posted by Sam Richards
Amazing how people are confused about racial and ethnic categories and don’t understand the meaning about certain categories and words. Everyone is offended. “I’m offended…dammit!” Enough already. Here’s the issue from the perspective of the Census people. There are lots of older black Americans who call themselves “negro” and will be confused if that term is not on the Census. People writing the Census are not idiots; they’ve done an incredible amount of preparation for these questions and no matter what they do, there will be confusion. They know this.
On the other hand, there are lots of people who understand that when the term was used as a descriptor for black Americans, it was when black Americans were disparaged and hated–and so the term is somewhat derogatory when used today.
But many older black people assume that they are “negroes” in the eyes of the government and will look for THAT term on the Census. If it’s not there, they’ll be confused and not mark anything. We know this; the Census people know this. Unfortunately, the people who are offended don’t realize this and assume that the Census people who wrote the question are idiots. Wait until they find out that millions of dollars went into testing that survey instrument…
I do not think that the U.S. Census is trying to offend everyone. They are simply trying to take a count of our country. The problem here is that no matter what, someone is not going to be happy about something. That is just the way that life works. You can’t please everyone. I think that the U.S. Census has done a fairly good job at trying to incorporate everyone in the country. Is it perfect? No. Does it still offend people? Obviously. I think it’s just a fact of the world and something that isn’t ever going to really change.
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I think that it is ridiculous that some black people are getting offended by the fact that the word negro is used on the census. One of my roommates is black, and I have asked her before what she would want to be called, and she never seems to have an answer. She just jumps around the answer, never really getting to the point. Since many black people are like this, and can’t decide what they want to be called, then how can white people know what to call them? If the word negro wasn’t included on the census, I’m sure that some people would be offended by that as well.
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I think in our world people will always feel the need to start controversy when race is involved. I think it is ridiculous that people feel the need to make the use of the word negro on the census form but as a white American that word has no affect on me. I think people should trust the fact that there has been a lot of time and research done in order to make sure this form is correct and will allow for the best results.
I think its interesting that people were offended by the use of “negro” because it is obvious that its purpose is to make sure that those blacks who call themselves this term are included in the counted population. It is not its own category but rather grouped with black and African American which further shows it is just another title.
This entire news story really made me think a lot about how in class we have talked about how its important to realize that different people get offended by different terms so it is important to be as minded as possible in regards to race.
When I was a sophomore in high school I went to a lacrosse camp and roomed with three black girls and one other white girl. The other white girl in the room had obviously never spent that much time around black people and whenever she was around them she was very uncomfortable and nervous. She tried really hard to be politically correct and would only refer to them as African Americans. I feel that she thought she would have been offending them by using any other term. However, what made me upset was behind her back the black girls would make fun of her for how nervous she was and how they thought it was weird that she would only call them African Americans.
This entire situation confused me and made me somewhat angry. I related to the other white girl a lot because I grew up in a very white area however I had only ever used the term black. I do not understand why if those girls recognized how uncomfortable the white girl was they would not have talked to her about it. They spent time ridiculing her behind her back and they were making fun of her for something she knew so little about that to me it made them look stupid.
The only way that people will be able to understand what is right and wrong in regards to race relations is by talking. Relating back to the census issue the people in charge did the research they needed and discovered that there are black people who call themselves “Negros” and to not include the term would lead to false results and probably a group offended for not being included.
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I think this is an issue that was bound to come up at some point or another during the 2010 Census. The census was an issue that we addressed in class at some point towards the beginning of the semester, (how the census used to contain a lot more questions, and how the number of race groups listed on the census went from 4 or 5 to 10-15, etc.), so it’s no surprise that there are “issues” that eventually came up with the newest census that was just released. And I don’t think it should come as a surprise that it has to do with the race aspect of the census. This issue was addressed in class many times, and I think it’s often at the heart of every discussion that we ever have in class: the issues of political correctness, what to call people (in terms of their race), and most importantly, what people want to be called. This is certainly a major issue that needs to be brought to the table at all times when necessary, however I think when dealing with a nation-wide, government-produced survey, certain rules maybe don’t apply for the sole fact that the government has to represent a billion and one races and backgrounds, and it is not feasible to satisfy everyone’s needs. The issue of people wanting to be called “Negro,” particularly on the Census seems like one of the things that people, especially the US Government, tip toes around. And rightfully so. The word is so negatively rooted in history and carries such a negative connotation to the majority of the country that stems back hundreds of years. The people that refer to themselves as “Negros” do so on the matter of personal preference. They understand the word’s historical context, but use it in a way of referring to themselves as a racial group. I think other citizens should understand that before they glance at the word and fly off the handle. It’s no different than having a Mexican citizen wanting to be called a particular word, or a white person wanting to be referred to as a Caucasian or a redneck. While I understand that these words aren’t packed with negative roots, they are words that carry negative connotations with them, and fall along the same principles. If that is the case and everyone wants to be referred to by their own preference, there would be an entire book of millions and millions of race options to pick from.
In doing its research, and I’m sure plenty of research was done prior to the release of the 2010 Census, the government came out with the best, most efficient survey for the time being. And I’m sure the 2020 Census will look a lot different than this year’s.
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I’m Black. I’m Negro. I’m White. I’m Latina/Latino. I’m Mexican. I’m Hispanic. Then again, I do have a hint of Native American in me. I possibly am part Black. In today’s society, it has become really hard for people to even understand who or what they actually are. I mean we have absolutely no way of telling which racial team we actually play on. However, it is safe to say that society has come up with a brilliant plan to decipher all of our racial information right? WRONG! Society has been using the census longer than I have been alive. They have made changes, alterations, and so called improvements. With these improvements, we a community was suppose to find refuge in helping one another determine what we can do to make our society better overall. However, I often ask myself, how can we make our communities any better, if we all are not playing on the same team?
On today’s Census, everyone seems to be confused when it comes to the racial area. There are some people who feel that they should be able to check more than one box because they have more than one race. There are also some people, particularly African American who feel that, the word Negro has no place on the census. However, those who create the census are saying no! “We have made the necessary adjustments.” “Now please out your form.” What an attitude to have right? This is just crazy! Many people say that if one just looks at the way the racial part of the census is constructed, then he or she would understand why it is the way it is. Many would say that the census people are trying their best and hardest to include everyone in the process. Now granted after reviewing the census myself, I would indeed agree that are trying to include all people of all races. But they have failed to explain to people why it seems that we are still being categorized. Also when it comes down to the word Negro, I really did not take much offense to that because I know exactly was there. For older Black people, especially those that come from the south, Negro was all they were ever called. They know of no other name. So as a result, we cannot fully place all of the blame on the census people. It does take a little work on our part. However, I would like to know what is the big deal if a person with more than one race should just so happen to check more than one box?
The census people did say they wanted to include everyone. Well everyone is not just one particular race. I know it may seem as though my argument is all over the place, but overall, I am really saying that we all need to truly work together to fix this problem. It is ok for us to be upset with the census and yes we have the right to speak our minds. Yes it is fine for us to feel that we do want to be categorized into one big race. However, it is not okay for us to keep downplaying the efforts made by those who trying to help everyone. It is not okay for us to pretend to be ignorant or oblivious to reality of race in general. It is not okay for us to be so damn separated. Let’s work together and hopefully we can figure this all out. In the end, nothing is perfect.
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I really think that all of the fuss over the categories that they have on the census is just pointless and makes no sense at all. There will never be a time where everyone will be happy with anything. If they just left African American and left out black people would feel offended, now that they have added Negro people want to be upset, no one will ever be able to win. I understand what they were saying when they said that the word Negro brings African Americans back to the times when they were not allowed to do anything and were treated badly, but on the same token there are people who are older like they said, who all they know and understand is negro and wouldn’t fill out the census if it wasn’t there.
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I’m sure that there is a lot of consideration and thought that goes into the categories that are placed on the census based on the fact alone that they don’t want to offend anyone but they want to make sure that they cover all bases. I feel that African Americans should be happy that they have three choices to choose from that in the end still means the same thing, because other races or groups of people don’t have that, and they are not complaining as much. I feel that there are so many other things that should be of importance rather than an extra category on the census. A census that comes out every 10 years, it’s not even like it is something that is done on a yearly, monthly or weekly bases.
