A census taker once tried to test me
 

I received my 2020 census form today. I figured I might as well fill it out. One of the questions is select your race AND enter your origins.
Now I've done quite a bit of genealogy work, so I wonder just how detailed of an answer they want. Should I list that my wife's 6th great grandmother was Native American? Can I say Native American, since that was before 1776? Should I say she's a daughter of Texas, since one of her ancestors was in the Texas militia under Sam Houston?

Or should I just put 100% American, and leave it at that?

If you take it online there are ALOT less questions

We have that too. A whole lot of tick boxes. I think I'm meant to tick European, but I'm not European, I'm a sixth generation New Zealander.

We don't have a tick box for most of us which is "White New Zealander" because that's not woke enough. So I tick "other" and write in White New Zealander.

I didn't get a paper option. Just told me to log on and use a PIN. So now I live in a household with 15 people from various random genealogical backgrounds. :D. And we're all related.

If I get the paper form, I'm drawing in and checking my own box under race and identifying the box as Daytona 500. The Great American Race!SmileWavy

Seems like the last paper form I filled I added something somewhere too, but it wasn't race.

I put American. My parents were American. I see no other choice for me.

Yup. The missus and I are both coincidently "scandivanian", mostly. We actually met people in the family that were born in the old place - so it kind of counts. Grandma also got me that Sons of Norway membership so I guess I'm legit.

Our daughter, 'merican by way of New Mexico. That's a whole different thing...

Door to door census takers better start thinking about suiting up ...

All I know is they are talking about sending every American $500 per child. So as it turns out, my wife and I had 8 kids last year.

Should we wait until after the virus has run it's course before we fill out the census ?....you never know !

How about this?

My buddy was born in South Africa.

He is white, and ethnically Jewish.

He is a US citizen now.

Is he African American? White? Jewish?

I think the labels don't work and he is a perfect example.

im putting down illegal immigrant so I can get free health care

The assumptions behind these labels (at least in the US) is that time froze in 1776.

If you go back far enough, ALL of us are African. Native Americans came from Asia. The Aryans (remember the Nazi master race?), came from India. The truth is, people have been migrating en masse for all of humanity. So to say your ancestry is from a specific area is kind of misleading. And what the heck does Latino mean? Yes, I know what it is intended to mean, but there you encompass everything from purebred Spaniards (European) to people who have nothing but Native American ancestry, but somehow it is distinct from both of those categories just because they speak Spanish.

That situation is actually closer to reality than fiction:
Europe and 'white countries' are for everybody.
Once an immigrant is present they are considered "Swedish" "British" etc.
uh..depending..

But that doesn't seem to apply in other circumstances:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7567291&page=1
May 12, 2009 · An aspiring doctor has filed a lawsuit against a New Jersey medical school, claiming he was harrassed and suspended for identifying himself as a white African-American.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1452762/White-boy-suspended-for-claiming-African-prize.html
A white teenager who moved from South Africa to America six years ago was suspended from school after nominating himself for a "Distinguished African-American Student of the Year" prize. Trevor Richards, 16, was accused of "showing disrespect" to black pupils at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska. It is thought he is the only pupil to have lived in Africa.

white teenager who moved from South Africa to America six years ago was suspended from school after nominating himself for a "Distinguished African-American Student of the Year" prize. Trevor Richards, 16, was accused of "showing disrespect" to black pupils at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska. It is thought he is the only pupil to have lived in Africa.\

Shanniqquebba or Doemetreeee don't mean anything but..
your Mom is an idiot..

Rika

Me too, only 2nd generation but none the less "Murican!

Italian American.....

Just curious as to how many received a paper census or had an actual census taker come to their home.

Like others, I received a form in the mail for an on-line census. It was noted that if the on-line version wasn't taken by a certain date, I believe it was April 1st., then a paper form would be sent, and possibly a census taker would come to the house.


Yes, the on-line form is very short and easy to fill in. The origins question was also included but I chose to leave it blank. When I clicked to the next question, the origins question reappeared with highlighted text, encouraging it to be filled in. I ignored it again, clicked for the next question, and that was it.

Don't conflate race, ethnicity, and origins. In the context of the census, African-American is recognized as a racial identifier though it sounds like it relates to origins. Jewish, is recognized as an ethnic identifier as well as religious, and in the context of the census, it's the ethnic interpretation. "White," of course, is a racial identity. So the friend who is all of those is, in fact, all of those because each term identifies a different aspect of their overall identity. It's not an "either/or" classification.

Well, common sense should prevail here. A white person from South Africa should not be considered African-American even though a technical and literal interpretation might suggest including all countries of the African continent. Other races live there too. Are Egyptians "African American" if they are born in Egypt and live in the United States? Are blacks living in Chile considered African Americans?

Or is it that one has to live in North America, in the United States to be exact, to be an American. What do we call the native population in Canada. Are they now Canadian Americans?

IDT I'm going to let this bother me much.

Did you see Lewis Hamilton's reaction to the idiot reporter that called him African American?

??

I got 2 of the notices to go on line for the census. Its fast and easy. Like my ex.:D:D

My mom is human but my dad was midichlorian.

This was in response to the post by LWJ about the white, Jewish kid from South Africa and the “puzzle”as to how to identify him.

Actually, I got two notices as well (from the Census Bureau, not your ex:D.)

I put United States as our origin. I didn't immigrate from anywhere else - my family has been here since before the civil war.

A Chinese lady and I were being a bit friendly and she said She "Likes American man." then she elaborated by say in China any white fulla is called an American Man.

ossiblue- Race, ethnicity, religion, country of origin for that person's ancient ancestors (only partial) several centuries before all seem to be getting scrambled up.
Different rules there it seems like.

Mix and match any of them.
Which one then becomes the dominant self-identifier? Is there a standard rule? Should there be?

We are all mutts of one sort or another.

Completely agree.

White American is what I put, other than that it was name rank and serial number.

Are you sure he wasn't mitochondria ? They are the powerhouse of the cell. Your dad was probably Mandalorean, but that isn't really a race or a species.

I'm pure WASP-American. I was a DINC before my wife retired.

Maybe I'm wrong (but I don't think so because I specifically looked for it), but on the online form, I do not recall "Jewish" being an option. Maybe I missed it as I was just trying to do the stupid thing as quickly as possible.

I understand both of your points above and do not disagree with them, but just FWIW.

Yes, religion is not on the form. My answer certainly implied that it was and that was incorrect. As you recognize, it was used as an example of how identifiers are conflated and was in response to the LWJ post. However, the form simply has an open box for placing one's "origin." Someone could put anything within that box, including "Jewish," if they so wished.

Next time I run into my caucasian South African Jewish friends living here in America (we actually know a couple families) I'll ask them what box they check. Statistically speaking, it's an insignificant amount. But it would be interesting to hear their take on it.