Comments on: Negroes of the World Please Step Forward http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/ "A tiny act can have profound effects." Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:09:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: bwarelaflare http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-26390 bwarelaflare Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:03:39 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-26390 Times have dramatically changed since the word Negro was a popular term for Black people. They HAVE to change in order for our world and society to evolve. It's just the way of life. The census is a great way to gauge where we are at in terms of race and population, but i feel like we have let the Census control HOW we think about these things, and in a way it kind of holds us back in moving forward with positive progress. This is America, the GREATEST country on the planet, and it is a very diverse nation, as it should be. We have MANY ethnic groups and mixed races, how are they supposed to identify which race they are? They cannot tell which race is the majority! We have to start getting rid of these generalizations or else we will still be stuck in the year 2000. The word Negro is still taboo in a way because it sound like the word Nigger. I think it is a word that will disappear in time like most old words like that. People will just stop saying it LOL. We come up with new words for people, places and things everyday, so it does not really bother me. There are so many different words to describe stuff, who knows what will happen next? But I like that changes are being made for the better so that we can advance as a planet! Due Feb. 5th Times have dramatically changed since the word Negro was a popular term for Black people. They HAVE to change in order for our world and society to evolve. It's just the way of life. The census is a great way to gauge where we are at in terms of race and population, but i feel like we have let the Census control HOW we think about these things, and in a way it kind of holds us back in moving forward with positive progress. This is America, the GREATEST country on the planet, and it is a very diverse nation, as it should be. We have MANY ethnic groups and mixed races, how are they supposed to identify which race they are? They cannot tell which race is the majority! We have to start getting rid of these generalizations or else we will still be stuck in the year 2000.

The word Negro is still taboo in a way because it sound like the word Nigger. I think it is a word that will disappear in time like most old words like that. People will just stop saying it LOL. We come up with new words for people, places and things everyday, so it does not really bother me. There are so many different words to describe stuff, who knows what will happen next? But I like that changes are being made for the better so that we can advance as a planet!

Due Feb. 5th

]]> By: fnb5006 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-24534 fnb5006 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:12:53 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-24534 Felecia Brown I recently completed the census and I found it crazy that the word Negro was still on it. The options for black people were African American; black or Negro were all-ridiculous. I think that they should probably have emlinated African American and the Negro and just had the only option as black. The term black could be used for an African American person or somebody who refers to themselves as Negro. I think in the year 2010 blacks should not be referring to themselves as Negro. Referring to yourself as Negro is like referring to yourself as a nigger, which shouldn't be done. I understand that some older people in the south still refer to themselves as Negro but its time for them to get up to date with recent times. The African American community is trying to get rid of the word nigger and the fact that some people are still referring to themselves as that word its going to be impossible to stop the use of the word. I don't think that if they deleted the word it would cause any confusion or make people fill out the census incorrectly. Anybody doing the census knows that black means African American or it could even mean Negro. Just like how on the census the term white is used to refer to all white people. There isn’t a different option for Italian or polish they are all considered white. I am sure that some recent Italian immigrants or northern Africans feel more passionate about their countries but they have to put their pride aside and realize that they are white. The same could be done for African Americans the passionate people would just have to get over and consider themselves black for that moment. I also don't think that the word African American isn’t necessary to have on the census. Since I have taken a sociology class I know that there is a difference between black and African American but I don't really think the vast majority of the in the United States know the definition. Like Sam mention in class that some blacks get really offended when people refer to them as African American so then there’s already two things that's offensive to people one the word negro and the term African American. The census should try to do all things possible that would not offend when you have the only option as white, black or Hispanic it would make things a whole lot easier and then there would be any problems. That's is what I think should be done with the new census. Felecia Brown
I recently completed the census and I found it crazy that the word Negro was still on it. The options for black people were African American; black or Negro were all-ridiculous. I think that they should probably have emlinated African American and the Negro and just had the only option as black. The term black could be used for an African American person or somebody who refers to themselves as Negro.
I think in the year 2010 blacks should not be referring to themselves as Negro. Referring to yourself as Negro is like referring to yourself as a nigger, which shouldn't be done. I understand that some older people in the south still refer to themselves as Negro but its time for them to get up to date with recent times. The African American community is trying to get rid of the word nigger and the fact that some people are still referring to themselves as that word its going to be impossible to stop the use of the word. I don't think that if they deleted the word it would cause any confusion or make people fill out the census incorrectly. Anybody doing the census knows that black means African American or it could even mean Negro.
Just like how on the census the term white is used to refer to all white people. There isn’t a different option for Italian or polish they are all considered white. I am sure that some recent Italian immigrants or northern Africans feel more passionate about their countries but they have to put their pride aside and realize that they are white. The same could be done for African Americans the passionate people would just have to get over and consider themselves black for that moment.
I also don't think that the word African American isn’t necessary to have on the census. Since I have taken a sociology class I know that there is a difference between black and African American but I don't really think the vast majority of the in the United States know the definition. Like Sam mention in class that some blacks get really offended when people refer to them as African American so then there’s already two things that's offensive to people one the word negro and the term African American. The census should try to do all things possible that would not offend when you have the only option as white, black or Hispanic it would make things a whole lot easier and then there would be any problems.
That's is what I think should be done with the new census.

