From a discussion group I participate in:
I think scrapping the racial categories is a bit premature. I think we have a lot of educating to do before this happens. There needs to be a mainstream acceptance of the Genome Project, first. And then I believe it would be beneficial to scrap racial categories.
Why is it premature? They serve no useful purpose and are complicit in the belief in “race” which is a necessary precursor to committing “racism.”
Because discrimination still exists, I think there must be a way to quantify this discrimination. I don’t think most people on both sides of the argument want to do away with racial categories. Many whites will see this as an encroachment of the minority, as they will have no way of distinguishing themselves from the other. Have you thought about backlash from the white community?
These categories don’t quantify discrimination they simply keep track of how many of “this type” of person lives where. Also, any whites that view this as an “encroachment” will just have to get over it the same way they got over the Loving v. Virginia, Brown v. Board and others. Some “whites” may not like it, but that is for them to work out.
Polling by Zogby and others indicates majority support across “racial” identities for scrapping categories. While all polls are subject to interpretation and manipulation, by dishonest individuals, I believe from my own experience and conversations as well that it will meet with enough votes in California for starters. If the initiative gets defeated, then clearly we will have to go back to the drawing board. I am not worried about any backlash from the “white community.” For the most part, the “white community” didn’t have much to say with regards to the Census’ public discussion of “racial” categories that would have eliminated the “one-drop” rule over the last 5 years. I don’t see the “white community” getting riled up about this either. Clearly, if there was an opportunity to get upset about encroachment it would have been at the prospect of a middle “race” between “black” and “white” that a “multiracial” category would have inferred.
This entry also posted at Yahoo! Groups – Race Debate.