The census form and the issue of race

Today, I finally posted my completed census form, having filled it out a couple of weeks ago. I could easily have gone online and completed the web version, but I like the ritual of putting pen to paper, and because I use computers so much, it's actually a bit of a joy to exercise the skill of handwriting every now and then.

As I laid it in the outgoing mail tray at work, though, I did so in the knowledge that I wasn't completely satisfied with it. Although I'd completed it to the best of my abilities, I couldn't help thinking the form was inadequate on one particular subject: ethnicity.

Firstly, I somewhat resent being obliged to state my ethnicity. I've no doubt there are legitimate reasons for the government wanting this information, but I've become accustomed, when filling in forms and questionnaires, to having the option not to state my race. No such freedom here, though, and people who send incomplete census forms are at risk of being fined.

Begrudgingly, I perused the menu of tasty-looking ethnicities in search of what I wanted. White? No, not today. Black? Maybe another time. Ah, the Asian section; that's more like it. Oh no, that's more Indian and Pakistani, rather than the Chinese I was looking for. Specifically, I was looking for mixed white and Chinese, but that was nowhere to be found.

As much as I'd like to think I'm unique, I'm certain there are millions of people who share my ethnicity (my three siblings among them). Just like me, though, they'd probably have looked through the census form and selected 'Mixed Other' and then specified their race as instructed by the question.

Of course, race is a sensitive subject to many, and the term 'Chinese' wouldn't apply to large numbers of people with ancestry originating in countries such as Japan and Korea. Therefore, I can forgive the census makers for this oversight.

However, what's less acceptable is the tiny space you're given to specify your race. As you're probably aware, the census form is one of those documents that has you writing everything in block capitals in little grids, where you get one tiny box for every letter. That's all well and good, until you have to write your daughter's ethnicity, which just happens to be mixed black, white and Chinese. Even without the 'and' or punctuation, that doesn't fit in the stupid little boxes.

In the end, I wrote as much as could in the boxes and put the rest outside them. As I think about it now, I wish I'd written 'Blitese'. That'd teach them.