]]> By: explrr16 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-21202 explrr16 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:41:04 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-21202 I honestly believe that the changing of these terms and names for people of different colors, races, and ethnicities is due to the fact that society is changing. That means that these terms are not real or set in stone. Why was it okay to call people Negro before but not anymore? Why did people use the term “colored” before and not as much anymore? Another factor could be the fact that so many more people are coming into the United States, bringing more diversity and even new groups of people with different preferences in what they want to be called. This might affect the previous groups that used certain terms to refer to themselves with. Before, black people were considered African Americans. However, now we know that it could mean anybody who is of such dark skin. I honestly believe that the changing of these terms and names for people of different colors, races, and ethnicities is due to the fact that society is changing. That means that these terms are not real or set in stone. Why was it okay to call people Negro before but not anymore? Why did people use the term “colored” before and not as much anymore? Another factor could be the fact that so many more people are coming into the United States, bringing more diversity and even new groups of people with different preferences in what they want to be called. This might affect the previous groups that used certain terms to refer to themselves with. Before, black people were considered African Americans. However, now we know that it could mean anybody who is of such dark skin.

]]> By: colin56 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-20550 colin56 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:17:09 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-20550 Does the census project a way of thinking about race, or does it reflect the population's views on race? The answer to that should be it reflects the views of the people, but if the classifications of the survey are limited than the results are going to skewed. At the same time however if the classifications of the survey are too broad, the results will be spread so thin that a judgment about them would be difficult to make. So it is important to have a lot of options on the Census, but it also needs to have an option available to make your self more specific. For example if you marked the box that says black you can write in that you are from the west indies, or from africa, or african american. But also if you mark hispanic you can write in you are from central america, or south america, or from spain. White people can say if they are descendant of Europe or northern africa. Going through each "race" on the Census and providing the opportunity for elaboration for each one would increase the accuracy of the information provided by the census. With a more accurate picture of the population, advertising would be aimed at more specifically. With an area for elaboration it would be easy to remove the need for negro and black and african americans to all be condensed into one group. Does the census project a way of thinking about race, or does it reflect the population's views on race? The answer to that should be it reflects the views of the people, but if the classifications of the survey are limited than the results are going to skewed. At the same time however if the classifications of the survey are too broad, the results will be spread so thin that a judgment about them would be difficult to make. So it is important to have a lot of options on the Census, but it also needs to have an option available to make your self more specific. For example if you marked the box that says black you can write in that you are from the west indies, or from africa, or african american. But also if you mark hispanic you can write in you are from central america, or south america, or from spain. White people can say if they are descendant of Europe or northern africa. Going through each "race" on the Census and providing the opportunity for elaboration for each one would increase the accuracy of the information provided by the census. With a more accurate picture of the population, advertising would be aimed at more specifically. With an area for elaboration it would be easy to remove the need for negro and black and african americans to all be condensed into one group.

