Editorial - Stand up and be counted; fill out census

Kay P.
03/17/2010 10:14 AM

My only problem with the US Census is it's pre-occupation with race. Those that have gotten their form, and looked it over, can see all tha categories of race or ethnic options to choose from. I happen to think that they do not accurately define all races or ethnic cultures, nor can they as there are invisible lines scientifically. IMO, there are several ethnic groups that currently experience hate in this country, yet they are not clearly defined in numbers by the Census. Those that do not fit neatly into provided categories, are told to choose "white", even though they do not color identify with that racial group. http://www.understandingrace.org -- An interactive website to explore, and worth sharing with others. They will have an touring exibit at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester from May to September of this year. A quote from the site "Racism is not about how you look, it's about how people assign meaning to how you look." Furthermore, "With the vast expansion of scientific knowledge in this century, however, it has become clear that human populations are not unambiguous, clearly demarcated, biologically distinct groups. Evidence from the analysis of genetics (e.g., DNA) indicates that most physical variation, about 94%, lies within so-called racial groups. Conventional geographic "racial" groupings differ from one another only in about 6% of their genes. This means that there is greater variation within "racial" groups than between them.-- American Anthropological Association Statement on "Race" I believe that to overcome racism in this country and the world, we first need to realize that we are all of one race with variations due to evolution, or adaptations to where our ancestors hailed from. That our color, or lack of color is not character defining, nor should it be. Children can flourish in a progressive environment where they are not subjected to racial stereotypes. Their most basic needs met, and their lives shaped by their experiences when interacting with other people. It is first their parent/caregivers, then educators and society that may provide racial overtones. If they are never told they are "different" or "less or more than" another race, they may never learn to see or identify themeselves as unequal. While some other countries have assimulated their populations, for example, France does not take racial information in their Census, this country, the Melting Pot of the World, is still trying to separate and count individuals by where they identify themselves as being from. We project the image of a big pot of "ethnic stew", but our government and some members of society still feel the need to count how may "carrots" or "peas" are in the kettle. Does individual quantities mean more than the overall "flavor" of the entire kettle? Will we ever find a day when we can proudly list AMERICAN as our nationality or our ethnic culture? Will there ever come a day when society learns to recognize that biologically, we are not all that different? Imagine a world that is less concerned with race, and more concerned with the individual qualities of all people. Isn't it about time to turn stereotypical thoughts and labels into MYTHS? I see where younger generations are trying to cross former dividing lines to assimulate with others of a different cultural backgrounds. Finding friends and love trancends color/ethnic, and even religious boundaries. Let's facilitate that personal growth because it is allowing our future generations to move towards seeing the world as a whole, geographically defined, but not racially labeled. I've never felt comfortable with answering race questions. I never fully understood the importance of creating divided groups out of a population of people who could learn to harmonize as one Country, that is, if they are given an opportunity to define themselves positively, and allowed to view their ethnic culture as a positive attribute. Our society needs to allow people to grow into adolecence and adulthood prepared to recognize others on their character and not feel the need to compartmentalize everyone into sub groups according to color or negative labels attributed to racial/ethnic groups. It is children that are taught to hate...it is children that are taught how to define themselves, and it is children who take with them, their early lessons, into adulthood. How many children have been informed of a negative labels by well-meaning adults? How does that information affect them? Does it "help" them to use that information to form early opinions within their own minds, and create perceived boundaries that they must overcome? Why create hurdles? Isn't success hard enough to find without extra roadblocks? Does it help children to be reminded that certain words, actions, colors, fruits or veggies, or phases are or were racially charged and therefore are forbidden from politically correct interaction? I am still trying to figure out why kids are still being told that fried chicken and watermellon are taboo. Why ethnic food types could be hate speech, if used around people of another cultural background? Let's GROW people! Let's get out of the rootbound houseplant pot and into the garden where our roots can expand and we can experience life completely without being stunted by governmental or society based definitions. It is time to move forward...what is going on now in America is unacceptible, it is not progressive to continue status quo. Thru the years, this country has used the Census to further define it's residents, but IMO, by creating those definitions, we have not facilitated a society wide acceptance of people based on their merit. What would be the difference between a white child's needs and a black child's needs? They are both human, need food, clothing, shelter, medical attention, education, and love, right? Why should color be used to separate one from the other, if their most basic human needs are indeed colorblind and equal? It's society that created the INEQUALITY...by applying race/ethnic labels and uses them to define which group needs MORE than the other, according to statistical probablity. NEVER has this country operated on a level playing field...and by creating divisions, we cannot wholely function as America's TEAM. It is natural for people to define those more skilled than others...but is it not natural for people to pre-determine those skills prior to the individual ever joining the team. Society's continued application of prejudicial labels, including wellmeaning folks, trying to "educate", is what has been allowed to define people before they even really know how to identify themselves. http://www.understandingrace.org/lived/video/index.html Who tells those little girls that black is bad and white is good? Why do they do it? It really upset me to hear what these girls are taught and how it has affected their personal identity.

Report a Violation

b.a. c.
03/17/2010 9:25 AM

Mail? Mine was hand delivered. In the rain, no less.

Report a Violation