The second issue with these terms is the implication that black is bad and white is good. Similarly to the concept of master/slave, blacklist/whitelist is used abundantly and casually in the realm of software development, which can reinforce the systemic exclusion of Black people from the industry. Using 'black' and 'white' to determine whether an entity is excluded or included, respectively, from a group supports the systemic racism that denies Black people entry while allowing white people entry. The first problem is the admittance and denial of people based on their race or skin color.

Please read the guidance on how and when to warn people before using this term in any context.Ĭolloquially: umbrella term used to represent a list of entities/people who are to be allowed or denied access to a service, privilege, or recognition: to 'blacklist' is 'to exclude', to 'whitelist' means 'to include ' carries anti-Black sentiments Issues Blackballing is especially associated with fields and industries in which a powerful few are able to control or influence those beneath them, such Hollywood and politics.We would recommend adding a content warning when speaking about this term. In this way, blackballs are often done as revenge.

Of course, the reason is often obvious and usually involves some violation of an unspoken rule of an organization. Instead, the order to do so and the reasons for it are kept secret, so that the person who’s being blackballed can’t even get any answers about who’s doing it to them or why.

You can see how it became a perfect metaphor for keeping someone out through secretive means.īlackballing is rarely done in any official way, or at least any publicly official way. In such a system, the voting was anonymous-meaning the voters issued their vote without identifying themselves. Its use as a verb is first recorded in the 1700s.īack when people used black and white balls to indicate votes, a single black ball (indicating a no vote) could sometimes result in the rejection of a candidate, applicant, or proposal. In its earliest uses, it was often seen as two words ( black ball) because it referred to a literal black ball (like a marble) used to indicate a negative vote. The first records of blackball come from the 1500s.

What does it mean to be blacklisted