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THE 1825 NEW YORK STATE CENSUS ASKED RESIDENTS HOW MANY "IDIOTS" AND "LUNATICS" THEY HAD IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD
Thursday October 22nd, 2009

Sometimes, I wish we could all go back to the days before everything was so "politically correct," so I wouldn't have to waste my time wondering how to address people.

But I suppose political correctness does have its place . . .

If you don't believe me, just listen to some of the terms from the New York State Census back in 1825.  It asked residents to report how many people they had living in their households, including how many:

"Males subject to MILITIA DUTY between the ages of 18 and 45"

"Paupers" . . . meaning how many charity cases they were supporting

"Colored, taxed or not taxed" . . . meaning how many black servants they had

"Idiots" . . . meaning an IQ under 40.

"Lunatics" . . . meaning mentally ill  (Fark)

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