Is this terminology racist?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.thesun.co....hat-it-is-racist.html

Does such ridiculous over-sensitive rulings such as this only go to create more divisions between the races?

It is as ridiculous as saying that sending someone to Coventry is offensive to the people of Coventry.

[Mick-Talbot]

No

[tamborine]

What about red-alert, I'm about :)

[douglas9401]

I await the input from residents of Blackburn, Blackpool and Whiting Bay. :)

[Gromit]

How very niggardly of Scotland Yard.

[wolf63]

It is worrying that people actually worry about stuff like this. It is getting pretty pathetic.

So - call me anything but don't refer to me as a fat, Scottish, middle-aged lady. Because that is what I am.

[pastafreak]

While the term does have roots in slavery,and the banning of blacks from certain places,situations etc...I think it should be kept as a reminder that barring people from anything according to race,faith,whatever, is wrong.

[Mick-Talbot]

While the term does have roots in slavery,


Does it ?

[tinkerbell23]

What alot of actual sh1t

Its not racist. Seriously....x

[pastafreak]

Here's what I found initially,mick. Though on reading it-it may apply more to the period after slavery when Blacks were accepted as citizens,not slaves-but still denied rights.

http://wiki.answers.c...d_blacklist_come_from

[EGTB]

Word Origin & History

blacklist
"list of persons who have incurred suspicion," 1610s, from black + list. Specifically of employers' list of workers considered troublesome (usually for union activity) is from 1888. As a verb, from 1718.

[pastafreak]

I think it's been used so long now-and has connections with the period of the 50's/60's when every one was afraid of 'commies'....that any connection with being anti-Black is long gone.

[pastafreak]

That's interesting EGTB...I didn't get that far in my search. Maybe someone should send that on to Scotland Yard.

[thejudderman]

Its just the usual butt kissing crap we expect from this pathetic spineless country!!!

[MarkRae]

> Does it?

Yes. The problem here is one of perception. The word 'blacklist' has been around far longer than its antonym 'whitelist' but there's no getting away from the fact that 'white' is being used to denote something positive and good whereas 'black' is being used to denote something negative and bad. If a blacklist and a whitelist were printed out, the only different would be their contents - they'd both still be the same colour! Therefore, there is some justification for calling these words racist.

However, other terms like 'blackboard' aren't racist in the slightest because (at least, when I was at school) the colour of the board on which the teacher wrote with chalk was black.

[sinderella]

nice seeing that they are getting their priorities right.
thank heavens there is no crime to keep them busy!!

[thejudderman]

I think its all just a whitewash!!

[THECORBYLOON]

There are several words where black is used in a negative way, blackball, blacklist, blackguard, blackleg, black arts, black book etc., if some folk speak about a "white list" in a positve manner, can you not see why other folk may take offence?

[ChuckFickens]

Does this mean greylisting is ageist?

[EcclesCake]

I agree with MarkRae. It is that 'black' is often used to identify something that is bad or negative. Remember the Westerns when the baddies wore black hats and the good guys wore white???

[sp1814]

Not a racist term, but a jolly good way to rile up people who should rally know better.

Please - everyone...re-read the story. The only facts we have is that some has referred to an internal email which states that 'whitelist' is no longer an acceptable term.

This person has extrapolated to assume the same for blacklist.