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I am black, and maybe I am a little more nonchalant about things concerning my race than I should be, but I really don’t see the big fuss or feel the need to make a big up roar over it, because black people have to many preferences, some want to be called black, while others want to be called African American. There is never going to be a time when everyone is just content and doesn’t have something to complain about. The people at the census are trying to be as inclusive as possible and they are still catching grief. At the end of the day no matter which one you choose to go by, they all mean the same thing, as long as they don’t put the option of “Nigger” on I don’t really think that all of the fuss is really necessary. When it comes to a touchy subject as race especially in reference to blacks, in my opinion there will never be the right thing to say, because even amongst blacks they have their own sets of feelings on the situation
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It seemed to me that the people in the beginning of this video were being ignorant of their ancestors and the battles they went through. There is a reason the word Negro is on the Census, and it’s for the older blacks that still use that term to identify themselves. Of course I understand that the word is very sensitive and often considered derogatory today, but the United States government and the U.S. Census Bureau are trying their hardest to identify the racial breakdown as best as possible in this country. Every race needs to be represented accurately, and if that means putting an uncomfortable term on the list that is more easily identifiable for older black men and women, then so be it. I almost wish Raquel Cepeda had explained this to those people that were so outraged at the inclusion of this word.
It’s just a result of the changing times that we live in. The news anchor said that the Census said the word will be removed from the next Census in 2020, as the population of older blacks that lived during the Civil Right Era will have shrunk much smaller. But where does that leave us? Who knows, new words may spring up in the next 40 years that more accurately define certain races, and with that, words that are used on this Census may evolve into derogatory terms. 50 years from now, those words may still exist on the Census, and people may get in a similar upheaval over it. But the goal here is to learn what we can about all the different races, right? And be able to appreciate and look at them all in the same way? In order to get to that stage, we’re gonna have to deal with these “bumps in the road” and eventually, we may end up in a world where race issues no longer need to be talked about.
As far as how to include the people that feel they are mixed races, I think the Census needs to be careful and ask that people choose the one race that they most identify with. Of course when you really look at your ancestral history, everyone is of mixed races. But we can’t have white people – like the white woman in the video almost suggests – check down multiple boxes other than white on the Census. The Bureau needs to get the most accurate information, and it can’t allow people checking 5 or more boxes when that’s really not their racial make-up, even though they like to think that. Allowing people this freedom is nice, but if people start taking advantage of it too often, then it will begin to become a problem.
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I don’t think that there ever will or ever could be a point that no one would be offended at something. After all the time and money spent on research for the survey there are still people that don’t like something. When the ideas of political correctness are constantly changing and what is acceptable is also changing how is anyone of any race supposed to know what is socially acceptable as a whole. When I filled out my form it even said that it was simplified so that it would only take 10 min to fill out. Will all the multiracial people in this country there are very few people that would be able to fit into just one category. I really don’t understand what the big deal is with the census. There was numerous times before the actual forms came out that I heard that the term negro would be on the census so first off if people were shocked when they saw it on there then they were just out of the loop. Second there was plenty of explanation from numerous sources that I saw before it came out that did explain that there is still a large number of people that refer to themselves as negro. And on top of that there was also black and African American for the same box. I do feel there that there is some sort of that us against them mentality in some people. and if you don’t like something you should just keep complaining. It seems to me that all these people just want to keep complaining without any solutions. One of the things that I hate is complaining without solutions. If you have a problem with something then figure out a way to change it. In this case there really is nothing that any average person can do to change it. Without turning this into a religious discussion, from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “To worry about something you can’t change is useless. To worry about something you can change is foolish!” These people are never going to change anything so they should just get over it. I really don’t have anything else to say about this but I need to get the four hundred and fifty words so I need to fill a lot of space. Well my wife just took her kayak out I should have gone with her but I have a lot of homework to do tonight. Maybe I will go out tomorrow. The weather is finally nice enough to go out I think I am going to have to take my bicycle for a ride and finish the homework a little later and that is 450.
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I recently completed my 2010 Census last week. I am so glad that I do not have to face any confusion completing the Census, because all I had to check off was “Chinese.” However, I was kind of surprised how the government didn’t include the term “Taiwanese” since the US government is leaning towards the idea that Taiwan is not part of China. So maybe the government made an error on the Census form.
The video was very interesting to watch because I got the opportunity to hear what colored people had to say about number 9 on the US Census form. I also completely agree with Sam Richard’s opinions regarding the racial categories indicated on the Census form. The government is only trying to make everyone “happy” by including all the races as they could, so that the people filling out the form will not feel “confused” as to where they fit it. Obviously, it is quite impossible to make everyone happy. For instance, older black Americans consider themselves “Negroes” so this term is included on the Census form; however, newer generations of the colored people would put themselves down as “African Americans.” And also, according to one of the interviewee, it is very offensive how the government included the term “negro” on the Census forms because the term “Negro” associates with the word “slave.” If the government spent millions of dollars into the testing survey, why didn’t they include the term “Taiwanese?” Wouldn’t the Taiwanese people feel offended since they’re ethnicity wasn’t listed on the form, rather they’d have to mark the “Other Asian” category and write out “Taiwanese?” Is it not important enough or something? Perhaps the government made a mistake and forgot to include the term “Taiwanese” because I feel like the government fully recognizes that Taiwan is its own country, and not part of China.
I remember going to China one summer with my sisters and brothers. It occurred to me that every time we were walking down the streets, the Chinese civilians would always talk about us behind our backs and pointing out the “Americans”. Just as a side note, being an “American” has many stereotypes, such as- rich and snobby. Even as minorities in the United States, my siblings and I also feel like minorities in China. We really didn’t understand why people were making a big deal out of it. We would be seen as more Chinese than Americans in the United States, but more Americans than Chinese in China. I thought this was interesting. However, even though I’m a “minority” in both countries, I feel more comfortable being a minority in the United States, because I am more comfortable with the American culture, language, and habits.
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I recently completed my 2010 Census last week. I am so glad that I do not have to face any confusion completing the Census, because all I had to check off was “Chinese.” However, I was kind of surprised how the government didn’t include the term “Taiwanese” since the US government is leaning towards the idea that Taiwan is not part of China. So maybe the government made an error on the Census form.
The video was very interesting to watch because I got the opportunity to hear what colored people had to say about number 9 on the US Census form. I also completely agree with Sam Richard’s opinions regarding the racial categories indicated on the Census form. The government is only trying to make everyone “happy” by including all the races as they could, so that the people filling out the form will not feel “confused” as to where they fit it. Obviously, it is quite impossible to make everyone happy. For instance, older black Americans consider themselves “Negroes” so this term is included on the Census form; however, newer generations of the colored people would put themselves down as “African Americans.” And also, according to one of the interviewee, it is very offensive how the government included the term “negro” on the Census forms because the term “Negro” associates with the word “slave.” If the government spent millions of dollars into the testing survey, why didn’t they include the term “Taiwanese?” Wouldn’t the Taiwanese people feel offended since they’re ethnicity wasn’t listed on the form, rather they’d have to mark the “Other Asian” category and write out “Taiwanese?” Is it not important enough or something? Perhaps the government made a mistake and forgot to include the term “Taiwanese” because I feel like the government fully recognizes that Taiwan is its own country, and not part of China.
I remember going to China one summer with my sisters and brothers. It occurred to me that every time we were walking down the streets, the Chinese civilians would always talk about us behind our backs and pointing out the “Americans”. Just as a side note, being an “American” has many stereotypes, such as- rich and snobby. Even as minorities in the United States, my siblings and I also feel like minorities in China. We really didn’t understand why people were making a big deal out of it. We would be seen as more Chinese than Americans in the United States, but more Americans than Chinese in China. I thought this was interesting. However, even though I’m a “minority” in both countries, I feel more comfortable being a minority in the United States, because I am more comfortable with the American culture, language, and habits.
