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Perspectives
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Sarah Kickler
EDITORIAL EDITOR
Mike Schmierbach
NIGHT EDITOR
Doug Irving
Changes in the United States census represent a key step
in recognizing that racial and ethnic identity are
individually defined
Think of the govern
ment as a big snake.
A good idea goes in
one end, and then
you can watch as the lump
that represents that idea slow
ly makes its way through the
system.
One particular idea has fi
nally made its way through
the big boa we call the federal
government — allowing peo
ple to place themselves into
more than one racial category
on U.S. census forms.
The Office of Management
and budget took four years to
research and debate the idea,
and the notion had been
around for a while before the
discussion started. Finally,
however, the office made a
decision.
The census currently has
four racial categories, of
which respondents were pre
viously only allowed to select
one. Under the new rules,
people can select all the cate
gories they feel they belong to.
Another change will create
a fifth category by separating
Asians from Pacific Islanders.
In addition, all the categories
have been refined and more
clearly defined,
“Hispanic” will continue to
be an ethnic category rather
than a race, but it will be rela
beled as “Hispanic or Latino."
As a whole, we support
these decisions. There is still
plenty of room for debate over
the proper categories or the
best way to describe the exist
ing ones, but as a whole the
changes are admirable.
It lias taken the government
far too long to recognize that
many people no longer fit eas
ily into one racial category.
Accord i ng to The Associated
Press, there were more than 2
million children in mixed
race families in 1990, up from
500,000 in 1970. Even this
statistic is incomplete be
cause it relies upon old cen
sus statistics that did not al
low individuals to report
themselves as mixed race.
Long overdue, the new
rules will allow people to bet
ter select and identify their
racial background. Race is de
termined not by genetics or
innate traits, but by the cul
ture with which a person
identifies.
By recognizing this fact, the
government has revealed a
deeper Haw in the census and
other information gathering
surveys. Because racial iden
tity is defined by the individ
ual, attempting to force indi
viduals to place themselves
within a few rigidly defined
categories is dishonest.
To begin with, other survey
questions, such as those on
standardized tests, need to ex
pand their categories to coin
cide with what the census has
decided. They should do
more, however, by working to
find a way to allow people to
more accurately identify
themselves.
A careful balance must be
obtained. Reducing the ques
tion to a blank line, while the
most accurate way of deter
mining race, ethnicity and
cul
ture,
would
prove
statisti
cally
use
less. In
forma
tion
about
race is
important
in identifying
ongoing aspects
of racism and dis
crimination.
Perhaps the optimal
solution would be to ensure
that there continue to be cate
gories that differentiate be
tween identifiable racial char
acteristics while also
providing space for people to
clearly identify their exact
racial identity. This would
enable the government to
track the possibility of racism,
which is usually due to iden
tifiable characteristics. At the
same time, it would allow in
dividual ethnic cultures to
have a clearer sense of the role
they play in the U.S. identity.
I suppose this is a lot to ask
of the government because it
just finished a meal. Allowing
people to identify their race as
they see fit is important,
though, and is therefore worth
shoving down the snake’s
throat.
This editorial represents the
opinion of the Emerald editorial
Ixxird. Responses may Itesent to
ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
New census categories:
American Indian or Alaska Native: A person having origins in
any of the original peoples of North and South America, in
cluding Central America, and who maintains tribal affiliation or
community attachment.
Asian: A person having origin in any of the original peoples of
the Far East, Southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent includ
ing, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia,
Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand and Vietnam.
Black or African-American: A person having origins in any of
the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as Haitian or Ne
gro can be used in addition to black or African-American.
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: A person having ori
gins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or
other Pacific Islands.
White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of
Europe, the Middle East or North Africa.
In addition, the separate ethnic category of Hispanic will now j
be known as “Hispanic or Latino.” It covers people of Cuban,
Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American or other
Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
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Quoted
“About a quarter of
a teaspoon of pow
dered emu eggshell
is enough to get
you randy for at
least two days.”
Ivan Durrant,
Australian artist,
quoted by Reuters
newsservice.
"This is a rare and
peculiar judge who
does what he be
lieves is right.”
Lawyer Oliver
Mitchell,
discussing Hiller
Zobel, the judge in
the nanny murder
trial, as quoted in
the Tuesday Regis
ter-Guard. Does
what’s right? That
really is a rare and
peculiar judge.
“It was the best of
times, it was the
worstoftimes.it
was the age of wis
dom, it was the age
of foolishness, it
was the epoch of
belief, it was the
epoch of increduli
ty, it was the sea
son of Light, it was
the season of Dark
ness, it was the
springofhope.it
was the winter of
despair, it was the
era of people not
washing their
hands after using
the bathroom, it
was the era of peo
ple eating with their
hands and falling
violently ill after
transferring bacte
ria to one another.
In short, it was not
a very sanitary peri
od."
From a poster that
was part of a cam
paign by the Al
legheny County
Health Department
to promote hand
washing in and
around Pittsburgh
as quoted in the
November Harp
er’s.
“What do you think
the accuracy of ju
ries is? If it’s lower
than 90 percent
perhaps we should
just dispense with
juries and have
polygraphs.”
Supreme Court
Justice Antonin
Scalia,
responding to argu
ments that juries,
and not lie detec
tors, should deter
mine the honesty of
witnesses, in the
Tuesday Register
Guard. For that
matter, what is the
accuracy of Scalia's
decisions? If if s
below 90 percent,
should we just re
place him with a ra
bid dog chewing on
a copy of the First
Amendment?