In a recent visit to the doctor (scheduled) I had to fill out a form to update/validate my information for 2019. Part of the questionnaire was this.

I was quickly filling this out and after I checked White I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Why is Ethnicity only Hispanic or Non-hispanic?

Why is Race only these four choices? The United States Census officially recognizes six racial categories: White or European American, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and people of two or more races; a category called "some other race" is also used in the census and other surveys, but is not official.

We live in a beautiful pluarlistic society with a wide variety of Ethnicities and Races with a growing percentage of mixed ones. I was getting confused and started to ask the ladies at the front desk why these choices. They smiled and said that's how it was given to them.

I sat down to finish the form but kept staring at this and wondered...Is this where we are? And why does it matter what race or ethnicity or religion? I really just wanted to get a fat black magic marker and write "American."