Tuesday, June 22, 2010

According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

I have European heritage including about 1/4th of each: Spanish, English, French, and Irish. My surname is Spanish, I look totally white and I have brown hair and eyes, yet in the U.S. we call Spaniards, "Hispanics or non-whites." Would my race be considered "white" in the United States?



According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

You're right - the census is pretty stupid about things like race. They have a long history of doing this wrong (check out some of the ways they've categorized native americans in the past as one example.) These categories are mandated by the Office of Management and Budget and they're supposed to provide consistency whenever any federal agency examines race -but really, what does the OMB know about race and demographics? They probably shouldn't be in charge of this. So first of all, the Census doesn't tell you who you are. Only you know this. Who you are is entirely up to you.



That said, you should know that as far as the Census is concerned you can be both white and Hispanic (or both black and Hispanic as the case may be.) There are people of many census-colors from Spanish-speaking countries. The term "Hispanic" in the case of Census terms is categorized separate from race. It's confusing and makes things much more complicated than it needs to be. This is why many people just don't answer questions about race and ethnicity. In a melting pot, who can really be pigeon-holed that easily?



For more info about how Census deals with race and ethnicity issues check out this page from their website: http://www.census.gov/population/estimat...



I hope this helps.



According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

Consider yourself a mutant, like me. Now we can join the X-Men!



According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

If you are predominantly white, (English, French, and Irish), you are white.



According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

Yes, it's pretty offensive, the census; one has to choose one when reality is plural... You can if you choose call yourself Hispanic. Or white, or Other. There are some advantages in employment and education and entreprenure in labeling yourself Hispanic.



According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

Congratulations, you're white



...I think on the last census it said "Caucasian", not "white"...Caucasian means anyone from North Africa, Europe, and the Western Mid-East....many ppl within those boundaries are not very white



According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

Well racially you are white according to the U.S. census. All individuals of European, Middle Eastern and North African heritage are considered white, including Spanish. However, the Hispanic question asks about ethnicity, so even though you are only 1/4 Hispanic, you could technically check that box as well (you have the option to check White and Hispanic). Most people in your situation would just consider themselves white.



According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

I think, Hispanics are the mix of Spaniards with Native Americans, who live in Mexico, Central and South America.



If you have no Native American blood, you are not a Hispanic IMO. It is also kind of up to you, who do you think you are.



I'd say you are "white".



According to the the stupid U.S. census, should I just consider myself "white"?

I always check other. As a caucasian with primarily english heritage, my skin is beige to medium brown, not white like this page.

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