The 2010 U.S. Census form recently came under harsh criticism for having the word “Negro” as one of the descriptions for Blacks or African Americans. The rationale is that many older African Americans would still check Negro or even still write the response in, so the label was left in to accommodate those citizens. Do you think this as a viable explanation or a convenient excuse?
I'm no conspiracy nut, but I do know bull when I smell it. Even though racism is nowhere near as blatant as it was when calling a black man "Negro" was fashionable, it's still very institutional. Our United States government is saying, despite the disdainful past this word invokes, we're going to put it on the census that goes out not just to African American tax payers, but Joe Six-Pack and Joe the Plumber and who knows who else. Certainly doesn't skip the mailbox of Tea Party members who spit in the face of black congress people (not figuratively, physically. Think when Pumpkin spit in the face of New York on "Flavor of Love"). It went to people who pledge allegiance still to the Confederate flag. It basically condones words with negative racial connotation as long as those whom are older find it generationally appropriate?
Let them write it in still! CNN had a video on their website (I'll post it if I can get the embed code) where the analyst was talking about how decedents of Confederate soldiers would like to write Confederate American in on the census so they're considering adding that as well....
C'MON SON!
I really feel like the Census bureau has to be ran by a gang of complete idiots. Common sense isn't common but be for real. It's 2010, 10 years since the last census was recorded, and this is what you based your decision of ADDING the word 'negro' back into American lexicon? I think the only reason the United Negro College Fund hasn't changed their title is because they don't want to lose the acronym. I can see no useful rationale for why you would include "Negro" on the census. When you divide the American population into race and ethnicity demographics, Black/African-American and now Negro are all going to be combined into "African American" anyway. It's just the most current P.C. terminology. I guess I should be happy the Census didn't say Afro-American (I think Afro-Sheen was the biggest supporter of that moniker). I digress.
I could talk on this point all day, but in my opinion, adding Negro in was pure idiocy. Those individuals who used the word or wrote it in 10 years ago would know well enough to circle another choice or like I said, write in whatever they felt. If it all is going to reflect the same data, why not just avoid offending millions of people who have already lost faith in the government. In other words "We can't move forward by using titles that set us back".
