My brother was taking a survey for...I don't know, something (I only half paid attention to that part of the story, but stay with me here) and was surprised and a little riled about a series of questions he was asked. It started out by asking all the usual stuff; age, residence, etc. but took a turn when it came to the question about race. Instead of listing Hispanic/Latino under race, it first asked him if he was of that particular ethnicity. He answered 'yes' and the next question asked what race he was, but made it a point to say that Hispanic/Latino was not considered an acceptable answer to the question. A little thrown, he selected 'Some other race' from the list and moved to the next screen, which asked him what country his Latino heritage originates from. The options covered every Latin American country under the sun but would only allow him to choose one, even though he has both Mexican and Cuban blood. The next screen asked if he was born in this country and he said she was. Then it inquired whether both of his parents were born here, which they were. After that, it asked what his dominant language is at home and he said mostly English but with some Spanish thrown in. It asked the same question about television and radio and what language he watches and listens to them in. The next screen asked about whether he feels "more Latino or more American" and gave various answers he could choose from (ie. 'I feel more Latino than American' or' I feel much more American than Latino', etc.). He said she felt equally Latino and equally American. The following screen asked a series of questions about whether he felt the need to support Latino-owned businesses and ventures and if he felt the need to support more lenient immigration laws and so on. The final screen inquired as to whether he'd be more likely to vote for the Republican Presidential nominee if he had a Latino running mate, and made sure to slip in there the fact that if he won (end of days, indeed) he would be the first Latino to hold national office. He voted no obviously and was upset by their line of questioning and the implication that of course he should vote for whoever decides to let a Latino put his name on their ticket. As if NOT voting for a Latino just because you are also Latino is such a terrible offense.
I've been sitting with this story for about a week now until I could decide how I felt about it. And I still don't think I know how I feel. But I wonder why they felt the need to go all out interrogation on this thing. I highly, highly, doubt that any other race (or 'ethnic group', as they put it) had to go through so many extra questions. You know they're not asking white folks how they ended up in this country or if they'd vote for a white dude because he's white, or telling them that not voting for the white dude makes them less white. And I don't see what any of the things they asked him after the race question have to do with anything. It just seems like they're trying to separate us all into more little boxes. What is the point of that? And, even scarier, is this gonna be something that continues as more minorities ascend up the ranks of politics and everything else? Is my kid going to have to go through that kind of questioning when she's in her 20's? She's literally a mutt and, so far, there's no little box to check off for that. My best friend's kid is Indian and Puerto Rican but that mix isn't a choice on the list. Nor is my niece and nephew's Asian, Mexican and Cuban mash up. What does it matter? I think the question that most rubs me the wrong way though is whether you feel more Latin or more American, as if you have to choose between your Latin culture and being an American. I was born and raised here but I speak Spanish, I celebrate Latin holidays and I was raised with an emphasis on embracing EVERYTHING that you are. Everything race related is so screwed up nowadays, and I already knew that, but now we're trying to sway people's votes based on ethnicity? It's just like four years ago when peeps assumed every African American in the country would be voting for Obama because, duh, you're both African American. What do policies and differing viewpoints have to do with anything, right? I just can't stand that line of thinking.
My mom, the palest Mexican you'll ever see, thinks the increase in trying to put what people are in boxes has to do with feeling threatened. What was once a country of white immigrants is now a country of minority immigrants who will soon no longer be the minority. And that's a beautiful thing. That's how things were always meant to be. But, as with any major change, there are people who cannot accept it and feel threatened about becoming the minority. So, for the sake of everyone keeping their place in line, let's make sure everyone walks around with name tags stating their country of origin. It's just ridiculous. And the subject of race is a big deal all the time but it seems to be magnified in election years, especially since the 2008 election. I can't stand election years (or ads) or politicians. *sigh* The world couldn't end before all that starts, could it?
