Racial Privacy Initiative Defeated

MSNBC ^ | 10/8/03 | Associated Press

[Clock King]

California voters rejected a contentious ballot initiative Tuesday that would have banned state and local governments from tracking race in everything from preschools to police work.

[Clock King]

The numbers bear out some of the things we have been saying here on FR. There is definitely a growing division between Blacks and Hispanics. It is almost certainly going to lead to conflict sooner than expected. Although this article does not spell out the numbers, Fox reported 38% Blacks FOR Prop 54, about 16% against. But for Hispanics, 72% AGAINST. This Prop failed because of the Hispanic majority in CA.

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[KantianBurke]

Sorry sir. They tried.

[lelio]

There was also a split on Arnold -- blacks voted against the recall and hispanics for it.

I think hispanics voted for it as Busamonte pushed this as a way to dis-enfranchised hispanics somehow.

[tallhappy]

One person to blame for this. The Governor elect.

If he had done the right thing and supported this proposition it would have passed.

[Theresawithanh]

Agree wholeheartedly! Also, the No on 54 people had quite a smear campaign going, too.

I read where Connerly said if it didn't pass, as he expected it wouldn't, he would re-work it and try again. I hope he does.

[sourcery]

"Prop 54, where are you?"

[Clock King]

Yeah, just listen to Bust-a-move's condescension speech, about how Prop 54 would have hurt medical care, starved children, caused major chaos. It was an incredible pack of lies. I am a Black man (100%, no part Native-American, yadda yadda), and I don't buy this "harming medical treatment" BS arguement. I guess it's because I actually read and listen and think. I know the medical data can be useful, but it fails to be absolute. It still boils down to the individual, and with an increasing number of multiracial people and Hispanics (which are NOT a singular race but an ethnic group).

There was a wonderful program on PBS??? about genetics and genetic similarity. A group of high school students (all races) could compare their DNA (blood drop) with each other and to an international database. The idea came from scientists observations that genetic diversity within a group is often higher than it is among different groups. I.e., whose genes most closely match your own? The students were shocked and giggly over the results. You would expect a black male to line up genetically with a black female, etc. Instead, it was all over the map. Jewish male mapped most closely with a African female, Black male to an Irish female, Hispanic female to an Asian male, etc. (I think the Black girl did map closely to an African male in the database though).

The point was clear -- race is pretty much superficial at the genetic level. Which means that "racial" diseases may not be what they appear to be either. We now know we have to look deeper for the answers.

So answer me, how would Prop 54 have hurt medical treatment or research? Other than to keep researchers looking down bogus paths like "racial identifiers"?

[The Other Harry]

I know the medical data can be useful, but it fails to be absolute. It still boils down to the individual.

Indeed. It does in all things.

If I were in a "stressful situation", the race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or anything else like that about the person next to me would not matter. All that matters is that the person knows what they are doing and does their job.

I know from experience that there are people of all races and genders who are both better and worse than I am. Most recently, I tried taking an EMT (emergency medical technician) class. I came in on the tests in about the middle of the pack. I didn't like that, but that was the way it was. There were frail older women who were better than me. There were black people who were better than me.

If I ever use that training, those are the people I want to be with.

[cyborg]

Smoke screen... they used a non-issue to shoot down a proposition that would have had nothing but benefitted California. I seriously doubt even the legitimacy of racial data in medical research. Anyone can put anything down on a piece of paper, or someone can ASSUME that you're something but be wrong. Besides it's simply none of the government's damn business.

I suggest everyone send a message but just not marking anything. I've never met a form from the government that was 'required' yet. If the MILITARY does not require you to racially identity yourself, then of what business is it to a hospital, a loan agency,etc.

[cyborg]

Did you read the actual document? Anyone with an IQ of a shoe size and above can read it. I don't think he should dumb it down for these useful idiots at all. Someone sent me some of Ward Connerly's hate mail, and you wouldn't believe it. Such nice people those racial bean counters...