Laura Smith <n5d9xq3ti233xiyif...@protonmail.ch> writes:
> Before jumping on the hobbyhorse of self-righthousness about refusing
> to use “whitelist”/“blacklist”, perhaps you would do well to spend a
> few minutes on your favourite search engine researching the entymology
> of such terms.
>
> The origin of blacklist, for example, has nothing to do with the race
> of human beings...
>
> Oxford Dictionary suggested origin:
> The true peace-maker: laid forth in a sermon before his Majesty at Theobalds
> written by the Bishop of Norwich, Joseph Hall, in 1624:
> "Ye secret oppressors,..ye kind drunkards, and who euer come within this
> blacke list of wickednesse."
The fact that the OED (a tome of great while male patriarchal
enshrinement) doesn't say that the etymology of "blacklist" comes from a
racial prejudiced origin, doesn't mean anything. It simply is quoting
the oldest known reference to the word, and applying no broader
analysis. Why does this quote use 'blacke list of wickedness'? I think
scholarly analysis of much more significant rigor would be necessary to
understand if you can truly come to the conclusion that it has "nothing"
to do with race of human beings.
Did race and racism exist in the middle ages? Racism is not a modern
phenomena. In fact you can find racial thinking in medieval art,
statues, maps, laws, beliefs, economic practices, war, literature,
etc.
> There are also additional origins originating from the 1500's, with
> the term "blackball". Whereby a ball of black colour was placed in a
> container as a means of recording a negative vote.
Why is black considered negative in 1500s? Very interesting question,
worthy of pursuit, but the mere existence doesn't mean it has nothing to
do with race. Does that mean it does? Not necessarily.
>A similar mechanism was used in gentleman's clubs well into the 20th
>century, whereby a list of prospective club members was affixed to a
>wall and negative votes were recorded through small circles drawn in
>black ink against a person's name. Three black circles and you would
>not make it in.
Presumably said gentleman's club would have been white, and it was just
a sheer coincidence that an exclusive, all white club, used black to
indicate that you were not allowed in. Never heard that color used for
that purpose before...
the color black has been always associated with the negative, and
weirdly black people have also been purposely portrayed in many places,
with negative stereotypes that reinforced white supremacy. What a crazy,
multi-epoch coincidence! That is so weird. /s
In the end, maybe you are right, maybe blacklist has no etymological
racial issue... but that isn't the point here, is it? The point here is
that maybe this is just a small, insignificant, easy change that could
be done that might make black folks feel less excluded and more
interested in participating.
Who cares if Pliny the Elder used it once, and he totally didn't mean it
in a racist way, he probably had loads of black friends!
--
micah
