Essay 4631

A blog visitor forwarded the document above. It’s a standard Equal Employment Opportunity Questionnaire, which advertising agencies use to categorize staffers. The agency and its affiliates cordially “invite employees to voluntarily self-identify their race or ethnicity.”

It’s interesting how the U.S. government distinguishes ethnicity and race, yet can’t even decide between Hispanic and Latino. There’s also something oddly polite about wording that reads: “…please select the race below which you consider yourself to be.” Does this mean people can choose which race they want to be? Could Eminem pick “Black” and Michael Jackson check “White” designations?

If you’re a Caucasian whose origins trace to the original peoples of North Africa, you’re “White.” Meanwhile, if your origins trace to “Black racial groups of Africa,” yet you hail from North Africa, you’re “Black or Africa American.” And what’s with the “Africa American” title? Just about everyone else is “Asian.” With the exception of the handful of people labeled as “Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander” and “American Indian or Alaska Native.” You can even elect “Two or more races.” But if your mix includes “Hispanic or Latino,” wouldn’t you need to choose an ethnicity and race?

It seems easier to check the box indicating, “I prefer not to provide this information.”