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This whole census thing is ridiculous.what is this whole thing about labeling people in society. Like Sam would say "we are al lgoing to die anyways" why are the people complaining giving themselves a headache. The researchers are saying that older Black people identify with the term "Nergo" and until all those people die and the later generations who do not like to use the term over rule nothing will change. The researchers are only respecting the wishes of the majority and they elders. Look if these people have directly been effected by slavery and identify with the label "nergo" why should there be any complains? Everybody can not be pleased.
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The census has been a very large topic of conversation for the past few years. The ongoing debate about whether the term Negro should or should not be removed has been quarreled for years. It is very interesting to see in the video how people react to learning that the term is listed as an option on the U.S. census today. The one woman looked extremely offended when told Negro was a choice. It is a choice because there is a great enough group of citizens that identify as Negro. Although I am not a woman of color I can see how that can be hurtful. Negro is absolutely an outdated term. I believe that it stems from the offensive word Nigger. Slave owners back in the day referred to the African men, women, and children that they bought as niggers. I feel the parallel to nigger for white people would be cracker and I know for a fact I would not want to label myself as the selection on a census that has crack listed in the same choice. The one man in the video tried to explain and justify the reasoning why the term Negro was still an option. He said that many older blacks refer to themselves as Negro and do not take it as a negative. They are proud to be Negros. So I would say that I am just as unsure what to do about this debacle as everyone else is in the United States. For one, you do not want to offend the older generation or anyone that refers to themselves as Negros. Removing the term would make them feel as though they are nothing. I refer to myself as a white woman. If I were going to fill out the census and discovered my personal identity were not on there I would absolutely be offended. On the contrary, looking at an official U.S. government form and discovering that a term that hurts me emotionally is on there is also a really big issue. I do believe however that in probably the next fifty years or so the term will in fact be removed. Fifty years from now the majority of the group of citizens that identify as Negros will most likely be deceased. Surely but slowly I see this term disappearing so that it no longer will be an issue. There are probably only a handful of young people who identify as Negro. And in the future if people would like to be listed as Negro they can just fill it in in the choice labeled “other.” But who really knows? I may be wrong in saying that it will disappear. Anything can happen. The term may flurry back to life for some reason and be what the majority wants to be identified as. Only time can tell.
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This is a very interesting subject and is a big eye opening article. I think that it is ridiculous that people are getting so worked up over the racial questions on the census. We are spending over 11 billion dollars to make the census. I agree with Sam, in that, I am sure there was plenty of thought from the committee that made the form which goes out to everyone in the United States. Now the main concern about the census which is getting people upset is the word Negro. Negro has been recently brought back on the census. I have never grown up using this word nor do I know anyone who has but further looking into the word I found that it refers to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether African decent or not. The word Negro means black in Spanish and Portuguese. Nowhere in the definition does the word refer to slave. The one lady, in the video, was getting upset and asked “That’s actually on the form?” She also continued to say “when I think of that word I think of slavery.” When researching the word I found that its usage was accepted as normal, even by people classified as Negroes, until the civil rights movement. People could argue against me and say well it is after the civil rights movement so this word should not be used on the census. This is where I would push back and say well the civil rights movement happened in the 50’s and 60’s.
Today, there are many people that are still alive that had been born in the pre-civil rights movement. Now if this was an acceptable term back then, and that is how they were raised up, then a majority of those people would still classify themselves as Negro since it is what they were taught when they were younger. I talk about it a lot in discussion group how my grandparent’s generation is not up to date on the current race situation. It is because they were raised in that same pre-civil rights era and it is what they were taught growing up. I know not many people born after 1950 would classify themselves as Negro, however the elder generation of black people most likely still refer to themselves as that. The other thing about this topic is, is that it is one box to check on the form. It says Black, African American, “OR” Negro. Nowhere does it say “and” or anything like that. It is one box to check and it all depends how a person would classify him or herself. If a person who classifies themselves as black checks that box, it doesn’t mean they are Negro, it is just a different term some people refer to themselves as and should not be so scrutinized by other people.
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Personally, I find this issue incredibly interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, I completely understand the Census’ justification for the placement of the word “negro” on the form. I will say, however, that I’m not 100% sure that it’s completely necessary; one would think that even older African Americans would recognize the other terms that are listed and have been for every census they’ve participated in previously. That being said, if many of them do recognize themselves as “negroes” and not any of the other terms, it would have to be listed so that we get an accurate, and very important, representation of America today.
I do understand why individuals would be offended about that word being on the form, and found myself somewhat shocked that it was. I thought that the woman who shot the piece did a very respectable job of getting many peoples’ views on the issue at hand. I found it very interesting that during one of the conversations that she was having with the younger man that the older guy voiced his opinion as well and it was one of acceptance; although he understood exactly why the younger man and the woman with the glasses were offended by the Census form, he also recognized that it was a term that older African Americans would recognize and be able to check off. It definitely matched up with Sam’s comments on the blog and definitely makes some sense.
I feel that in most countries, but ours especially, it would be almost impossible to get everyone’s race represented completely accurately. Personally, I’m Irish, Italian, English, German and French. Being labeled “white” doesn’t necessarily represent my heritage with complete accuracy, but I don’t feel that it’s relevant as far as what the Census is trying to accomplish. However, that’s obviously going to change depending on your specific makeup. I actually had a conversation with a couple of my friends whose parents felt the same way that many of the individuals in the video did. I do agree, however, that this is most likely a very big distraction from the incredibly important “snapshot of America.” People should be focused more on the helpful aspects of the Census, such as the allocation of Congressional seats, electoral votes, and government program funding.
I also thought the one woman’s comment about the classification sort of putting you in a box was very interesting. I find that I agree with her sentiment. A lot of times we’re told that individuals are more than just numbers, but this is the ultimate evidence to the contrary. A little white box with a term next to it doesn’t define you as a person, but you’re still required to label yourself.
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The census as a whole, is something that innately has confusion built in. This would be due to the fact that people identify themselves the way that they want to and it is difficult to specify exactly what one's race is. In addition, it is hard for people to specify what race they believe they are a part of when there are many names for similar races. For example, for Latin American people, many may be unsure if they should classify themselves as Hispanic or not. Instead, I believe that instead of making it multiple choice, people should simply write down the race they identify with the most and then the census workers should organize them. This would allow all people to identify with the race they feel most comfortable with and use the term that they feel the most comfortable with to identify themselves. One problem that is inevitably a part of the census is the idea that the census is essentially placing people in a box. This makes it every difficult for people of mixed races to identify themselves because if one is half black and half white, for example, they would not know what to define themselves as. In the video, I thought that the woman who was born in Puerto Rico, raised as a Cuban, and is also white brought up a good point. Not only does she have a problem with figuring out how to identify herself on the census, but also when she does identify herself, she likely will not be fully characterized by that identification. I think that this makes the consensus inaccurate and misleading. Thus, I think that the only way to make the census more representative of the population of the United States would be have people strictly write down how they identify themselves and have the census workers organize these responses on a basis of strict guidelines. In regards to the term negro on the census, I do not think that this should be an issue because the word is meant to merely be an indicator of race rather than a derogatory term. It is a complicated situation because many older black people identify with the term negro. It is not mean to be disparaging, rather it is meant to be there merely so that people who identify with that term can identify with it. The problem is that in modern society, many people now find that term derogatory, leading them to believe that it should have no place on the census. I think that the term should rightfully be included in the census, but it should be made clear that the term is not at all meant to be offensive in nature.
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The video was definitely interesting but unfortunately, people get offended by anything so easily. The people who create the census are trying to make it so it satisfies everyone but as we all know, that can never be possible. The people who create the census put a lot of time and research into it so they can try to make it as accurate for people as possible. There are so many different people with so many different backgrounds. The way that some people identify themselves as probably will not be on the census because they cannot have a description for everyone.
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I'm glad to see so many people writing on their blogs that they feel this is being blown out of proportion. I think way too many people in this country think that their unique and they must constantly express their uniqueness. Yes, in some way everyone is unique but that doesn't make you special. I keep coming to this idea that people want to be perceived that they are offended by things that aren't offensive. The overwhelming majority of people in this country compared to other countries are spoiled rotten, a lot of people need to come back down to Earth and realize that everything doesn't have to be about them.
