If 'Race' is 'self identifying'; Why must I 'identify' at all?

The above thread title was a question I posed to the representative from North Carolina Vital statistics when she became belligerent to my non answers on the birth registration for our 5th [and final] child this last week.

First, and foremost, I am a man, simply a man, and all it encompasses. I want to be nothing other than a man. Well, maybe an idiot(a) if more people know the Latin meaning of the term, but I digress.

Why, must I, a man, say I am anything but... if I choose not to?

What does it matter if I am a Caucasian man, or a man of Hispanic decent, or a man with more melanin than others, or a man descended from the mongoloid phenotype?

Why cannot I simply check 'Other' and specify 'a man'?

"Well, Sir, 'Race' is self identifying, so you can say what ever race you want."

Ok. I am a man...

"Sir, Vital statistics really likes to know the lineage of parents."

Well, the paperwork doesn't ask for lineage... it asks for 'fathers information'. Why are you trying to compel me to associate with any [political] 'demographic'? I am a man, I sired this offspring, I will raise this offspring, and as a man, I will be responsible for this offspring. Why must I identify at all?

"Sir, 'Race' is self identifying, so please just put anything..."

Fine, I am a man...

She brought back the application approval for my wife to sign after I left. It had 'American' as the 'Race', I do not know whether to be proud and get a case of Bud Heavy and yell 'Murica!!' or to be offended that I couldn't simply put 'a man' there.

I've gotten a few odd glances when I filled in the "date of birth" space as 13.8 billion B.C.

a reply to: J.B. Aloha

That's pretty funny. I have fun with the census people every ten years too. And congratulations! Our second is on the way, can't imagine having five! Still getting used to one...

a reply to: skunkape23

Good stuff

Ironically, she didn't say squat about my "Not eligible for an SSN" Blurb in 'Father's SSN' section. (I have personally withdrawn)

Race though... wowzers.

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid

Congratulations on the second! Once you break two, it is all zone defense and the game changes drastically... for the better of course.

a reply to: J.B. Aloha

Congratulations to a wonderful happy big family and being a real man to stick around. I have four children myself (8,6,2 and 10 months) and I am of the opinion a big family is a happy family. The kids always have a friend to play with or have their backs. I tend to just put human. I was told to do that by my 9th grade biology teacher if I cared not to attach labels to myself. Been doing it ever since. Although I do like to go into the race baiting threads and proclaim chico pride when people start back and forthing about black and white.

I try to add in other or check all of the above boxes when applicable. Indeed odd looks happen.

Have had some issues with that especially in one case my sig other(because he's mixed) they courts had an issue with how he identified. Why was it any of their business?

"Sir, Vital statistics really likes to know the lineage of parents."
For this one just say you don't know. Many Americans are Heiz 57 and or just don't know nyway. Shouldn't be a shocker. I guess unless the states are still backwards with this in which mine came off as.

Race?
Hell, yeah.
We go now. 1, 2, 3. Go!

North Carolina huh? Why didnt you just check the Redneck box. Kidding of course. I lived there many years and wanted that selection for myself.

My dog is a lab and can recognise any other lab as one of her own. And then she gives full attention to the lab and ignores the rest. I am not sure she thinks she is a dog though. But neither are politically correct, but alas I cannot train either out of her.

a reply to: DYepes

Mine are 11, 7, 3, 1.5, and newbie.

Our Newest was born on cinco de mayo, and quite a few in the extended family like to get drunk and sing karaoke in Spanish, if you catch my drift.

But still, we are all just men [and women].

a reply to: dreamingawake

"Sir, Vital statistics really likes to know the lineage of parents."
For this one just say you don't know. Many Americans are Heiz 57 and or just don't know nyway. Shouldn't be a shocker. I guess unless the states are still backwards with this in which mine came off as.

This could be why it 'defaulted' to 'American'...

a reply to: J.B. Aloha

Thanks! Our first is just over a year now, Number Two is due in November.

I'm the oldest of four boys. Close to ten years between the next one and I, with nearly fifteen between the youngest and I. I instigated a lot of nonsense with the younger ones, so I know I'm in trouble when ours get older.

And I usually say European American for things, by the way. Might such it to "human." That's a good one, DYepes.

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid

I am the eldest of four as well.

My only qualm with using 'human' [and this may totally be a neurosis of my own] is that the default state of humans as a whole has been bondage... [humans] kinda like a term for a herd animal, or beast of burden. I like 'man' as man is inherently sovereign.

a reply to: J.B. Aloha

right, that may not work out so well for our fellow females though. Well at least human is not synonymous with cattle just yet, not in writing anyways. Clearly in practice though. Either way cant deny we still human. I imagine the way you put it is how Chuck Norris would identify. And anything thats ok with C.N. is ok with me.

a reply to: DYepes

I can assure you I am by no means a misogynist, I just watched my wife push out her biggest baby yet, and naturally [unmedicated] to boot. 10lb 3 oz. I cannot even fathom being a vessel with that level of [pain] tolerance. 'man' and 'woman' are the two sides of the same coin. Equal and opposite.

Even she [my wife] had listed 'other' and took offense at the representatives push for her to 'identify' with her obvious Hispanic origin.

a reply to: J.B. Aloha

they might as well stop asking. I think we(hispanic) are now well represented in every skin color and tone and even half the continents?? Phillipines was a Spanish colony and spanish a big part of their culture. Do they identify as hispanic or asian?? Now I am actually curious.

Its more of an American thing to be asked what race you are when filling in forms, they rarely do over here. Except they usually always ask if you 'are of aboriginal or torres strait islander descent'. Simply because they tend to have specialized services a lot of the time.

But on the rare occasions I have been asked what race I am, I always write homo sapien.

a reply to: J.B. Aloha

This reminds me of the conversation i had with a census worker, that was very flustered when I said I didn't want to name a race. Not that I don't know what it would be, per standard definitions, but simply because it should not matter. She was polite, at least, and I think we ended up with "other" listed, and nothing filled in. She did seem to get the point I was making, so that helped! My first response was "human".

Wow.....reading through the other replies, I see some big families listed! Nice! I feel much less out of place now! We have five, though mine are more widely ranged in age. At the end of summer, the ages will be 31, 22, 15, 13, and 12.

To the OP, egads, your wife is a brave woman!!! I delivered two without meds, and NOT by my choice, and neither was anything near that big! OUCH!!!!! Get that woman some flowers, and chocolate, or whatever she prefers. I am actually wincing, sitting here thinking about pushing out a ten-pound kid! Heck, who am I kidding; I couldn't! The second was over eight pounds, and he got stuck. The other three were c-sections, since the third was determined to stay sideways.

To cmdrkeenkid , the more you have, the easier they get. We learn from the older ones!

Husband generally lists Other all the time too, and he could claim NA if he wanted to. He'd check American if it was offered. He figures it would be most honest. What else would you call someone with a mixed bloodline who was raised by straight up white bread Tennessee trucker folk? Blood means nothing when you have no culture to go with it in his opinion, but in today's world, blood opens all kinds of doors too if you want to make a point of it, too.

He doesn't care, but it might be important for our son someday.