Post reading questions for week 3

I think what Hattman is arguing is that we should remove the invisible line between race and ethnicity from the census but also take action and change the many and different ways ethnic privilege has been defined by ethnicity against race. I’m not technically sure if this is what she is arguing about but if she is, I would have to agree because we, as citizens or non citizens of the United States, have a responsibility to be able to check what we are on the census without having there be some sort of debate over it. I thought this was a land of opportunity not a land where there is still discrimination based on someone’s race. For example, today Latino’s are still not added on the census and that’s not fair at all. Furthermore and this is just me, I believe that by having this huge connection of ethnic privilege and ethnicity against race, it creates maybe some oppression from other people because they are not getting what they need and want from the government. If my friend asked me to fill out number 8 and 9 on the census I would check that I am not of a Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish Origin for the first question and check Filipino for the second question. Although it was very easy for me to answer those questions it may be hard for others because their race is not there which I find odd because that just means in my opinion that whoever made the census forgot or did not want to add that race. I don’t know if that was the 2000 census or not but even today, every race should be up there and every one should be comfortable checking that box. Flores’ describes the demographic approach as by numerical count and the census while he describes the analytical approach by maybe having shared experience or labels. The last approach, the imaginary, he describes it has having a colonial relationship or having shared memories. It’s important we look at the community in these three ways because I believe that if we don’t do a numerical count or have the census, we would not be able to know what types of group there are in the U.S. We would not be able to know how many whites, black, Hispanics, Asians, etc. there are living here. By having the analytical approach, we wouldn’t really know what names to call these types of groups. For instance immigration is given labels to people who have crossed the border line. We have the imaginary approach because without it, we would not be able to share the same experience that we had back home with other people who are the same ethnicity as you. I think the census reflects racial categories in the U.S by showing us the many types of race and ethnicity there are and if for example someone’s race or ethnicity isn’t there it creates some sort of debate and fight over it. On the other hand, I believe it creates racial category in the U.S by adding more race and ethnicity. If the people who ever created the census decided to add more groups into the category, people might think they favor this group over the other.

 

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