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I applied for a job with the Census for this coming summer; I am going to be one of people who go around from door to door to the people houses who did not respond my mail. I never really thought much about what this would mean, just that I needed a summer job. But after watching this video I have been thinking a lot more about it. What if I am at a person’s house who is African American and they are offended by the term negro, will they get mad at me and ask me why such a term is on the census? I guess I’m going to have to prepare myself with a good answer to respond to them with.
Because I am white, I almost feel like I should not have a say in whether or not people should be offended by the term negro; however, I believe that there are still some older African Americans in the United States who would refer to themselves as a negro. But I can see where the younger generation of African Americans is coming from when they get offended by the term, because since they were raised after the Civil Rights movement, they may have grown up believing that Negro had a negative connotation. As a white person, upon hearing the word, I feel indifferent. Like the one guy said on the video, it is like hearing the term eight-track, it feels outdated but not really good or bad.
I believe that the people who make the census are most likely really well educated and if they put the term Negro on the census, then they have to have a good reason for it. I think a lot of African American people’s initial reaction to hearing the term is to be offended, like the United States is trying to be racist on purpose. Sure maybe not a lot of their friends would refer to themselves as Negro, but I am sure that if they took the time to stop and think about it, they would realize that there are still people in this country who feel comfortable indentifying themselves with that term because that is what they grew up with.
Another thing that I did not understand was when some of the people who were interviewed on the video said they were confused on what to mark if they were of more than one race, when it clearly stated in the directions that you could mark more than one. I feel like the people who make the census are trying to make it as simple and all encompassing as possible that I just do not understand why so many people are confused about most of it.
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I do not think that the census is trying to offend anyone at all and I think the fact that people are offended is somewhat of a stretch. I think it is clear that the Census Bureau was trying to be inclusive and not offensive; in fact I think they were trying not to offend anyone by leaving them off the list. The people who are offended by this may not realize that and I think that if everyone sits down and thinks about it for a while they will see that there is nothing wrong with that particular word being on the census.
However, I do think that the Census is confusing in many ways. I understand the necessity of identifying race and culture but when does it get to be too much? How far back into our culture should we go to identify our race and ethnicities? I consider myself black and really nothing else but my paternal grandmother is Puerto Rican. She speaks Spanish and my father speaks some Spanish as well. But I don’t speak Spanish and the Hispanic culture is not a big part of my life at all. Should I still check of Hispanic origin? My maternal great-great grandfather is white, a European from France. But “white” does not affect my life at all. If you look at me white would never come to your mind in a million years. So should I check those things at all? I do not plan to check them but maybe other people will. Should we? I mean really where does it end? Where does it start?
The thing about white being the easiest category doesn’t really make sense to me. Sure white and Caucasian are the only politically correct words to describe white so it looks much simpler. I don’t think that whites have to put themselves in any more of a box that anyone else does. I guess what the people in the video mean was that there are so many types of white, Italian, French, German etc. And it is also true that some white people do not know where their origins lie. But most African Americans also do not know where their origins lie other than the “West Africa” umbrella. There are many places. They could be from Cote d’ivore, Ghana, Mali or any other country on the African coast. They also have to put themselves into the category of “Black, African Am. Negro”. It seems the people who have the most choices are people of Hispanic origin and even they have issues putting themselves into categories that represent who they are completely. I guess with the census you have to put yourself into a box that does not represent your essence or all of who you are because there really is no other feasible way.
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I think CNN did a really good piece on the Census and how ordinary Americans are perceiving and dealing with the terminology used in these crucial forms. I’m kind of surprised that other major news networks such as Fox News, did not cover an important story like this, in good detail. I guess they must be too busy making up lies and attacking our President and every effort that his administration is taking to better this country. Anyways, this story illustrates the “happy-medium” or perfect balance that the people who wrote the Census were trying to achieve.
Ultimately, on one side, they wanted to make sure the language or terminology utilized would not offend or isolate any of the Americans filling out the form. On the other hand, they also wanted to make sure that they are very, and if necessary, overly inclusive of all of the American population, and having to use outdated terminology to do so.
When it comes to people who are black or of African-American ancestry, this task becomes even harder. Sam also touched on this topic in class with regards to the word “negro” that is being used on the Census forms. Most of the younger generation of black Americans view this term as what blacks were referred to during the slavery era and the pre Civil rights era that was used in a hateful or derogatory term. And thus, it is perfectly understandable that the people of African American descent that were interviewed by the CNN journalist felt a little offended or insulted. They are probably on the side of the argument that says that it is not right to include a word that has a bitter and shameful history in America’s past. They probably would also advocate that it would be just “too bad” if a person who identified as “negro” could not select the term on the Census forms and would likely suggest allowing these people to write it in if that is how they viewed themselves.
On the other side of the argument, you have the likely elderly black population that has lived through some bitter and racist moments in their lifetime and likely witnessed the Civil Rights movement first-hand either as children or young adults. They would argue that “negro” is how blacks should be classified and how they view themselves. And Census historical records have shown that excluding this controversial term has actually resulted in many people who identify with it to not fill out the Census form at all.
So in this respect, Sam hit the nail on the head. The people who write the questions for the Census forms are not idiots and millions upon millions of government dollars have gone into research into identifying the right wording and framing of questions for this short survey. However, it is crucial that even those who might feel offended still take the effort to fill out the survey and really understand that the people writing these forms are not idiots and are just trying to serve the greater good of including all Americans in their decennial measure of the population. More importantly, it is crucial to not understate the importance of these forms. As mentioned in the CNN piece, over $400 billion dollars of funding for states and local communities are allocated based on results from the Census. Furthermore, this data assists in the process of re-districting to help identify how many and which constituents will represent members of the United States House of Representatives in Congress.
Ultimately, everyone should fill out this crucial survey which will take no longer than ten minutes to complete. It is crucial to help moving our country forward and to provide us with a gauge of the growing diversity in this great melting pot that we call America.
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I can understand why people got upset about the word Negro being on the census, because things have changed so much over recent years. Since we have so many races I think it can be confusing especially if you are a little bit of a few different races. I think people should be happy about the fact that the word negro was still kept in the census because if it was taken away you would still have people complaining that it isn’t recognized anymore as a race so that would make people upset as well, so it’s like if they keep it there you have people complaining and if they take it away you have them complaining both ways and people are still unhappy.
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I think that it is absolutely ridiculous at how easily people get
offended, and this is proven through the video from cnn.com. There are
many terms that describe different races, and I think that people just
need to relax. Like Sam said, some black people still refer to
themselves as Negro and they would not know what to mark on the
Census. The Census is not a document made to please people. It is a
document to accurately count the population of America. People need to
put their feelings aside for a little bit and realize that the Census
has a purpose.
I think that this issue brings about a bigger issue that is evident
in the United States. People get offended way too easily. America is
obsessed with being politically correct, and it is simply ridiculous.
There are bigger problems in this world than political correctness.
There are starving children in Africa, and all over the world. Why are
we obsessed with calling black people, African Americans and Asians
Asian Americans? We should be able to simply call a black person black
because they are black. White people get called white all the time. If
peoples’ feelings did not get hurt our society would be much more
productive.
I understand that sensitivity is important, but people are overly
sensitive. Everything is good in moderation. Activists like Jesse
Jackson and Al Sharpton make the situation even worse when they call
everything racism. They love attention and they love to mudsling. I
think there are many more world issues that need to be solved instead
of calling everything racism.
All in all, the point I am trying to make is that the Census is a
form that is used to count American population. Demographers spent
years researching information to make this form. The terms they use
are used for a reason. If using Negro offends somebody in New York
City, but it is the term that certain Southern blacks use to identify
themselves than it does not matter. These people form New York should
get a life and move on. It is not the government’s job to make sure
that no one’s feelings get hurt. The Census is done for a purpose, not
to make everyone happy.
The people that are offended by the Census should use their time more
wisely, and solve world hunger. This is a much more pressing issue
than a word on the Census offending somebody. There are tons of
illiterate people in the world that cannot even read the Census. How
about teaching them how to read before getting offended? I think that
people should stop being sensitive and actually try to make a
difference in the world.
