[xg15]

As all scenarios that involve databases and "semantics" of the various fields, the actual meaning is heavily dependent on what the fields are supposed to be used for. In case of the US, the whole confusion seems to be that one would rather like not to talk about the use-cases as the whole topic is still politically sensitive.

Maybe a more honest question would be "Are you a descendant of colonial-era slaves? Yes/No? Are you a descendant of colonial-era settlers? Yes/No?"

[notahacker]

> Maybe a more honest question would be "Are you a descendant of colonial-era slaves? Yes/No? Are you a descendant of colonial-era settlers? Yes/No?"

But I suspect that the answers "both" and "neither" would be extremely common, and the fuzzy self-identified physical appearance based proxy for that would map much better onto people's actual social status...