I was excited that the census was this year. I somehow doubt my family has ever participated in a census. If they did, I wasn't aware, which is definitely plausible given that I was a child. But still, I feel like I'd have some inkling of an idea that they had. So, I was excited.
I figured the average person lives until they're around 80, you become an adult at 21, so a person can expect to participate in maybe 6 censuses. This is my first, I could barely contain my mild anticipation.
This morning it came in the mail and I did an imaginary arm pump and a quiet "yes!" as I walked to my car to go to work.
I got in, excitedly ripped it open with my mail sword. I looked it over. decided to google if it should be done in pen or pencil (all those scantrons make me feel like these standardized forms MUST be done in number 2 pencil with bubbles properly fille). Blue or black ink, it says. I pull out my trusty japanese fine point (.3, take that) pen in black ready for the questionnaire of my life!!
Imagine my dissapointment when I realized what it said before me. It asks who lives at our residence and what their race is. That's it!? THAT'S IT!??!!??! THAT'S IT. THAT IS ALL IT IS!
I thought it'd ask me if I had a dog! How many refridgerators we have! I don't know! something! anything fun and ridiculous!!! Just 3 questions per person? really?
Completely lame. Totally dissapointed. I feel so unimportant, this survey is SO unimportant. I don't know why I somehow expected it to ask me my life story in survey format. I hyped it up too much, obviously.
The drive between picking up the mail and to work I was eagerly wondering, "what will they ask me? What kinds of things will it ask me? I hope it's not TOO long. I wonder if I'll have to give budget estimates. I wonder if there will be a space to state that I'm engaged. I wonder if it'll ask how big of a family I'm from. What if I get questions wrong? Will I be right? Will it be interested in me? Will I be boring? Will we fall in love? Will I finally feel understood and significant?"
"Will I matter?"
1 comment:
OH MY GOD I KNOW! I can't believe it didn't ask more! The guy came to our house and handed it to us personally. I told him "I'm not from here, and I only live here for a couple months." He said it didn't matter and to fill it out anyway. It was one form per residence. I said okay then.
So I look, and it says they use the information to find out how much money to give schools, etc etc. So does it not MATTER that I am not from here, and do not really live here?!?!? How could that not matter?
Also! YEAH. I thought it would ask way more questions! And why do they even care about race, if these census forms are all about money?!?!
What a disappointment. I hate this country.
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