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I don’t think the census will ever be able to make everyone happy and when you think about it its kind of crazy when you realize that one simple piece of paper can upset so many people and have such big controversial issues over it. I think that even if they made the census with every race in it that they would still have problems and you would have people unhappy and even more confused than they already are. So maybe they would want to come up with a whole new different way of making the census or maybe in years to come they will make the census every twenty years.So maybe it would be easier to count everyone and things would change a lot more then in ten years. Instead of the way they do the census now, maybe they could just have people write in their race instead of having check boxes. Maybe people would find that if they could write in their race that no one was left out in the count.
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I don’t think the census has put enough thought into how they can change this to make it better for people and how to go about making sure no one feels left out. I think that they could come up with a better way to make the forms less confusing and to make sure no one feels that they are offended or left out in the count I think that they could try to make everyone feel equal if they research this enough.I think that they need to just not take it so serious sometimes I mean when people read Negro. It doesn’t mean that we think they should be identified that way, they just want to include everyone and try to make everyone happy and not be racist, maybe in the future we will eventually come up with a good system to make the census work. And everyone will be able to check or put a race down to make sure everyone gets counted, I hope that one day this will work and everyone will be able to answer a race on the census.
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I definitely agree with Professor Richard’s stance on this situation and when he says that the people who write the Census are NOT incompetent. In today’s world, I think we all know that it is hard to make everyone happy, and no matter how fair people try to be, there are going to be some people that are upset or disappointed for whatever reasons. I think that people need to stop being so sensitive and some of the people in this news clip definitely fell under that too sensitive mold for me. It was almost irritating to me how much people are being offended by a simple questionnaire.
I think that CNN chose arguably the most diverse metropolis in the country when they did this report in New York, and I thought it was very interesting to hear the CNN reporter start off with the conversation by saying that he wasn’t offended when he saw “Negro” being placed in the Census. Now when the black woman was interviewed, she in my mind had a big overreaction. I think it is because of over sensitive people like that woman that there is an issue. People in this society, especially certain minorities are way too over sensitive when it comes to racial identity. People like this woman, and many others I think are way too close minded when it comes to racial issues, I mean after all, the census’s goal is not to offend people at all. Certain people are spending way too much time sweating, stressing and fretting over the small stuff in my opinion. I am a minority, and I can still say that these people overreacted and attest to it. I think it is also interesting, that some of the same people in this interview who were so overly offended by the categories on the census, did also not have full knowledge of their full heritage and race. People are making judgments about the census without even knowing the full extent of it, and the whole goal behind it.
Now on the opposite side of the spectrum, I am not saying that the word “negro” is not offensive to African Americans, because it absolutely is. And there are definitely modifications that need to be made to the census as well. Because the reality is, our country is coming to a point where everyone has such a diverse background, that it is hard for people to pinpoint one race they identify as. Yes there need to be changes made to the census I am not going to deny that, but I think there is also a change that needs to occur in the way people take the census. There is a clear objective for the census, and it does not need to be taken out of context, the way that the media at times and some of the interviewees in the clip do.
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I think its completely ridiculous for anyone to believe that the Census can ask questions with enough detail or background information to fully, one hundred percent include every single person's race and ethnicity. America is too damn diverse for the Census people to come up with a list of questions to handle that. I can't believe there are people who think that they aren't being properly recorded or their information is not fully representative of them as a person. If the questions were not worded the way they are, many people would be too stupid to answer them correctly, and all of the data would be wasted. The Census people have spent countless man hours and countless dollars investigating and researching the best possible way to present every question on their sheet, including what terms to use and how to word the questions. According to their research, many older black people still use the term negro, and as the article mentioned, they wouldn't recognize a different word, and would thus answer the question incorrectly or not at all. This would skew the data, and in the end, ruin all of the research that the Census people put in. What is even funnier to me is that people get so hung up on what percent they are from which country. "Oh i'm half Irish" or "Oh I'm 12 and a quarter percent apache… where does that make me fit on the list?" Well, if you weren't so stupid, you'd be able to answer the closest related answer that fits you as a person, and hand in your Census form. What's that? You are offended by a word printed on a piece of paper designed to benefit THE ENTIRE COUNTRY? Wow, i suddenly don't give a damn. Its just a word, and as I mentioned before, the word is not on there to offend anyone, or to cause distress to anyone. It is on the paper because some black people still identify with it today. The ones who ARE offended, are generally not the ones who the term was ever used to describe negatively. They get pissed off because they know what it was last used as, without recognizing that they are arguing a moot point. So suck it up, fill out your census to the best of your abilities, hand it in, and help the country out a little bit. Its really NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.
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While viewing that video, I really wondered how the term "negro" found its way onto that survey. Like the one African American lady said in the beginning of the video, she didn't respect that word being chosen as a choice because that word was use in the south in the slave days and for some it seems like we are bringing back a piece of history that majority of whites aren't proud of. For many older African Americans who are older "negro" isn't a term that is recognized as being disrespectful. It varies from person to person but I would think that many blacks wouldn't want to be recognized as a "negro". If someone was grown up in that time period they would believe no one is at fault because that is what they lived an experienced.There are also many who have no feeling towards the survey because it is trying to include all groups of people and not everyone can be satisfied.
I also thought up a question about how whites would be feel if the term "cracker" was on the survey referring to whites. That was a negative term just like "negro" and it was viewed towards white in a terrible manner. Maybe I'm taking this a little far but it would interesting to see the majority of whites and what their reactions be if they would be referred as cracker instead of white or Caucasian.
The whites who were also interviewed in that short segment didn't like being placed in one group as well and I would have to agree with them. Yes I'm a white male but I don't like being put in a whole category just because of my skin color. Another point that was brought up was also very interesting to me. The one female said she has a little bit of Native American in her and she would still be classified as white. I really think it is how people view themselves, someone might think they are white but if they have a skin color many will think otherwise. Does it work towards someone who is Hispanic and Caucasian, would they be classified as white? The society would probably view the individual as Hispanic because that's the way our world works. Our country is mostly white and if someone is mixed they would probably lean towards being white. I'm also going to bring up a point that based off the color of the dolls and how the small children always chose the white one. If someone is on the fence about what their race is they will probably choose white because that is usually what is seen on a daily basis. Its really a shame but that is how I feel about the whole thing.
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The census is trying to be politically correct, that is all. All it is asking you is to fill out what you identify with. Plain and simple. They wished to include all races to make everyone happy. Evidently, I guess the media is saying you can't make everyone happy. In fact, the media is the only reason why we're posting our responses on here. They're ALWAYS turning nothing into something. One person quoted that (s)he didn't notice the "negro" option on there until it was pointed out. Sure, its questionable to place a title that people haven't used for years, maybe even back to the 1970s. Sure, maybe someone can say that having the word "negro" is potentially racist. However, you might be apart of the African American population that is an extremist and REFER to themselves as negroes, even in 2010.
Even saying that , its a reach. As far as I'm concerned, the word negro isn't something used anymore; it went extinct with the dinosaurs. That's the only thing I see there questionable. Anything else, fill out the survey and that's it; no point in making a 10 question survey a controversy. If your race isn't an option, pick other. The End.
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This census is really confusing and I feel like it will end up not being even close to accurate when people fill out the race section. I do not understand why they felt like they had to add "Negro" to the census. I mean I understand that they did it so that they older generations would not be as confused, but I do not think it was a necessary word to be added. I am sure that the older generation would still know which race to mark down. I talked about this issue in one of my other classes and when some black students found out that the word "Negro" was added to the Census they became very offended. I do not think it was the intention of the Census makers to offend people or to be racist, they were just trying to figure out a way be to as accurate as possible. I can understand when people become offended when the word "Negro" has a personal meaning because it was once used often as a derogatory meaning. I think that CNN could have done a much better job of showing if people were offended by this issue or not. Just asking random people what they thought was not a very good way of showing people are offended by this. They could have gone straight to the people who created the Census and asked them what the purpose of adding "Negro" on to the Census and why they thought it was necessary to add it as well as asking random people what they thought of this situation. Personally, I find it really hard to connect with this issue because all I fill in is white so I have never actually looked at the other categories. But, when someone is half Native American and half Hispanic or whatever they may be, it would be very confusing trying to figure out what to fill in. This is especially true when thinking of what the point of the Census actually is, which is to figure out how many people are in a certain population or area, in order to better accommodate the areas population. Now a days, what does it matter what race lives in what area or how many people are in a certain area? There is such an increasing amount of illegal immigrants coming to America it makes it even harder to find an accurate count as to the number of people in a population. Maybe we should focus more on this issue than worry about people being offended by a word that has no meaning anymore, but than again for some people this word does still have a meaning especially if people grew up during a time were this word was used against others.
