bureau’s sensitivity and desire for accurate information, hopefully people will be more comfortable and thus more likely to fill out the survey instead of tossing it aside. Americans failing to fill it out is a problem. And with the Census Bureau working hard to perfect the survey, it’s like taking two steps forward and one step back. But it’s great that the Bureau will be receiving better information to evaluate race in our country. I’m extremely confident that the 2010 Census will be one of the most accurate Census’ ever.
Allowing people to jot in additional and more specific information in the write-in blanks is such a huge improvement over the ability to check more than once race. If the Census wants any hope in identifying other designations that could be considered as a new check box, this is really the only way to identify those new words. Americans can now explain, as precisely as they wish, exactly how they identify and see themselves, and how they prefer to be known. This opportunity for self-expression may cause the Census evaluators longer hours looking at the surveys and digging through the information, but the outcome and the ability to collect more reliable data is certainly worth it.
What’s heartening in all of this is that we are moving further and further away from the world of racial sensitivity and the constant worry over political correctness. Kenneth Prewitt put it perfectly. We’ve evolved to a point where we are classifying race based on self-identity and preference and not on racial justice. This idea is evident in the beginning of the article, concerning the debate over whether or not Negro should be on the Census. The argument for it being removed is driven solely by the idea that it’s outdated and unnecessary. It’s not, however, driven by an outcry over political correctness and racial insensitivity. There are likely no black activist groups boycotting the Census and picketing outside the Bureau. This Negro issue is a mature debate that is critical in gaining the most accurate knowledge of race and ethnicity in America.
Our understanding of race is rapidly expanding, and nothing could be better for a country that is experiencing, at the same rapid speed, a growing number of new skin colors, languages and cultures popping up everywhere. Our country has long been considered a place of great opportunity, and in the eyes of many people throughout the world, it’s an ideal place to live. Because of that, we are experiencing change. And the Census Bureau combating that change with updating its ways of processing the information is commendable.
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After reading many responses from others I began to form my opinion to why race is even an issue. Also, why it even matters if “Negro” is on or off the Census. I do understand when people say that race should never be a main concern or even a concern at all. To some extent I agree because the more we try to define race and set stereotypes, boundaries, expectations and etc for races the more problems will occur. However, I do not think that race should completely go away. Someone commented saying that in some aspects using race helps certain groups in striving to better the groups by giving them the help needed. This is true, in my opinion because ultimately dependent upon our race groups are classified better than others based on socio-economic status. Although issues should be looked at as general issues for our nation this has never been a case for our country. As the article states, for centuries we have categorized people based on their race and those who were deemed wealthier always received better treatment than those who were a little or a lot worse off than the wealthy. Therefore, as our nation continues its growth we have become accustomed to keeping these categories, in trying to help those that we have in the past left out because they were not considered wealthy. It is as if we are trying to fix our mistakes and better our country but somehow it’s digging a deeper hole.
Many of the older African-Americans may refer to themselves as a “Negro” but many in today’s society do not. The older and probably the oldest generation refer to themselves as this because this is what they were used to being called and did not take the word as derogatory or offensive. However, in my opinion the word was just used as a “political correctness” term because it sounds better than “Nigger”. During that time many did not think the word was as offensive as the other. I do have a problem with the word being placed on the Census because we have move passed this term in our nation. In my opinion it brings us back down to the civil rights movement. We are past that now we are striving for better. Someone mentioned about the “African American/Black” race calling themselves and each other an offensive word. Well I cannot speak for the entire group, but as an African American female I do not use that word because I find it offensive. Just because you hear one group referring to them as such does not mean that the entire “race” does the same. This goes for any and every race. For the reasons I mentioned above I find it very hard eliminating and or keeping race as a factor because they both bring forth strengths and weaknesses.
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I think the whole concept of race is way too confusing to be checked off in a box. I understand wanting to keep Negro on the form so that people who identify as that are able to check it off. However, people are so mixed these days who know what they identify as. How could one census possibly include every race that a person chooses to identify with? People who make the census would be there all year trying to come up with every single different type of race. Personally when I have to mark off my race I barely even pay attention to that questions, its kind of like..yea yea okay I’m white, next question. I just think there’s so many different types of people of there from different backgrounds. Making them chose one box to describe them seems too difficult. Also people of the same race may not even describe themselves using the same term.
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To answer the first question about why race is such an important factor it is "Race is key to implementing any number of federal programs and it is critical for the basic research behind numerous policy decisions. States require these data to meet legislative redistricting requirements. Also, they are needed to monitor compliance with the Voting Rights Act by local jurisdictions. Race data are required by federal programs that promote equal employment opportunity and to assess racial disparities in health and environmental risks. The Census Bureau has included a question on race since the first census in 1790. " (http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/genfaq.htm)
For my opinion on this I believe that we live in society today that anything can be taken offensively. Anything someone says you do not know who's button you are pushing or if you are crossing the line. With this issue I am not sure on what side to take. Yes I understand that 56,000 people in the 2000 census considered them self "Negro". But the importance is it gets to the point of where do we stop? How is anyone supposed to know when they crossed the line? They usually do when it is too late such in this case. I believe that it could be taken offensively, again I am white so I wouldn't know.