]]> By: ACL http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-20328 ACL Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:42:59 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-20328 It really surprised me that the first census (in 1790) only asked about whites. It is interesting to read how the different categories came into play; for example, “mulatto,” “quadroon,” and “octoroon.” It is also interesting to see that with the rise of immigration, Chinese and Japanese were able to be added to the census yet Irish and Italian were not. It is also interesting to see how the Census changed over the years with the changes in laws, like the civil rights era of the twentieth century. It really surprised me that the first census (in 1790) only asked about whites. It is interesting to read how the different categories came into play; for example, “mulatto,” “quadroon,” and “octoroon.” It is also interesting to see that with the rise of immigration, Chinese and Japanese were able to be added to the census yet Irish and Italian were not. It is also interesting to see how the Census changed over the years with the changes in laws, like the civil rights era of the twentieth century.

]]> By: ACL http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-20325 ACL Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:42:44 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-20325 It is very exciting that these changes are happening in our lifetime. These simple changes could have huge impacts on the way that we think about the world. For example, the census data is used in numerous ways such as corporate marketing strategies and even federal regulations. If the census shows that there is an influx of Hispanics than marketing agencies may be more inclined to run commercials geared towards Hispanics. If these Hispanics watch these commercials and see people like themselves in the commercials then they are more likely to want to buy this good or service that is being advertised. It is very exciting that these changes are happening in our lifetime. These simple changes could have huge impacts on the way that we think about the world. For example, the census data is used in numerous ways such as corporate marketing strategies and even federal regulations. If the census shows that there is an influx of Hispanics than marketing agencies may be more inclined to run commercials geared towards Hispanics. If these Hispanics watch these commercials and see people like themselves in the commercials then they are more likely to want to buy this good or service that is being advertised.

]]> By: ACL http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-20326 ACL Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:42:27 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-20326 I am very surprised and happy that the Census Bureau is trying out these new changes. (They are testing 15 different changes to questions about race as well as Hispanic origin. For each new change around thirty thousand households will also receive a questionnaire so that workers at the Bureau will be able to decide if the changes actually helps, hurts or does not affect the accuracy and consistency of information that is collected. Some changes that are proposed is to get rid of the word race altogether or even combining questions about Hispanic origin into one question. When reading it made me wonder. Why would they put the Hispanic origin questions into one single question? Are the African origin question a single question or is that question in multiple questions? Are they discriminating against the Hispanic origin questions or are they making the questionnaire more uniform? I am very surprised and happy that the Census Bureau is trying out these new changes. (They are testing 15 different changes to questions about race as well as Hispanic origin. For each new change around thirty thousand households will also receive a questionnaire so that workers at the Bureau will be able to decide if the changes actually helps, hurts or does not affect the accuracy and consistency of information that is collected. Some changes that are proposed is to get rid of the word race altogether or even combining questions about Hispanic origin into one question. When reading it made me wonder. Why would they put the Hispanic origin questions into one single question? Are the African origin question a single question or is that question in multiple questions? Are they discriminating against the Hispanic origin questions or are they making the questionnaire more uniform?

]]> By: ACL http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-20324 ACL Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:42:08 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-20324 I thought this was a very interesting article. It seems as though the Census Bureau is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they keep the option of Negro on the form certain black activists and politicians will become very upset, however if they take that option off the form fifty-six thousand others will be upset (they wrote that they were Negros in the 2000 census). So what is the Census Bureau to do? Some people are so offended if they are called something other than what they identify themselves with. For example, some people will be offended if they are called black instead of Negro or if they are called white instead of Caucasian. I thought this was a very interesting article. It seems as though the Census Bureau is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they keep the option of Negro on the form certain black activists and politicians will become very upset, however if they take that option off the form fifty-six thousand others will be upset (they wrote that they were Negros in the 2000 census). So what is the Census Bureau to do? Some people are so offended if they are called something other than what they identify themselves with. For example, some people will be offended if they are called black instead of Negro or if they are called white instead of Caucasian.

