A chara, – In response to Cadhla McDonnell’s (Letters, April 29th), on ethnicity and the census, please allow me to point out that I did not object to classifying people by their ethnic background.
I took exception to conflating ethnic background with racial characteristics.
I do not believe it serves any useful purpose to ask people are they Black or White Irish.
In fact it could be harmful to the extent it seems to give an official imprimatur to colour coding people’s ethnicity.
Why stop at Black Irish? Why not ask about Brown, Red, Yellow or like most of us Multicoloured Irish?
I had no problem with section C of the question on ethnicity, which asked people if they were of Asian or Asian Irish background.
Possibly it might have been more appropriate if the question on ethnicity was an open-ended one.
Ethnicity is a cultural and very often a subjective concept that can encompass people of diverse inherited physical characteristics. Why single out colour? I reject the very notion of racial classification. It emerged from Europe’s imperialist past. There is only one race and that is the human race.
– Mise le meas,
Dr DERMOT QUISH
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.