Word: census
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...thought American culture was drifting inevitably toward a comforting state of colorblindness. Sure, the nation was confronted with myriad racial difficulties and divisions, but eventually, at some dreamed-of point in the perhaps distant future, things would work their way out: we'd learn to love our neighbors; the Census form would be reduced to one box, human; and everybody from Compton, Calif., to Greenwich, Conn., would hug, link hands and sing Kum ba yah together...
While every uncounted person means a loss of $3,000 in federal aid to the city, the number one million is not significant. According to census council member and independent demography consultant Peggy Backer, "If the population is six digits or seven, it doesn't change anything...
...city paid for 13,000 lawn signs and 10,000 bumper stickers--among other Census paraphernalia--in an attempt to get citizens to fill out their forms. This doesn't include the government's own campaign of cheesy commercials involving a shrunken man on a monopoly board who threatens that people who don't fill out their Census "get nothing." (As if you don't already feel bad enough about forgetting to turn in your forms last month...
During the 1990 census, a million was a meaningful number. Due to a Michigan state law which has since been revoked, Detroit stood to lose state funding if its population dropped below a million. Since then, a million has become meaningless symbol of greatness akin to being the home of the world's tallest thermometer (that proud distinction belongs to Baker...
...Census-mania has brought a spirit of philanthropy to Detroit, however. Local McDonalds owners gave unlimited, free meals to almost 10,000 homeless citizens for filling out their censuses and receiving a yellow button reading, "I'm important. I've been counted...