]]> By: Herby21 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-20315 Herby21 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:33:46 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-20315 This article was extremely thought-provoking. The census is an interesting indicator of many things, not leaving out culture and what is prominent in the average American's society. What we call each other and what we call ourselves says a lot about who we are. Even the fact that when people ask me what I am, I tell them that I am a mutt of sorts. My dad is a bunch of different things, and my mom is half and half. Now I am not even sure what being negro means nowadays or back when many people called themselves that on the census. I know the word means "black" but that it has a negative connotation (mostly) in today's society. I usually try to make it a point to be politically correct with people as to not offend them, because I would not like to be offended either. It is under my impression that most people my age would not be too happy about being called negro, but then again I could be wrong. I don't think it should be that big of a deal to have a bunch of things to pick from to check on the census. The article mentioned that there are laws that were put in place to keep the validity of the data obtained from the census; well, maybe in today's world these laws need to be reconsidered and changes made to allow more people content with answering their race. It would be nice to be able to remove race from the census, but I think it is an important component in today's world. Not necessarily "race" but the fact that in this country we have many people of different races represented. This is not the case in so many other countries. We are still not in a day and age when we are willing to call ourselves simply American rather than German, Irish, or Italian (just to name a few). I think we may still carry that over from whoever immigrated here first. Although when we do go to other countries they recognize us as American and we are quick to call ourselves Americans, very intriguing. It is getting hard to categorize people though. Maybe we should just accept that our country is full of all kinds of skin colors and backgrounds, and call it a day. Then again, we like to remember where we came from; I think it helps us recognize who we are. Everyone likes knowing who they are otherwise they feel lost. Maybe that is why many people are ambient about making sure we know their heritage; maybe they are just trying to press upon us the importance that they feel. This article was extremely thought-provoking. The census is an interesting indicator of many things, not leaving out culture and what is prominent in the average American's society. What we call each other and what we call ourselves says a lot about who we are. Even the fact that when people ask me what I am, I tell them that I am a mutt of sorts. My dad is a bunch of different things, and my mom is half and half. Now I am not even sure what being negro means nowadays or back when many people called themselves that on the census. I know the word means "black" but that it has a negative connotation (mostly) in today's society. I usually try to make it a point to be politically correct with people as to not offend them, because I would not like to be offended either.

It is under my impression that most people my age would not be too happy about being called negro, but then again I could be wrong. I don't think it should be that big of a deal to have a bunch of things to pick from to check on the census. The article mentioned that there are laws that were put in place to keep the validity of the data obtained from the census; well, maybe in today's world these laws need to be reconsidered and changes made to allow more people content with answering their race.

It would be nice to be able to remove race from the census, but I think it is an important component in today's world. Not necessarily "race" but the fact that in this country we have many people of different races represented. This is not the case in so many other countries. We are still not in a day and age when we are willing to call ourselves simply American rather than German, Irish, or Italian (just to name a few). I think we may still carry that over from whoever immigrated here first. Although when we do go to other countries they recognize us as American and we are quick to call ourselves Americans, very intriguing. It is getting hard to categorize people though. Maybe we should just accept that our country is full of all kinds of skin colors and backgrounds, and call it a day. Then again, we like to remember where we came from; I think it helps us recognize who we are. Everyone likes knowing who they are otherwise they feel lost. Maybe that is why many people are ambient about making sure we know their heritage; maybe they are just trying to press upon us the importance that they feel.

]]> By: Mr_Martian http://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/negros-of-the-world-unite/comment-page-5/#comment-20278 Mr_Martian Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:07:40 +0000 http://www.racerelationsproject.org/?p=1564#comment-20278 Im really interested to see how this years census turns out. There are many different identifiable options for people to choose from and in some cases there are two or more choices that are in all reality, the same exact thing. I don’t see the difference between black and negro. According to the article, it is because some people are writing these terms in the option line where they are able to do so. I think the solution to this problem is to give a general choice to every individual that fits a general race and DO NOT give them any other options to write anything in. There is no reason to be so specific when determining which race they are. Im really interested to see how this years census turns out. There are many different identifiable options for people to choose from and in some cases there are two or more choices that are in all reality, the same exact thing. I don’t see the difference between black and negro. According to the article, it is because some people are writing these terms in the option line where they are able to do so. I think the solution to this problem is to give a general choice to every individual that fits a general race and DO NOT give them any other options to write anything in. There is no reason to be so specific when determining which race they are.

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