Updating Our Language - Day 7
Blacklist/Whitelist
These terms are used in computer science/cyber security/tech/etc as a way to indicate whether or not something is allowed. Blacklist is the bad list and whitelist is the good list, again enforcing the idea of black =bad and white= good. This is harmful.
People have now been replacing these with “blocklist” and “allowlist”.
Throughout July we will be making posts about updating our language.
We live in a society that has normalized using many words and phrases with racist origins.
Part of the anti-racist work involves acknowledging you have used them, beginning the process of eliminating them from your vocabulary, and gently correcting others when you hear them used.
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