It may not have been intended as explicitly racist, and hard to prove either way, but it perpetuates unhealthy (not to mention arbitrary) prejudice about colours—that one colour denotes good and another denotes bad.
More meaningful terms:
Allowlist or safelist (= list of allowed/safe things)
Denylist or blocklist (= list of things to deny/block)
What's arbitrary about them? Darkness has always been associated with fear and danger - and for good reason. It's true in nature that darkness can be dangerous, and the light is seen as a place of comfort and safety. This is reflected in art, literature, and customs the world over.
Again, this is nothing to do with race, and is inserting racism where none exists - possibly, as has been mentioned, at the expense of ignoring or cheapening the real issues of racism and prejudice that actually affect and blight people's lives.
Fair point about the traditional association. That said, words evolve and can have multiple associations and interpretations. The association of black = danger and white = safety was beneficial when humans lived in pre-modern, ethnically homogenous hunters & gatherers society. But it might yield more harm than benefits in today’s society.
No-one can prove with certainty whether or not the particular terms “blacklist” and “whitelist” are racist. If you want to insist it’s not racist and hence should not be changed I won’t argue with you, I’ll just agree to disagree. For me it’s simple: if there are clearer alternatives less prone to perpetuating existing prejudice, I’d favour them.
Are you suggesting all horror films should be full of light? The association is hard-wired in our nature. The traditions take their cues from simple realities of the natural world. Where are you more likely to be injured - in the dark where you can't see anything? Or in the light where everything is visible and danger can be avoided?
It may not have been intended as explicitly racist, and hard to prove either way, but it perpetuates unhealthy (not to mention arbitrary) prejudice about colours—that one colour denotes good and another denotes bad.
More meaningful terms:
What's arbitrary about them? Darkness has always been associated with fear and danger - and for good reason. It's true in nature that darkness can be dangerous, and the light is seen as a place of comfort and safety. This is reflected in art, literature, and customs the world over.
Again, this is nothing to do with race, and is inserting racism where none exists - possibly, as has been mentioned, at the expense of ignoring or cheapening the real issues of racism and prejudice that actually affect and blight people's lives.
Fair point about the traditional association. That said, words evolve and can have multiple associations and interpretations. The association of black = danger and white = safety was beneficial when humans lived in pre-modern, ethnically homogenous hunters & gatherers society. But it might yield more harm than benefits in today’s society.
No-one can prove with certainty whether or not the particular terms “blacklist” and “whitelist” are racist. If you want to insist it’s not racist and hence should not be changed I won’t argue with you, I’ll just agree to disagree. For me it’s simple: if there are clearer alternatives less prone to perpetuating existing prejudice, I’d favour them.
Are you suggesting all horror films should be full of light? The association is hard-wired in our nature. The traditions take their cues from simple realities of the natural world. Where are you more likely to be injured - in the dark where you can't see anything? Or in the light where everything is visible and danger can be avoided?
As for the actual term 'blacklist' - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacklisting...
To me, it looks more like SJWs are pushing for the evolution. Why are they so desperate to create new racist terms out of nowhere?