We received an envelop from the Census Bureau a couple days ago. I haven't opened it yet but I assume it's the much publicized census form for our family. I haven't opened it because I sort of dread answering a bunch of questions that I may not feel are anyone else's business. I don't know yet because I haven't looked at it.
 
I fully realize the importance and Constitutional obligation of being counted. For the benefit of our city and state, we need an accurate count. I definitely plan to do it and, for the most part, without complaint.
 
Then my attention was drawn to a quick blog post today.
 

From Mark Krikorian, the corner, National Review online:

 
Fully one-quarter of the space on this year's form is taken up with questions of race and ethnicity, which are clearly illegitimate and none of the government's business (despite the New York Times' assurances to the contrary on today's editorial page). So until we succeed in building the needed wall of separation between race and state, I have a proposal. Question 9 on the census form asks "What is Person 1's race?" (and so on, for other members of the household). My initial impulse was simply to misidentify my race so as to throw a monkey wrench into the statistics; I had fun doing this on the personal-information form my college required every semester, where I was a Puerto Rican Muslim one semester, and a Samoan Buddhist the next. But lying in this constitutionally mandated process is wrong. Really — don't do it.
 
Instead, we should answer Question 9 by checking the last option — "Some other race" — and writing in "American." It's a truthful answer but at the same time is a way for ordinary citizens to express their rejection of unconstitutional racial classification schemes. In fact, "American" was the plurality ancestry selection for respondents to the 2000 census in four states and several hundred counties.
 
So remember: Question 9 — "Some other race" — "American". Pass it on.
 

 
Interesting. I sure understand the sentiment. I don't personally advocate anyone do it though. I'm writing in "Texan." Pass it on.
 

1 comment

Comments:

Comment from: Linda Jaresh [Visitor] · http://aroundgarland.com

I received a letter from the Census Bureau two days ago and it stated that I would receive a census form in one week to ten days. To please complete the form and return as quickly as possible. No form yet.

I think I too will write Texas, in answer to question 9.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

Linda Jaresh

03/11/10 @ 07:38

Comments are closed for this post.