From a poster on a discussion group I subscribe to with regard to the Racial Privacy Initiative:
“genizizi” wrote:
Well sorry, but the proposition that was just turned down did not print out as the idealistic proposal you seem to assume it was. Evidently, the majority of Californians are content to be recognized for who they are.
Actually there was a large amount of misrepresentation by those opposed to Proposition 54 through use of the medical “racial” data collection issue. Once the “everyone will die without the boxes” hysteria took hold, THEN support for the RPI began to turn downward. But not until then. It isn’t that “the majority of Californians are content to be recognized for who they are.” Its more that the majority of VOTING Californians, were persuaded by the medical argument, which is by the way, based on a fallacy and a “racist” belief in color-based medicine.
How accurate is “racial” data that is collected primarily via box-checking that results in multiple responses being collapsed back into ONE box via the one-drop rule as it is currently manifested via Directive 15 by the OMB? Don’t tell me that’s not happening. I personally attended hearings and Census Advisory Council meetings on behalf of Project RACE and later on my own accord.
Further, how accurate and safe is a medical analysis based on data that is gathered via the old-fashioned eye-ball guessing game? Looking at someone and then silently recording a “racial” designation based solely on what the observer THINKS the other patient’s “race” happens to be is also a major source of the medical data that was at issue. In essence, the two most popular methods of collecting medical “racial” data are hopelessly flawed by design and are anything but scientific in nature. It was the medical necessity argument that prevailed over Proposition 54 – and that was based on inaccurate, arbitrarily collected data collected via completely unscientific methodology rooted in junk science and the one-drop rule.
This entry also posted at Yahoo! Groups – Swirl.