Is the Blacklist Racist Against Black People?…Conservative Backlash Against US Intelligence Agency's Call for Restraint

'Blacklist' as a List of Persons Requiring Surveillance
Contains Racist Connotations Like Black and White... Usage Prohibited

The word 'blacklist,' used worldwide, refers to a list of individuals who require surveillance due to being considered dangerous. It is commonly prepared by investigative agencies to monitor the movements of such individuals. However, this term, widely used across investigative agencies and society at large, is expected to be phased out in the United States.

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On the 24th (local time), the British daily newspaper The Telegraph reported that the U.S. intelligence agency's office responsible for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility recently contributed an article titled "Diversity Guidelines for Improving the Accuracy of Language Used by Intelligence Agencies" to their internal newsletter, The Dive. The guidelines recommend refraining from using the term "blacklisted," commonly used by intelligence agencies, because the color black implies negativity and white implies positivity, which carries racist connotations.

Additionally, the guidelines suggested avoiding the term "sanity check" because it disparages people with mental illnesses. Terms such as "cakewalk," meaning something very easy and originating from African Americans in the southern United States, and "grandfathered," which refers to the exceptional recognition of vested rights, were also deemed unacceptable due to their associations with slavery and should no longer be permitted.

These guidelines immediately sparked backlash from some conservatives in the United States. Political correctness (PC) has been spreading across politics, economy, society, and culture in the U.S., and resistance to it is growing. Critics argue that this move by intelligence agencies is merely a farce and will undermine the operational capabilities of agencies like the CIA. Republican Senator Tom Cotton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement saying, "Intelligence officers should focus their time on finding terrorists, not worrying about offending terrorists' feelings." Meanwhile, intelligence authorities drew a line by stating they will maintain these guidelines to build a "diverse and inclusive workforce."

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