I think the questions are too simplistic. When I saw page 2, I realized I’d be having to leave too many questions blank for it to be useful. Multiple choice only works on questions like this if you can answer more than one or indicate None of the Above. Also, the questions ask about what makes someone a member of a race rather than which factors contribute, because you’ll find cases where contributing factors aren’t enough because there are some but not enough.
I think it’s interesting that this survey made me EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I don’t know why or what it says about me, but I”m sure it says something. Also, the last part, the celebrities … I clicked “don’t know” as a surrogate for “none of the above” if I happened to know that the celebrity in question was of mixed racial heritage. And I clicked “Don’t Know” for Halle Berry because there was no option for “Physically Perfect Human Being.”
I purposefully asked the questions leaving out some options because I’m not too sure people immediately go to those options unless the option is presented. So I think people might automatically think Cameron Diaz is that white girl from Something About Mary (or whatever movie) but they might say something different if reminded.
So when it comes to people like Jeremy, who is working on a dissertation on race, he will definitely have a more nuanced view of what constitutes belong to a racial category but it’d be so nuanced that I think when other people are presented those options, they’ll choose them even if they don’t usually think in those categories.
That might be uncharitable of the surveyor but it’s totally legit for the marketing mindset. Never call attention to the font you don’t like so that you can see if people really hate that font or not.
Jeremy, can you give an example where factors contribute but aren’t enough to qualify as belonging to a racial category?I imagine that the question you asked in your blog a while back might be an example of this.
As a matter of fact, I really have simply thought of Cameron Diaz as just that white girl from Something About Mary. I take it there’s more to her heritage, but I’ll have to IMDB it to find out. I think that me not knowing this, though, is mostly because I’m not a huge Cameron Diaz fan. Nothing against her, I’ve probably just never spent more than 15 seconds thinking about her.
4 responses to “Anonymous Survey on Race Bleg”
I think the questions are too simplistic. When I saw page 2, I realized I’d be having to leave too many questions blank for it to be useful. Multiple choice only works on questions like this if you can answer more than one or indicate None of the Above. Also, the questions ask about what makes someone a member of a race rather than which factors contribute, because you’ll find cases where contributing factors aren’t enough because there are some but not enough.
I think it’s interesting that this survey made me EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I don’t know why or what it says about me, but I”m sure it says something. Also, the last part, the celebrities … I clicked “don’t know” as a surrogate for “none of the above” if I happened to know that the celebrity in question was of mixed racial heritage. And I clicked “Don’t Know” for Halle Berry because there was no option for “Physically Perfect Human Being.”
I purposefully asked the questions leaving out some options because I’m not too sure people immediately go to those options unless the option is presented. So I think people might automatically think Cameron Diaz is that white girl from Something About Mary (or whatever movie) but they might say something different if reminded.
So when it comes to people like Jeremy, who is working on a dissertation on race, he will definitely have a more nuanced view of what constitutes belong to a racial category but it’d be so nuanced that I think when other people are presented those options, they’ll choose them even if they don’t usually think in those categories.
That might be uncharitable of the surveyor but it’s totally legit for the marketing mindset. Never call attention to the font you don’t like so that you can see if people really hate that font or not.
Jeremy, can you give an example where factors contribute but aren’t enough to qualify as belonging to a racial category?I imagine that the question you asked in your blog a while back might be an example of this.
As a matter of fact, I really have simply thought of Cameron Diaz as just that white girl from Something About Mary. I take it there’s more to her heritage, but I’ll have to IMDB it to find out. I think that me not knowing this, though, is mostly because I’m not a huge Cameron Diaz fan. Nothing against her, I’ve probably just never spent more than 15 seconds thinking about her.