# Debate on English Identity, Ethnicity and the Census - Original post: https://www.twitter.com/i/status/2120258490786787654 - Source account: [@BasilTheGreat](https://x.com/BasilTheGreat) - Source language: English - Duration: 2:28 - Published: 2026-11-11 - Canonical URL: https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census ## Transcript [0:00](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census) Well, of course, but- Are you Black? I- if you called yourself Black because you wanted to, would that be acceptable? [0:06](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=6) To, to me? No. No, no. No, no, but what if you wanted to call yourself Black? [0:10](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=10) I don't understand why- Uh, what if... What, what's the answer to that? [0:13](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=13) The, the answer to that is I think that would be wrong, and I wouldn't describe myself as- Why? Why would it be wrong? [0:17](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=17) Because of the- Because you're not Black. [0:19](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=19) Yeah, but, but if you can be Black and English- But you're a woman ... you can be B- Could you call yourself a woman if you wanted to? [0:25](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=25) You are just... Look, you're picking, uh, on me- No, I'm, I'm asking you- ... and you're picking a fight. No, these are genuine questions. [0:30](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=30) No, no, but you're picking a fight. Words have meaning. [0:32](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=32) What... Why, why isn't... Why can't people have a choice? [0:34](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=34) Why can't... Why can't that be a choice? Could you choose to call yourself Black? [0:38](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=38) If I wanted to, I could. I don't think that would be right, and I wouldn't want to. [0:41](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=41) Oh, come on. You don't- I wouldn't want to. [0:43](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=43) Sure- Come on. I mean, can I just- Stuart, I wouldn't want to do that. [0:45](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=45) Can I s- do you know, if I- I don't think that's right. [0:46](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=46) But if you wanted to, you could. If, in the census, it would- Why could... Well, 'cause it... [0:51](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=51) Okay, yeah, of course you could, 'cause you can physically do so- So, hold on ... but it's a lie. So you can rep- you can represent the country for the football team and- Well, no, I can because I could be English as a citizen. [1:00](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=60) Right. We're talking about ethnicity here. [1:01](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=61) Yeah, but that, that is part of this as well, isn't it? I don't need to be ethnically English Yeah, but that, that is part of this as well, isn't it? I don't need to be ethnically English to play for the English football team. [1:06](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=66) So when- I need to be a citizen of England. So, hold on. [1:08](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=68) But how many, how many generations, for instance, does that then have to go through before- No, I, I- Is that forever? [1:13](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=73) No. Right now. Or is that- One generation ... one generation? [1:15](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=75) I am eth- I'm not ethnically English- So one- ... but I am English as a citizen. [1:18](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=78) So one generation. That's absolutely fine. Yeah. [1:19](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=79) So your children or your grandchildren could then describe themselves as ethnically, uh, English then. [1:25](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=85) So are you suggesting- Well, if they, if they continue... If I, I've, I, I- So are you sug- are you suggesting that it just lasts a number of generations? [1:30](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=90) Stuart, it's not that difficult. If I continued marrying Punjabis, 50 generations in they would not be Anglo-Saxon. [1:37](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=97) So Eng- But they would be English, citizens. [1:39](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=99) Yes. I under- Not ethnically English ... [1:41](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=101) I understand that. Right. What I'm saying is that I think people should have the choice to describe themselves on the census form as they see fit. [1:47](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=107) And I also believe that this particular bill is a good debating point. [1:52](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=112) Right. Well, I'm gonna call myself- And I think that's a right- ... a trans one-legged Black woman and say you are discriminating- I'm su- ... against me for disagreeing. [1:56](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=116) Well, you can put that in the census form then. [1:58](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=118) Do you know what I find deeply hypocritical? [2:01](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=121) Uh, if I was to stick my hair, uh, in braids hairstyle, many people would be apoplectic saying I am doing cultural appropriation. [2:11](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=131) There is a very one-sided dialogue, uh, when it comes to society, but when it's white English people, it's fair game. [2:20](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=140) Anyone can do anything. Uh, why do you think that that is, if indeed you share my view? [2:26](https://www.translate.mom/transcript/j07QumOlYqXx/en/debate-on-english-identity-ethnicity-and-the-census?t=146) What do you make to all of that?