Obama's census choice: simply African-American

[Smallc]

+3...

+4. Shady hates Obama, no matter what.

[Guest American Woman]

American Woman, on 06 May 2010 - 05:27 PM, said: Because you're not Chinese.

And Obama isn't just Black.

But he is half Black, while you're not Chinese at all. a bajillion times over.

Get a grip. Seriously.

[Shady]

You mean - you want the census to reflect YOUR reality, not the person filling out the form, right?

Nope. There isn't my reality or his reality, there's just actual reality. He's biracial. He's both Black and White. He didn't indicate that FACT in his census form. It's indisputable.

[Guest TrueMetis]

Nope. There isn't my reality or his reality, there's just actual reality. He's biracial. He's both Black and White. He didn't indicate that FACT in his census form. It's indisputable.

And I'm sure you made sure to research at least the last 200 years of your genealogy to make sure what you put down on government forms is accurate.

[Guest American Woman]

Nope. There isn't my reality or his reality, there's just actual reality. He's biracial. He's both Black and White. He didn't indicate that FACT in his census form. It's indisputable.

Get over it! It was his choice to answer the question any way he chose to.

TOM H. C. ANDERSON: Next Gen Market Researcher

CALL TO US CENSUS HOTLINE

Me: …Must I Answer the census questionnaire, what is penalty if I don’t?

Census Rep: Yes, the Census is mandatory by law… If you don’t answer you can face a jail term, fine or both

Me: But must I answer every question? I have a problem with answering the race question. What if I don’t answer it?

Census Rep: I don’t know that’s up to you

Me: Well I would like to know. I don’t want to go to jail

Census Rep: You may answer the Race question anyway you want, you can chose one option or 3 or 4 or 5.

---------------------------------------------

CALL TO US CENSUS BOSTON STATION

Me: Hi yes, I have a question. Must I fill out every question on the census form?

Boston Station: Is there a certain question you have a problem with?

Me: Yes, I don’t feel comfortable with the race question

Boston: You can fill out as much as you’re comfortable with

Me: How would I answer if I’m half black half white, say? How would Obama answer that question?

Boston: uuh uuh I don’t know. I’m not sure. That would be up to him. You can answer as many selections as you like.

link

I hope that settles this matter for you for once and for all.

[Shady]

Get over it! It was his choice to answer the question any way he chose to.

I'm not arguing that it isn't his choice as to how he wants to answer the question. I'm simply stating that the information he provided is wrong. Again, that's an indisputable fact. He's biracial. He's not just Black. He's also White. But he chose to ignore it. Case closed.

[Guest American Woman]

I'm not arguing that it isn't his choice as to how he wants to answer the question. I'm simply stating that the information he provided is wrong. Again, that's an indisputable fact. He's biracial. He's not just Black. He's also White. But he chose to ignore it. Case closed.

"Case closed" is right. Why you keep going on and on about it is a mystery. Why you care is a mystery. He could answer any way he chose, and he did. He is Black, and that's how he chose to identify himself. Which was his right. So as you said...CASE CLOSED.

[JB Globe]

Nope. There isn't my reality or his reality, there's just actual reality. He's biracial. He's both Black and White. He didn't indicate that FACT in his census form. It's indisputable.

And if he did, you'd say: "Obama needs to make up his mind!" - let's not kid ourselves, you'd have a problem no matter what he filled out.

But listen - the census asks you to list the group (s) you identify with personally - Obama doesn't identify as white, therefor he doesn't have to check it off. End of story. He has his personal reasons for why, and they're his own personal reasons and frankly some white guy who harbours a degree of xenophobia and knows jack-all about dual identity doesn't really have any clout to analyze them.

If it asked you to list family heritage, that'd be a different story and I can guarantee you he'd check off "white".

But that's not what the census is for. Using your logic I'd have to check off 8 boxes, so would most people - because they had a great grandfather from Bulgaria and a grandmother from Ukraine. The data would be ridiculous - it would tell you people's family history, but you'd really have no clue how people actually identify in real life, which is the entire point.

I just don't think you have any idea how and why government collect census data, and how it's used. Otherwise you wouldn't be complaning.

[Shady]

And if he did, you'd say: "Obama needs to make up his mind!" - let's not kid ourselves, you'd have a problem no matter what he filled out.

That's a false argument. But I wouldn't have a problem with that scenario, because at least he'd be telling the truth. He's biracial.

But listen - the census asks you to list the group (s) you identify with personally - Obama doesn't identify as white, therefor he doesn't have to check it off. End of story.

I've never stated that he had to check it off. I simply stated that what he checked off it's entirely true. That's a fact. Facts can be stubborn things.

But that's not what the census is for. Using your logic I'd have to check off 8 boxes, so would most people - because they had a great grandfather from Bulgaria and a grandmother from Ukraine.

Nonsense. Bulgarian and Uranian aren't races. Counting race is absolutely part of what the census does. Once again you have no idea what you're talking about.

I just don't think you have any idea how and why government collect census data, and how it's used.

No, it's you that doesn't know why and what census data is collected. Or how it's used.

[BubberMiley]

It's true they should have had "high yellow" as an option.

[JB Globe]

No, it's you that doesn't know why and what census data is collected. Or how it's used.

Well, apparently the US Census bureau disagrees with you, so I guess they don't know what they're talking about. (apparently you missed this link when American woman posted it previously)

[Guest American Woman]

Nonsense. Bulgarian and Uranian aren't races. Counting race is absolutely part of what the census does. Once again you have no idea what you're talking about.

I don't understand why Bulgarian and Ukrainian aren't a race while Vietnamese and Pakistani are.

[BubberMiley]

I don't understand why Bulgarian and Ukrainian aren't a race while Vietnamese and Pakistani are.

I don't think pakistani is a race considering it was a post-WWII British construct. It's an acronym for the homelands of all the peoples: Punjab, Afghania, Kashmir, Iran, Sindh, Tukharistan, Afghanistan, and Balochistan.

I think they fudged it a bit so they didn't have to call it Pakistab.

[Shady]

I don't understand why Bulgarian and Ukrainian aren't a race while Vietnamese and Pakistani are.

Good question. However, I'm pretty sure that if Obama's mother was Vietnamese or Pakistani, he would have acknowledged that fact on the census. It's just the White part that he seems to detest.

[kimmy]

Barack Obama is certainly free to identify himself as a black person. I am again reminded of Colin Powell's statement on the subject, which is "In America,... if you look like me, you are black." I interpret his statement to mean that it's not your choice, it's something people will decide whether you like it or not.

I do not fault Obama for his choice on the census form. However, it does make me wonder at his sincerity during his famous Rev. Wright speech where he invoked his white mama and white grandparents and talked about his family being "every race and every hue".

-k