8535: Re: 8531: population (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: c&c henrius <haiti@ixks.com>

> 
> U.S. Bureau of the Census, International Data Base
> 
> Table 001. Total Midyear Population
> ---------------- --------------------
> Haiti
 

Seeing this made me chuckle, remembering how much fun the Haitians I
lived with in Port-au-Prince had with the census workers during their
rounds.  They'd refuse to talk to them, send them on wild goose chases,
pretend not to understand, tell them huge lies about how many people
lived there, get all offended and ask them why they were sticking their
nose in their business, everything but accuse them of being government
spies, which is what they said about them after the poor guy finally
left (very frustrated at this point).  It was great sport - cat and
mouse - and I *know* those census workers are getting amazingly
inaccurate information!  When I tried to explain that the information
the census workers are looking for will help students and people abroad
who are interested in Haiti they just laughed and said something about
government nosiness and who lives there being none of anybody's business
but their own.


C. Henrius