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I still have yet to receive my very first census, so I also have yet to experience this very important form filling event for myself. I do not really even know what type of questions will be on the census but so far there is just a serious amount of hype about it. I know why it is so important, and I plan to fill it out accurately. I just think some people are thinking too far into the issue of what race they are. I personally know my race is white, it is not very hard for me to figure that one out. If you are black, then mark whatever box you want that corresponds to being black. If you do not identify as a “negro,” then do not check the damn box. If you are multiracial, then fill it out accordingly! Of course, most of the people here at Penn State will understand the concept of the different terms, because I would like to think that Penn State is a generally well educated and intelligent group of people. Unfortunately, there are many, many, many people out there who are very uneducated and either do not understand how to fill out a census or get offended by certain terms on there. They just assume that the people who wrote the census are white, racist idiots. As Sam stated, they do not realize the amount of time, effort, and money that went into deciding whether to keep the particular term were to be kept on the census or not. I would assume that the reason it was kept is because there is still a very large amount of people who solely identify themselves as “negroes.” Also, as Sam said, these people are the older generation of black people. The younger generation of black people are probably the ones being offended by this term and they do not realize that there is a large amount of people who identify themselves that way. Of course, there is no way to educate every single offended person as to why this term exists.
I actually feel bad for the people who wrote the census because they put so much effort into doing this and trying to make it less confusing as possible, only to have it ineviteably end up in confusion and frustration. Some other people mentioned in their posts, it is interesting about the lack of distinction for white people. I personally do not care, because I identify as white and that is fine by me, but I can see some white people getting offended just like black people get offended and mixed race people get offended. You can not satisfy everybody though.
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It is a census, not a test that will or will not get you your dream job. It is not going to make or not make you a lawyer, doctor or dog breeder. This is not anything that matters. Sure this census is going to account for your race and all that crap that people believe that matters but really does not. Do people have nothing dumber to worry about than if their race gets accounted for in the U.S. census? Honestly look at your life, as of now we are all specks of dust that matter in no bigger picture of life, we are literally worthless in the eyes of the greater one, and some people honestly have time to bitch about the census? Go and be someone better, get over this whole race issue and start worrying about yourself and what you need to do in order to be remembered for centuries to come. Honestly, to me if I rather be one of the people who is talked about in history classes 500 years from now, not the group of people who are talked about for the next month because we refuse to accept the census. So please people for the sake of your own life can you please stop bitching about how the census is insensitive and just go out and try to do something for yourself. I feel bad for the large group of people who do not understand that there are more important things in life. I want people to see that this census is nothing and in the long run of things is very unimportant. Actually I don’t even feel bad for all you because you are just uneducated. This census is a joke and you need to look past it and get on with your life. On to the topic of how this census is offensive and confusing. Well that is just bullshit, just use the 10% of your brain that God allows us to use and fill it out to the best of your knowledge. And, AND if you can not even manage this meager task, than do the simple thing, pick up your phone, dial the number of your house/mom/dad/other direct family member and ask them, yes, ask them what they put down in the race category. I know this sounds very complicated but once you do it, you may have a better understanding of what to put down. If you cannot even manage this though, than check off OTHER and fill in something crazy, nuts or funny. An example this would be to check other and fill in something like goldfish or doorknob. NOBODY ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT THESE RESULTS. Good day.
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This post made me think about something I was discussing with my friend this week and we have discussed in my small group section of SOC 119. This issue is how words can carry such great meanings with them. In reality, a curse word or a racial slur is just a word. It is a combination of noises put together by the mouth. It is incredible to me how such arbitrary actions can carry so much significance with them in our culture. I do, however, see the other side of this. Words are our form of communication- the way we express how we feel. Therefore, I understand why a word can carry such a significant meaning behind it. Related to this post and article, is how words can carry such a different meaning for different people. I sympathize for the writers or the census who, without a doubt, put a ton of time and research into their jobs. As Sam pointed out, they are not dumb people. This post helped me realize that it is basically impossible to do anything without offending somebody. Many times, I think, people don't even know why they are offended. For example, this post mentioned older black people who may refer to themselves as Negroes, especially on a government form. They are OK with this term, and it is one they have understood their whole lives. The people who are offended by this word are those who were not part of that group in the first place. They are generally younger people who think the older black people would be offended when they read that. When in fact, these older blacks do not care.
The whole article made me think about the issue of being politically correct and what it means to be offended. I truly think the majority of people that are offended by things are not actually offended, but they think they should be. A 25 year old black person does not have any reason to be offended by the word negro. It is simply a word used to describe black people from our history. Yet, based on what they have learned, they feel it is necessary to act offended when they hear the word. I think if everybody were to relax, and take things for what they actually are and not what our society has programmed them to be, the world of race relations would be a lot less confusing and hostile place.
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I think this is a really interesting point. I do not see how there will ever be a resolution to this problem, though. I feel like someone is always going to be offended by either a lack of a term or an inclusion of a term. The important thing to keep in mind though, is that you can check more than one box. I guess most people assumed you can only check one box, but you can check off anything that you want to check off.
When I fill out the census I am going to take into consideration how I perceive myself. Although I am not white, I was brought up in a community with a large percentage of white people. Sometimes I feel like I know those customs better than I know my own parents’ customs. However, my favorite culture is the Hispanic culture, because I feel like I relate to that culture the best. Even though no one in my family is Hispanic, I feel the most at home when I am with my Hispanic friends or when I am traveling in a Latin American country. I love their music, their dances, their food, and their language more than I love any other culture’s. Does that make me Hispanic?
And what about the children of immigrants? My parents immigrated here when I was two months old. I have spent my whole life here and as a result, I am a mix of various cultures. Are they over going to have an option for that? Can you just put “American” in front of or after any other ethnicity and make it applicable to children of immigrants? Vietnamese American, Indian American, Chinese American. I think more of my friends could identify themselves as _____ American.
In reference to the term “negroe” on the census, I think that it will eventually be replaced in time. Once the older African American generations have passed on, the term will not be used to the same degree that it is being used today. I understand why some people would be offended by it, but I think most people are really just surprised that it is on there, not exactly offended.
The best route for the government to take here is to include every option. I think more people would be offended if they thought that their race or ethnicity was forgotten on the census completely. Like they mentioned in the video, some older African Americans would be completely confused if they did not see “negroe” on the census because that is how they are used to perceiving themselves. I think that this was the route to pleasing the most people.
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If we’re concerned about people getting offended then we need to attach a disclaimer onto nearly every statement. It seems as though people interpret things differently, due to their diverse backgrounds, and consequently get fired up if they feel offended. The people who are conducted the research for the census should, I would assume, have a good grasp on what words people will/will not find offensive. If negro is one of them then right on the census there should be an explanation as to why that word is included. This would clear up any miscommunications and misconstrued meanings that could be inferred.
