There goes the neighborhood...

Yesterday, a U.S. Census worker sat on our couch with her crummy little laptop asking the required questions and filling in the blanks. In between the government sanctioned inquiries she and I chatted a bit over the size of my baby belly, now a good 32.5 weeks along and an equal number of centimeters (almost there!). When she got to Hamid she didn't so much as raise as eyebrow at his being Iranian but when her computer wouldn't accept either that or 'Persian' as his defined 'race' (do they really STILL use that term???) she tried, ridiculously, to insist that we could file him away under 'East Indian' or 'Arab' - we both balked loudly enough at the idea that she continued to hack away at the program until it accepted the correct designation. She then turned to Hamid, welcomed him to the country, and asked him point blank if he was Muslim (I'm pretty sure religion wasn't on her list of questions...she certainly didn't ask *me* if I'm Muslim - although I, too, would have answered in the affirmative) and then she asked without batting an eye if we "go to church..."

I was stunned. But because our exchange thus far had been pleasant enough I let it go and informed her with a smile that we were less concerned about religion than we are simply being good humans - Muslim or otherwise. Hamid seconded the motion and we all left it at that. The rote questions continued until she paused yet again to look at Hamid to say, and I quote: "Well, you're going to have a rough time of it here...this community is extremely conservative..."

The tone I used to cut her off could not have been mistaken for anything other than thoroughly pissed off and I let her know just what I thought of her coming into our home as a representative of the United States Government, however lowly her position, and displaying such profoundly unprofessional and inappropriate behavior. She had no right to make a statement like that. The irony of her first welcoming my husband to the country and then informing him in the same breath that the town we'd chosen to settle in for now would be less than welcoming. Who speaks that way to a stranger? Who welcomes someone to the area with a warning that they won't be accepted??

I was so upset I had to leave the room, slamming the door upstairs as I paced in the bedroom - leaving a perplexed Hamid downstairs with this pathetic creature who was now penning her information for me so that I could file a formal complaint. When I returned she handed me the note with a flip 'You go right ahead and call my boss directly. You go right ahead and do your darndest to get me fired.'

Now that some time has passed I've decided to just let it go - the last thing I need is to get into it over the phone with some $8 an hour government office manager. And Hamid pointed out that this woman really has a sort of disability, seeing the world the way she does. I'm not sure if 'stupidity' is covered by insurance, but if it is she may as well retire early and start collecting now....