Hispanics now the largest demographic in Texas per Census estimate (Houston: live in, racist)

[ParaguaneroSwag]

A closely watched estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday indicates that Texas may have passed a long-awaited milestone: the point where Hispanic residents make up more of the state’s population than white residents.

The new population figures, derived from the bureau’s American Community Survey, showed Hispanic Texans made up 40.2% of the state’s population in 2021 while non-Hispanic white Texans made up 39.4%. The estimates — based on comprehensive data collected over the 2021 calendar year — are not considered official.

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09...nsus-2021/amp/

[As Above So Below...]

It’s not something that surprises me. But I live in Houston where the concept of a Hispanic plurality isn’t new. If I lived in Abilene, Tyler, or Wichita Falls, I could see it being more shocking.

[supfromthesite]

Hispanic isn’t a race. The US needs to find a new way to classify people imo.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

Hispanic isn’t a race. The US needs to find a new way to classify people imo.

What is or isn’t a race isn’t a fact backed by science which is why people (on both sides) consider Hispanic a race when it’s convenient and don’t when it’s not. There aren’t any clearly defined biologic, geographic or otherwise lines that give formal meanings for what is or isn’t a race.

That being said... This is why I agree with your second sentence. USA has a history of over-categorizing people and this is why we have these answerless discussions in the first place.

[yadigggski]

I've always wondered (and still can't figure out) how the census defines Hispanic. If someone has a white mom and a hispanic dad, are they marked down as Hispanic?

Even the "fresas" in San Antonio would be a good example. They're "racially white" but I'm assuming they get marked down as hispanic.

IMO, at this point a good portion of this country are mutts and its probably becoming pointless for the census to over-categorize when the categories they're using now don't paint the full picture for a lot of people.

[Dopo]

The whole racial crp in the US falls apart when you bring in Hispanic people
First thought is: "Well, they are not black or white (the way we like it) they are mixed, let's call them hispanic"

Works great, until hispanic people like David Ortiz (Big Papi) and Ricky Martin show up and they don't know what to do.

Government tracking people's races is one of the things left of the racist America from the past that we need to eliminate.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

What is or isn’t a race isn’t a fact backed by science which is why people (on both sides) consider Hispanic a race when it’s convenient and don’t when it’s not. There aren’t any clearly defined biologic, geographic or otherwise lines that give formal meanings for what is or isn’t a race.

That being said... This is why I agree with your second sentence. USA has a history of over-categorizing people and this is why we have these answerless discussions in the first place.

Not sure I follow. You can pretty clearly know what somebody’s race is by doing an ancestry or 23&me test. But to some extent people are allowed to identify as whatever they want, as it is based off self-reported info.

Of course hispanic people can be 100% white, 100% black, or 100% Indian/Native American and identify as Hispanic, so at least the other races are somewhat rigid compared to this.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by yadigggski

I've always wondered (and still can't figure out) how the census defines Hispanic. If someone has a white mom and a hispanic dad, are they marked down as Hispanic?

Even the "fresas" in San Antonio would be a good example. They're "racially white" but I'm assuming they get marked down as hispanic.

IMO, at this point a good portion of this country are mutts and its probably becoming pointless for the census to over-categorize when the categories they're using now don't paint the full picture for a lot of people.

It’s self reported. Somebody goes door to door and asks each individual their race.

Hispanic is not a race in the census, it’s a separate question. There is a question that asks what race you are AND THEN there is a question that asks if you are Hispanic or not. Most people who have any part Hispanic put down Hispanic. Also, the majority of people that put down Hispanic also list their race as white, not just the white looking ones. For this reason the whole thing is dumb. I put down white and Hispanic but nobody treats me as Hispanic cause I am clearly white… most white Texans that have lived here for generations are some part Hispanic or Indian. My mom is half Hispanic and my dad is a quarter Indian. I’m not sure what the proper thing for me to put down would be. I don’t know Spanish but I have a lot of friends that “look Hispanic” that don’t either. Should they just put down white?

Most Hispanics are a mix of white and Indian but in order to list your race as Indian you technically need to be a part of an American tribe. So if your ancestors are Mayan or any other Indian south of the border you are not technically one. How dumb is that?

In Mexico and maybe other Latin American countries the term they use for mixed with white and Indian (which is what most Latin Americans are) is mestizo. We should probably add this as an option and get rid of the Hispanic question entirely. I have a feeling certain people like the Hispanic question on there because it further divides people.

[supfromthesite]

Originally Posted by Dopo

The whole racial crp in the US falls apart when you bring in Hispanic people
First thought is: "Well, they are not black or white (the way we like it) they are mixed, let's call them hispanic"

Works great, until hispanic people like David Ortiz (Big Papi) and Ricky Martin show up and they don't know what to do.

Government tracking people's races is one of the things left of the racist America from the past that we need to eliminate.

While most Mexican-American hispanics in Texas would put hispanic and then either white or “other”, big papi and other Dominicans likely put hispanic and black.

On the other hand, most Dominicans HATE to admit they are part black, so you have brought up a good point actually.

Pretty sure most countries track people’s race though so I’m not sure how I follow how it is racist.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by supfromthesite

Not sure I follow. You can pretty clearly know what somebody’s race is by doing an ancestry or 23&me test. But to some extent people are allowed to identify as whatever they want, as it is based off self-reported info.

Of course hispanic people can be 100% white, 100% black, or 100% Indian/Native American and identify as Hispanic, so at least the other races are somewhat rigid compared to this.

23 and me Tracks ancestry and groups people into much more specific categories than the 4 or 5 categories that people generally lump into race. For example, they specify the differences between Subsaharan African and northern African. South Asian and East Asian etc. The modern idea of race doesn’t follow this pattern. Does every person within the Asian continent fall into the “Asian race”. Northern African countries don’t “look black” so we can’t call them black? But they don’t look white either so what do we call them? Clearly the modern idea of race is inconsistent. And it most certainly is opinionated.