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Let me first start off by saying that I can't believe people are still talking about this topic. I remember a few weeks ago there was a blog about the people in charge of the Census wanting to possibly take the word Negro off the Census. The stance that I took at that time is the same stance I have now. I personally think that it was a good idea to keep the term Negro on the Census. As was discussed in this blog and the previous blog on the issue, if the term Negro is taken off then many older black citizens could be confused on what to put because they associate themselves with that term. The term Negro is what the elder black people have used to describe their race for pretty much their whole lives. However, I understand why a younger African American person could be offended by seeing the term Negro on the Census. It's a term that often brings the thought of slavery to their minds upon hearing it. What I think is so frustrating about all of this is that in general not everyone is always gonna be happy about something. In the Census of course there are going to be multiple groups of people complaining to change words or add other terms and what not. However, even though younger African Americans have a problem with the term Negro why is it that they can't understand why it is still on there? I feel like it has been explained to them but they chose not to listen and instead just want to stay ticked off about it. Whether it's blacks, whites, or native americans I feel like people just often love to complain about things no matter what the issue may be. I feel that the younger African Americans should be able to understand why the term is on there and although they may not be thrilled about it they should be able to understand that it is there for a significant reason and is not there to be offensive. Like was stated before, if the term Negro was taken off then many older African Americans would be confused and not know what to put down for their race because that was the term that they associated themselves with for so long. The last thing the people making the Census are trying to do is confuse or offend people. Logistically, the term should be on there for the elder African Americans so that the Census can be as accurate as possible. Even with the term being on the Census, the younger African Americans who are having the problem with it can still mark themselves as what they want like African American. Thus, with the term Negro being on the Census the elder African Americans are able to still mark themselves as what they have always considered themselves while the younger African Americans can still put down another term that they associate themselves with like African American.
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How can one group of people be offended by what another group of people call their racial category? Just because a racial category may have had a negative connotation in the past does not mean that it still carries that same weight today. Most words used towards categorizing ethnicity groups do not have negative connotations associated with them, but I think that people place negative connotations on different racial groups to make themselves feel superior over others; and just as easily as connotations on a racial group are made, they can just as easily be taken away. It all depends on what the majority of society wants to associate a word with. On the other hand, the Census is not designed to assert that one group of people is better than the other. Instead, it’s designed to collect data to (a lot of times) make the lives of those who are struggling a little better. One guy who was interviewed by CNN stated that the government is trying to be politically correct by using the word ‘negro’ on the census, and that government officials have a better chance at including everyone by using such a word. Another woman was offended that government would even put that word on the Census. I believe that in the end it doesn’t matter what people associate themselves as because when it comes down to it, we’re all people. Yes it’s true that a lot of people are heavily rooted in their culture, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but when it comes down to it we’re all just people trying to get by in the world. As far as what people identify themselves as, I think that people should base their decisions off of what they have some biological connections to, what culture they were exposed to, and whatever they want to associated as. This really shouldn’t be such a big deal, but people like to make things much more complicated than they need to be. I mean, if people are really feeling like their being placed in a box, then they should mark more than one category, selection the ‘other’ option and then explain the rest of whatever they want to be listed as. Unfortunately, if people can’t get past the language used on the Census form then the government will have an inaccurate reading of how many people there are in America. In response, people who are really suffering may not get the help they need because the government didn’t think there were as many people as there are in need of support. If people can just look beyond the words, understand what the government’s intentions are with the census, and just associate themselves with whatever they want to be, than people who are in need of government support can be helped. Until America can get over the words used to categorize themselves, people will be placed in a box; a box of ignorance.
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i read a blog from earlier and i found myself feeling the same way as they did. there are boxes that describe what you are they arent trying to offend you or make you angry they simply want to know who is filling out the form. check the damn box and move on, and if you have trouble checking the box dont take the damn survey and go cry. this is the governement we are talking about here not joe blow around the corner wanting to know who lives in his neighborhood. they put effort time money and research into this and do you actually think they would put something in there that would make people not to fill it out, come on. grow up check the box and move on. be pissed if you want thats fine with me but the government is not calling you the n word to be racist.
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Although I understand the anger that many people are feeling towards the census, I don't believe that it is the census' fault for angering so many peope. I think that people are just looking for trouble instead of looking at it from the perspective of the Census. No matter what, someone is always going to be unhappy with the different options that are put on the survey. It's not like the census is trying to be racist. The main purpose of this is to figure out the number if people in the population, and there is no perfect way to list each race/ethnicity. Many people also complain because the census is infamous for being a big pain. There is no doubt that the census people have done their work to make sure that they can satisfy as many people as possible, but no matter what, not everyone can be satisfied. Some Blacks will want to be referred to as African Americans, while others may want to be recognized as "negro" or black. Many hispanics could also be white. There are an endless number of conflicts that can arise because of this. What it comes down to is the fact that we cannot accurately establish race or ethnicity in this world and that someone will always be offended. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to make this better, and there are always going to be flaws. We are just going to have to realize that people will be offended no matter what, and they are just going to have to accept it.
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The census is supposed to be a straight forward questionnaire. It appears to not be quite so straight forward. If some people think that the government is trying to be racist or something like that then they are probably crazy. Why would the government ever think about being racist on an official form where everyone can see it? They would probably not even try to pretend to be racist in the secret agendas they make up but in the public’s eye be racist? Give me a break. That is utter nonsense. Now the census should offer a much clearer method of choosing race vs ethnicity. It should show definitions of each race next to the word so that it could be clearer. Maybe that would not work. It should probably just get rid of it in general because what does it help when people check off a certain race? It may help affirmative action statistics but other than that what service does it provide? Statistics for different racial groups? Is that needed for the census? I thought the census was originally counting the number of people for districts resizing and such. How does race affect numbers? Is this back to how a slave was worth 3/5 of a free person? I do not know but the whole situation would probably go a lot smoother without many questions. People do not like answering many questions and if all it asks is how many people are in your family and children and ages there would be a lot less paper used and a lot less confusion.
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I really don't see the big deal with saying the word negro. I am aware that it is an outdated term and is not politically correct, but it is also not a racial slur. It was simply the technical term for black people of the past. Furthermore, to not use the term negro in the census would lead to an inaccurate calculation of people, thus making the entire process less significant. The census also helps to appropriate social programs to groups that need them, which are more than often minority groups. So the very people who are offended by such means of collecting information are the people who are likely to gain from the research. So while I understand how the word is not the most appropriate, politically correct term, sometimes you need to take function over form in order to obtain real results, and this is one of those times.
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I feel like not even just on race questions, but people can be offended by any question. Like the people in this report and everyone else say, you’re not going to be able to accommodate everyone. Everyone likes to be referred to as something different, there’s no way to come up with a term that will satisfy everyone. I think that by putting all the different terms that people may consider themselves, for example “black, African America, negro” under the same check box is a good way of attempting to accommodate everyone. This way if you refer to yourself as a black, or African American, etc, if the census considers them to be the same thing, you’re still checking off the box of what you are.
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I feel like anyone who reads the census can say that they are confused about it in some way. It is strange to me though that we are still so sensitive as a society that just because there happens to be a name on the census you might not like or like to be associated with, doesn’t mean you have to get up in arms about the situation. Like is it really such a big deal for the term “negro” to be used on the census, I mean for the most part, the people getting offended by this are black or brown people and also, the people who want this term to be used are black and brown. I just don’t understand how there is so much insecurity about just a piece of paper. I mean everyday around campus or on the radio I hear black people dropping the n-bomb. Isn’t that a whole lot worse than “negro” being on the census? Another fact I want to bring up is the fact that older people are the ones that prefer to have “negro” on the census. And the younger generation is the one getting all up in arms about it. How come a generation that had to deal with all the hardships has no problem with this, but the younger people who had it at least a little bit easier are not happy about it. If you’re black grandpa wants to be referred to as a negro on the census, then that’s his choice. It’s America, a free country, if anybody still wants to be referred to as a “negro” then why not put it on the census. I mean if white people wanted to be referred to something in particular on the census, I could care less if it was added. It’s just a waste of time and energy to be upset about such a small thing such as this. And like the article stated, the people that make up the census aren’t stupid. There is a lot of time and effort to make it the least confusing as possible. People just need to relax, white people, black people, brown people, whatever, if this frustrates or angers you, just chill. It’s a piece of paper with some words on it. There’s absolutely no need to get upset about it. And if it still does upset you, you are entitled to your own opinions so whatever. There’s never going to be a time when everybody is completely satisfied so all we can try to do is do the best we can to make as many people happy as possible. And hopefully that will be enough for our country to function effectively.
