Re: CHAT: geographical nomenclature [was Re: Language of Tetril]

>From: Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
>Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 17:31:06 -0500
>
>"Thomas R. Wier" wrote:
> > Relatedly, on the US Census returns, I've always wondered what
> > motivated people to put "American" for their ancestry. (Certainly
> > some people just don't know;  but isn't there a "don't know"
> > box?)
>
>Well, is there a "mixed" category?  Because many people wouldn't be able
>to put just one group.  It could also be a sort of "don't care".
>
I don't believe there is as yet. The African-American community has been
STRONGLY opposed to including a multiracial category.  Their affraid that
too many A-A's might self-identify as multiracial since that is true of many
of their heretiges. That would have an adverse effect on political clout and
government funding for special programs.

Politics in America is all about making enough disperate groups happy that
they'll keep electing you eventhough they hate you for all your other
policies.  So you do something to make the African-mericans happy, something
to make the unionists happy, somethign to make the conservationaists ahppy,
somethingto make the Hispanics happy, something to make, something to make
the (whichever industry is especially important in your district) employees
happy, and then waffel convincingly on both sides of the abortion question.
Then you hope nobody notices that you've contradicted yourself on every
issue.

Adam

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.