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A question of race
I'm starting to get touchy about this question... it's on every thing I fill out. What "race" am I? What does it matter? And whose business is it anyway? I am very aware that I am entrenched in the South, high seat of privilege for those of us who happen to have been "blessed" with milky white skin, but do we really need to be reminded of it on a daily basis? Does reinforcing the whole outdated notion of "Black", "Caucasian" and "Latino" and the simple categorization of a person by skin tone really help anyone? Is this part of the social machine that keeps racism alive and well in this country while it seemed much less pronounced North of the border?
I can see where this might become somewhat relevant in pre-natal care. But are there really that many who could claim some sort of genetic purity to one group or another? If you've got even a drop of something other than the group you're identifying with, guess what, you might be a carrier for whatever that other group has too. So if you identify as "black" but your great, great, great ancestor was Jewish (or Cajun or French Canadian), you should be taking the Tay-Sachs test like all the rest of us with Jewish blood. However, that doesn't answer why my GP or my Chiropractor would want that info. What possible use could my self-identification with one "racial" group or another serve to those practitioners?
If we take it as a given that skin tone alone is not really helpful for health care, and it can't possibly serve any other purpose, why does everyone want to know? The only time I ever got asked this one in Canada was on the federal census and whether I was Native American for the purpose of University applications/scholarships. So why does it seem like I'm asked this one every day down here?
I also get asked my highest level of education and I'm not sure what relevance that has to my health care either. As if education is some magic cure-all against disease and poor lifestyle choices, or financial disaster, especially in this economic climate. I'm somewhat less insulted by that question because at least that achievement is the result of a choice on my part. But I still fail to see how it's any of my HMO's business.
I can see where this might become somewhat relevant in pre-natal care. But are there really that many who could claim some sort of genetic purity to one group or another? If you've got even a drop of something other than the group you're identifying with, guess what, you might be a carrier for whatever that other group has too. So if you identify as "black" but your great, great, great ancestor was Jewish (or Cajun or French Canadian), you should be taking the Tay-Sachs test like all the rest of us with Jewish blood. However, that doesn't answer why my GP or my Chiropractor would want that info. What possible use could my self-identification with one "racial" group or another serve to those practitioners?
If we take it as a given that skin tone alone is not really helpful for health care, and it can't possibly serve any other purpose, why does everyone want to know? The only time I ever got asked this one in Canada was on the federal census and whether I was Native American for the purpose of University applications/scholarships. So why does it seem like I'm asked this one every day down here?
I also get asked my highest level of education and I'm not sure what relevance that has to my health care either. As if education is some magic cure-all against disease and poor lifestyle choices, or financial disaster, especially in this economic climate. I'm somewhat less insulted by that question because at least that achievement is the result of a choice on my part. But I still fail to see how it's any of my HMO's business.