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I think I am pretty offended about the race most of time whenever it comes to issue. I wasn’t either born or raised in United States of America. I am a girl from Korea, Republic of, and also was raised in the same place I was born. I came to states when I was fifteen years old. When I was in Oklahoma as an exchange student, there wasn’t any Asian students at school, except some exchange students and me. Some ignorant students didn’t call our names but ‘Asian 1’, ‘Asian 2’, ‘Asian 3’ and so on. It definitely hurts my friends’ and my feeling. I also felt there was a huge, think and tall walls between them and me at that time. I still wondered that was it necessary to them categorizing us as just Asians without our own precious names?
In my opinion, particularly Americans are more intended to categorize people by their race and ethnicity than people from other countries. When I traveled around Europe last summer, European never asked me where I was from.
But why do we have to recognize or categorize people by their race or their ethnicity?
Even when I wrote college application when I was a senior at high school, I had to fill out a million of categories about my race and ethnicity. First, they ask me about either I am an American or a foreigner. Then there are categories to describe my race; White, African American, Hispanic, Asian, and etc. After I check an asian box, it requests me again to describe about which specific countries an area I am from. I applied for eight colleges and every single application requests me to fill all these out. I guess all the college needs this information for diversity in school program, but is it that really necessary?
Most of time when people wondered about the place I was from, first they asked me, ‘Are you CHINESE?’ then after I said no, they asked me again. ‘Then are you from Japan?; Last time, one American came and directly say ‘Ni Hao’, meaning hello in chinese, to me. I got a little bit upset at that time. I didn’t know the reason why I was upset about but, I was very offended to the person.
People might just wonder where I am from. Most of time I managed them well. Managing well means I correct them that I am neither from China nor Japan, but Korea with my big smile. Even I tried to be nice to the people who are offended but sometimes I get so upset when people make fun of Asian’s unique and unskilled accent and pronunciation.
Sometimes it hurts my feeling.
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After watching this video, reading through some of the previous comments and taking into account what Sam mentioned in class in the past few weeks, it is clear that there is a problem with how people label themselves. Right now for the United States of America, it is more important to understand the racial and ethnic makeup of the population than to aggravate people based off of their word choice on the census form. As it was mentioned in the video clip, the United States of America is a cultural melting pot with many races and different ethnic backgrounds. So labeling people could cause a problem or two. It is wrong to leave people out in this census, even if other are offended that some couple thousand or more people still refer to themselves as Negro. The main point is to accurately measure the population, not to cause a stir over the labeling process or word choice. It becomes more difficult with people who have a mixed background, as well as those who are Hispanic but do not tie their roots back to Spain. I was also curious about the definition of African American. In class we learned it as those who can trace their roots back to slavery in the US. But from this clip, it seems that the general population interprets it as, being black and born in the United States (like the man who claimed he was African American even though his parents were both from Honduras. Another example would be a black person from Brazil who could trace their roots to Brazilian slavery. If they moved to the USA, how would they categorize themselves? Black Hispanic? Or if they were born in the USA but their parents moved from Brazil and could also tie their roots to slavery in Brazil, would they be considered African American Hispanics? As our country is becoming more and more diverse, it is important to educate people how to identify themselves. There's nothing wrong with not knowing how to label another because who knows where they can tie their ancestry to, some to Asia, some to Native Americans, some to slavery and some to Spain. It is important to understand this in order to gauge the information for future censuses. I'm unsure if there is a clear answer to this because one shouldn't feel obligated to check a box to describe themselves, but there should be an easier way to describe your race and your heritage. I would suggest something that would show where the individual was born/where they live now, and where their parents and grandparents were born/where they lived most recently.
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Yes, I agree that the census can be really confusing. It puts o\\too many options and rules about race. Some people really do not know what to write on the form, so they do not fill it out at all. The census having negro as an option on the form is absurd. I really think that they do not have to go that far to generalize people of "color". I understand some people from back in the day will not choose African-American or Black but they need to deal with it. We have to stop trying to be politically correct all the time. What does that statement mean? Some people say it means that it will not offend people, but there will always be somebody who will get offended. Some people do not like people to call them black and some African-American. We really can eliminate the negro part out of the census, because that is kind of an offensive word for majority of people now and days. Only older folks like to use the word Negro when they are talking about themselves. It is not a term many black people call themselves. I do realize why the census puts so many nationalities/ race. People are always complaining about people calling them the wrong race or not calling them their specific race. We all really have to grow up and limit the names that different races call themselves. It should be one name each race has to limit the confusing thing called the census. Black people do not need to have the selection of choosing to be African-American, Negro, or Black. People need to choose the best way to describe their selves on the census. Then again, some people like to choose all their races. Some people are half Asian half European. Some people are half Italian half Brazilian. That could be a little confusing for that person, because they do not really no what to choose on the census. Race and Ethnicity are probably the most confusing words to understand. Personally, I get confused on the two terms myself. Some people do not even bother to fill out the census, because it is too confusing and they do not know what to choose. I feel fifty fifty about the situation. On one hand, I would say there are too many choices to pick from on the census so they should limit it. Then again, some people might not feel it out if the race they call themselves is not on there. On the other I hand, I say they need to reduce the race and ethnicity choices on the census, because it only makes things more confusing. People start to think too hard about what they really are and go to deep into their roots.
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I kinda would have to agree with the people making the Census. Obviously a lot of research has gone into the categories of racial terms used on the ballot. They didn't just throw a bunch of slang terms for different races and told people what to pick. I guess it is a little confusing if you are Hispanic and African American you might not know what to put .Another topic of the word negro on the ballot, If i am correct we learned in class that some people chose the term negro. I do however think the term is outdated but if that is what people chose then we should respect it.That is the way I look at it. The Census isn't racially discriminatory its an appropriate way of understanding the population of people in the United States.
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Sometimes I believe people lose sight of the ways these terms were used. It is especially hard for people of another race to understand. As Sam always say, “people of the white team will never understand what it means to be black because they aren’t black.” This words has roots in the mistreatment of our people and the fact that elders may only think of themselves as Negroes makes it that much worst. It makes it worse because it seems as if they are brainwashed into believing that the word “Negro” is who they are. I think the census people should prove their study about some people only identifying with the term negro and then show them trying to make a effort in to telling them that the terms black and African American are the same thing but less offensive. In the end, who cares about the census? Why is it that important, it is not accurate anyway?
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The anchor from the CNN programming said it best…we are a “melting pot” when it comes to race and ethnicity in this country. There are so many people living in this country that come from different backgrounds and almost everyone has his or her own opinion on who they are or where they came from. Asking people to identify who they think they are is pretty outrageous if you ask me. I’m not entirely sure of what I’m made up of, I know I’m white but that’s about as far as I go when it comes to identifying my race and ethnicity. I’m not clear on answering people when I’m asked what I am because I honestly have no idea. I know my grandparents are from Austria and I also have some polish in me, but as far as my great grandparents and their parents…and on and on and on… I have no idea, and I would like to consider them part of my ethnicity since they are family, but I'm not sure where they are from so I tend to leave that part out of who I really am.
I don’t think anyone really know who they are, I'm yet to find someone who can give me a definite answer as to their ethnicity and race, dating all the way back to ape evolution or creation, whatever one believes in. its not possible therefore it is impossible for anyone to truly answer that question. Maybe I'm digging a little too deep into it, but isn’t that the job of the Census, to dig deep into race and ethnicity issues through years of research?
So here we are, 10 years later, time for a new Census, and we still have issues with the choices and still much confusion. Well guess what, theres still going to be confusion in another 10 years for the next one, and ever 10 more years after that. People are going to find a way to complain no matter what.
As far as this years choices, I was a little upset that I didn’t see Caucasian right next to white, yet there were 3 different classifications for black people. Or actually, it’s the other way around. If they could eliminate Caucasion, why not eliminate negro and African American and just leave black. I cant buy into the excuse that older African Americans still consider themselves negros and if it weren’t on the ballot they wouldn’t have voted at all. Its pretty simple, black or white, I don’t see any confusion in that.
Which brings me to my last point, how important is the Census if it is always causing so much confusion. For the amount of money spent on it, and how long it has been going on, you would think they would have this right by now.
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