"2 or more races" just as bad as "other"?

You sit there, looking at a college application. You see that it asks for your race. They say that its "optional", the options presented on the application are as follows. Non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, Black, Pacific Islander (and/or Asian), and Other.

In rare instances do govt documents or any document or application for that matter, offer "2 or more races".

But "other" is left for whatever is not mentioned in the choices.

Many biracial people instinctively put "black" down, whether its because they know thats how they are seen in society, or if its because they know they could possibly get scholarships out of it.

10 years ago, black people fought to not have a choice for "biracial" on the Census. Stating that there would be confusion over "what is mixed?" and that the black race would become smaller because many people who are "black" are actually mixed.

So it was not added.

But as the next census is looming around the corner, many are curious, will it be there?

"Other" has always been an insulting thing to put. One was better of putting "white" or "black" instead of "other". "Other" meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. "Other" essentially meant, that you did not matter.

Slowly the option "2 or more races" is becoming available. But the question rises, would that really make much of a difference?

"2 or more races" is essentially one step above other, but it still doesn't address the issue.

"2 or more races" is where anyone that is mixed goes. It doesn't ask what your race is, it doesn't even seem to care. If you are biracial, that is where you put your race down.

But there are different types of mixed people. How would lumping all mixed people really do anything for statistics? All that option would tell you is that there are this many "biracial" people living in the US, assuming someone doesn't choose that option because they mistake what being "biracial" means.

But "2 or more options" puts all mixed people together, under the assumption that there is no difference. "2 or more races" is the nicer version of "other" it makes you feel as though you matter but at the same time though, you do not matter enough to have your very own distinct check box.

Mixed people prove the pointlessness in "racial classification". People think "2 or more races" suffice...but only for so long will it, each group of mix wants its own box, or no boxes period. With so many mixes, the race classification list will get longer, so long that the uselessness in it starts to show.

What is the point of race statistics? What does race have to do with anything other than to fuel the fire?