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I, personally, do not think there should be such a big fuss over whether the word “Negro” is in the 2010 census. The fact of the matter is that people still continue to say the word so it is going to stay in the census… plain and simple. When the word dies out it will be reflected on the census and we will not see it anymore. From first hand experience I know that people still say the word Negro. When they say that word they do not mean any disrespect to anyone it would be as if you were calling a Caucasian person white. People have to realize that even though you may not still say a certain word other people may say it and they should be counted for it.
If any word needs to be subtracted or added I feel like it would be the word “nigga.” This name/word seems to be a growing fad lately among many people of many different cultures. I cannot tell you how often I hear this word come up in conversation. It just seems to be so easy for people to say now a days and it seems as if it rolls off of their tongues. Personally, I am shocked that people use it because even though I am white I find it sort of offensive. What I do not understand, however, is if someone white says or calls someone black a nigga casually the black person gets very offensive, but if a black person calls another black person a nigga it is completely alright. How can this double standard exist? This makes me feel that if the word nigga was added to the census all hell would break lose and everyone would hear all about it, but the fact of the matter is that the word, in fact, is a growing sensation especially among blacks.
Now, regarding the rest of the article, I feel that these changed questions and allowing people to mark more than one box for ethnicity is an amazing idea. I think that it is also a good idea that the Census Bureau is testing these questions out to thirty thousand households and not just sending them out to every household to see if it is a good decision to keep the fifteen changes to the questions. Also, giving citizens a chance to put down more than one race is an excellent idea. This even could provide new statistics as to how many Americans are mixed races and it could provide other statistics also. I thought the article brought up a good point regarding that now people do not have to chose which race they identify more with. All in all I think these two changes to the 2010 census may prove to be a great benefit.
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I feel that the word “negro” shouldn’t be used in the census. It stems from a highly derogatory word and I don’t really understand why any black person would want to be referred to as a “negro”. At this day and age just about every American knows where the word comes from and how offensive it is. It’s crazy that people would still want to identify and agree that they are a “negro”. The population of the United States is close to 305 million people, and of those, only 56,000 associate themselves with the word. I feel that most other black and African Americans would find use of the word offensive on the census and I don’t think that they should include it, especially for such a small percentage in terms of the US population. Being black, I would rather be called black, not a negro and if I myself saw the census with a box to check of negro, I personally would be offended. I think a more viable solution would be to leave the “other” choice available for those who feel they are a negro to say so if they please. Also, I feel that use of the word on the census would only make it ok for other races to refer to blacks as negros. I personally would not be in any way ok with a white person calling me a negro and I feel that if it was used in the census, most other races would look at it say, “oh, well the government is calling them negros—so why can’t I?” Point blank—I feel that calling any black person negro or even colored is derogatory. In the same respect, the word “cracker” isn’t being thrown around on the census. So why is negro being thrown around so loosely, regardless of whether or not people think that’s what they should be called. As, the article says, “Use of the word Negro to describe a black person has largely fallen out of polite conversation — except on the U.S. Census questionnaire.” If most people don’t agree with the word, why are we using it on a government document? In response to the rest of the article I think that it’s great that they are enabling the option of checking off more than one box and getting deeper as to what people really are. I think the most effective way to get an accurate census reading would be to let people actually explain what they think they are based on their national origin. I feel that also, they should include a more detailed census with more ethnic backgrounds, because this would also aid in getting the most accurate description of the racial makeup of our country.
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I think it’s foolish and unnecessary to have so many different ways to classify people. I think we need to stop trying to separate and segregate people, it is not helping anything. Personally I couldn’t care less what people call me or what people want to be called. To spend so much time worrying about one word such as Negro seems to me like a waste of time and effort. You can never make everyone happy so just stop wasting your time. I do not understand why if the word negro was already an option on the census along with black and African American why the hell someone would go out of their way to write it in. Yet another waste of time in my opinion. People need to stop worrying about what other people think or how people are classified in general. We need to stop making up all new kinds of groups. Simplify and specify the census to only a few choices. If people are unhappy and don’t see the word they think describes them then they don’t need to worry about even filling it out if they are that passionate and serious about it. Maybe the census should just be a blank line. People can identify themselves as whatever they want to be, people are most likely multiple things which is why this is a waste of time and effort. We are called the “melting pot” for a reason. It is great that they allow people to check more than one race box because that is how you will get accuracy and clarity as to who is answering the census. It is easy to see that we have come a long way since the first census that asked only about one race, white. I understand back then we needed the census because the antidiscrimination laws written in the 1960s and the affirmative-action policies that followed needed to know the counts but I am not too sure why we need one now knowing how inaccurate it actually is. I don’t really understand why only 2.4% of the population checked more than one race when in reality; probably over 50% of people are mixed in one way or another. To me this signifies that people just want to be seen as one thing, white. That way they will not be questioned, get jobs easier, be the “dominant” race or whatever it is people say. I understand wanting to be proud of who you are and where you come from; avoiding it isn’t the answer, and neither is refusing to check a certain box and writing it on the line instead. I feel that people make the world more complicated than it needs to be. Here’s an idea… stop trying to separate people into different groups it will never work, there will never be thousands of boxes on a census. “Every man is created equal”.
