Which box do I check? | Am I Normal? With Mona Chalabi

Transcriber:

If you've been watching this series,

翻译人员: Mia Cheng 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

如果你有看我们这一些系列节目，

you'll know I care about data.

你就知道我非常重视数据，

But data has its limitations, especially when it comes to language.

但数据有其局限性，尤其在语言方面。

Basically, if you get your categories wrong,

基本上，如果你一开始把类别搞错，

you can wind up with some pretty misleading statistics,

你最后就会得到错误的数据。

and the US Census is a prime example.

美国的人口普查就是个典型的例子。

[Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi]

【我正常吗？ 一起听听莫娜·沙拉比】

Taken every 10 years,

美国人口普查，每 10 年举行一次，

this survey aims to collect demographic data

目的是为了收集人口统计数据，

from each and every resident of the US and its territories.

有关每一位美国及其领土内公民的数据。

Those responses help the government to determine everything,

这些数据能帮助政府进行决策，

from the allocation of seats in Congress and the Electoral College,

从国会和选举团的席位分配

to the allocation of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds.

到上千亿联邦财政资金的分配。

And those funds pay for things like new hospitals,

这些财政资金会分配到不同的项目， 比如，新医院建设、

road improvements and school lunch programs.

道路改善和学校午餐计划。

And crucially, the statisticians that work there are nonpartisan.

重要的是，在那里 工作的统计学家是无党派的。

They sit at the same desks, applying the same formulas,

他们坐在同一张桌子旁， 套用同一个公式，

no matter who is in charge at the White House.

无论在白宫掌权的是谁， 他们的工作都是这样。

So undoubtedly, the US Census Bureau does important work,

毫无疑问， 美国人口普查局的工作非常重要，

but it does have some blind spots.

但他们的工作存在一些盲区。

For example, there has been a decades-long effort

举个例子，数十年来他们一直在努力，

to add the category Middle Eastern or Northern African or MENA to the census.

希望在人口普查中增加中东或北非， 或中东北非的人口类别。

Currently, the census defines people from these regions,

最近，他们将来自这一区域的人，

and that includes me, as white.

定义为白人，包括我。

Yeah, that's incorrect.

当然，这是错误的。

In 2015, the census did test a version of this survey that included MENA.

2015年，人口普查尝试了在调查中 增加“中东北非”’的人口类别，

It found that when given the MENA option,

结果发现当有了“中东北非”的类别选项，

the number of people from that region who identified as white

来自这个区域的人 认为自己是白人的比例。

dropped from 86 percent to 20 percent.

从 86% 降到了 20% ，

See, when you reconsider language, the numbers can change dramatically.

你看，当你重新考虑到语言的问题， 数字就会发生巨大的变化。

Unfortunately, though, the census still didn't make the change,

但令人遗憾的是， 人口普查局最终没有增加选项，

saying that further tests were necessary to determine if MENA should appear

他们认为，是否要增加“中东北非”的类别， 用种族而不是人种来划分人群

under ethnicity instead of race.

还需要进一步的测试。

That means that those who have rallied for its inclusion

这就意味着，那些对自己种族归类有异议， 并为此集会发声的人

will have to wait another decade to see if our community can be recognized.

需要再等十年， 再看他们的种族群体是否会被认可。

This isn't the first time that language has restricted

在人口普查中， 这不是第一次因为语言问题，

how people are represented in the census.

而限制了人口群体的归类方式。

The very first one, way back in 1790,

早在 1970 年，就发生了这样的问题，

only had three broad categories,

那是只有比较泛的三大类，

and I quote: "slaves, free white men and women, and all other free persons."

我引用当时的分类，就是 奴隶、自由的白人和妇女，以及其他自由人。

It would be another 30 years

30 年之后，

before distinct categories for free Blacks

有了自由的黑人的类别，

and another 40 years before American Indians

40 年之后，又有了美洲印第安人的类别

would appear on the census.

出现在人口普查中，

Since then, more and more categories have been added,

从那以后，越来越多的人口类别 添加到人口普查中，

but progress has been slow.

但是整个进程还是很慢。

It wasn't until 2000 that people could choose more than one race

直到 2000 年，人们才可以选择 一个以上的人口类别选项，

to describe themselves,

来代表他们的种族身份。

and for the very first time in 2020,

并且在 2020 年，人们第一次

people who selected Black or white could go a bit more granular

可以在选择黑人或白人选项后， 有更细化的选项。

and provide more detail about their origins,

以及可以提供一些细节信息， 来补充他们的种族身份。

like naming France or Somalia or spotlighting their Indigenous identity.

比如，可以直接写法国或索马里， 或者突出他们的土著身份。

Right now, you might be thinking:

现在，你可能会想

Why does the wording on a survey even matter?

为什么调查中的用词会这么重要？

Race and ethnicity are social constructs anyway.

人种和种族不都是社会建构的一部分吗？

But that doesn't change the lived experience

那些没有被人口普查正确归类的人们，

of those who aren't truly reflected in these forms.

他们的生活并没有因此有什么变化，

Questionnaires need to ask the right questions

但调查问卷应该问正确的问题，

if they want to capture what's really happening in the world.

如果他们想要得到最真实的信息，

A Northern African non-binary person might be misgendered

一个来自北非的， 不能用二元性别区分的人，

在人口普查中可能被错误归类性别，

or considered white by the census,

或者被归类为白人。

but face disproportional discrimination,

这就造成了对该类种族群体独有的 不成比例的歧视、

health disparities or language barriers that are unique to their community.

健康差异和语言障碍。

It's no wonder, then,

这也难怪，

that it's often marginalized and vulnerable communities

这些经常被边缘化。

ones whose identities are missing from these forms

在人口普查中也没有 明确的种族身份的弱势种族群体，

that lack access to governmental resources and protections.

无法获得政府的资源和保护。

Now, there are some understandable historical reasons

现在，一些人不想参加这种数据收集调查

why people might not want to engage in this kind of data gathering.

是有一些可以理解的历史原因的，

But without the data, it’s just easier to deny the inequality is real.

但是没有数据，想要否认现存的不公平， 只会更加容易。

If we want a more equitable society,

如果我们想要让社会更公平，

we have to measure our reality,

我们必须用数据来展现社会现实，

and the best way to start

最好的开始方式

is by using language that recognizes our differences.

就是用语言来承认我们之间的差异。