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After reading this article on adding the Negro in the U.S Census makes me feel like wondering is race that big of an issue; to depict ones ethnicity into a specific set of categories seems like its unnecessary. I do not know specifically what the Census is used for but breaking down a person to many different races seems useless when the government will only involve one of the races you choose. Today’s world is more bi-racial than any other time in history. Will all the data the government puts out involving race depict each person’s racial preference? For instance, will data say 15% of half black and white people voted in this year’s election?
So for considering the word Negro as an ethnicity is understandable considering the elder aged people living in the United States, but I also believe that they are many blacks that do not want to associate themselves with that word. The census is used to count the number of people in the United States, with everyone accounted for I’m guessing the government will have the proper information to allocate funds for specific ethnic groups and areas in the country. The ethnicities in the Census constantly come and go the government wants to label everyone; they do not worry about the sociological factors not in the control of the citizen.
I do not believe everyone knows there true background unless they have taken the DNA ethnicity testing. Which begs the question, what are we? Aren’t we all Americans? Why do we have to get labeled by our race? It’s rare to see a pure one race person. For example, look at our current president Barack Obama, clearly two different ethnicities are associated in his DNA background. Our race does not define who we are as people.
As Sam Richards says, were all going to die, just as languages die off, will being one race also die off? If so, what will that decades Census consist of in regards to race?
Nevertheless, we all are categorized by the government as a specific race; we cannot choose our race or skin color. One may try to modify their skin color but that does not make them a different race. Race is not control by the person by our free will, so as people we must go with what we are given. With what the Census places on their questionnaires as race will forever be changing and the government want to be politically correct and include every predominant race in the United States.
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I think that the word Negro is offensive to black people in the United States because it carries a history of how to call and describe blacks in a negative sense. But, I do think that it is important to continue to have a sense of racial identity. I consider myself a United Statesian; however, I have always been aware of my culture and my roots being a black man in this country. Race is not just about skin tone or physical characteristics it carries family, cultural, and identity traits that make a group of people so similar and connected. There is definite need for a racial identity and not this idea of one American race because it is no longer about skin tone it’s about carrying on your way of life and passing your history to the next generation. That is racial identity.
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This article is definitely quite interesting. The most interesting parts, I believe, are that so many individuals in America still identify with the term “negro,” and that many even go so far as to write in this alternate term rather than simply identifying with the term African-American. I believe that it is very important that they keep this term on the census because of the volume associated with it. I also believe that it is important that they infer other modifications and experiments to the census, regardless of racial or ethnic group, so long as it does not interfere with the end results of the census.
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According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a census is “a periodic governmental enumeration of population” (Merriam-Webster dictionary). Every ten years in the United States, citizens of the United States must fulfill the civil service of filling out the census. The objective of the United States Census is to collect data on the US population and then develop up to date statistics on the population. For this year’s Census according to the article, the Bureau removed the term Negro and replaced in with black when designating race and are asking multi-racial individuals to check off their races. My question is: Why is race such an integral part of the census and why must it be included in the census?
Statistics can be interesting, informative, important facts that help businesses make decisions and governments develop policies and bills to improve the well-being on the citizens. However, after reading this article, I realized that statistics can be a form of stereotyping. In the Census, citizens have to give information on their race, occupation, education, salary, etc. From all of this information compiled by the Census, they calculate statistics and publish them to the public. These statistics can then create generalizations about different races. For example, statistics can show that only 12% of Native Americans graduate from high school and only 2% attend college. These statistics then generalize and stereotype Native Americans as an uneducated group. This is statistic would be discouraging to the Native American people, and they would have a difficult time breaking out of the stereotype. Another example of a statistic is that the less wealthy have a low likelihood of getting accepted into college since most colleges are focused on SAT scores. Students from middle to upper class families have the financial means for SAT preparations courses which elevates their SAT scores. With this statistic and statistics on the least wealthy race, stereotypes and generalizations are being made about those races. It can be very discouraging. It also builds up barriers for the race as a majority to overcome these stereotypes and generalizations.
Also, in this year’s Census, the Bureau is asking multi-racial individuals to check off the boxes of which races they are. Why is that necessary? We are in an age where people from different races are getting married and having children. Doesn’t that show that race is not an issue anymore? If people can put their racial differences aside and get married and love each other, why is race such a major factor on the Census? Maybe a solution to stereotyping and generalizations is to stop asking people what race they are and developing statistics based on race. If we didn’t obsess over what race people are all the time, everyone would have equal opportunity to succeed. They would not be discouraged from the statistics and there would be limited barriers from allowing them to achieve.
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