Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb Present participle of
whitewash . - noun The application of
whitewash . - noun figuratively The
effacement of errors or bad actions.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Liberal board members objected to what they called a whitewashing of history.
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And I definitely don't see how I would be taking part in "whitewashing" Islamism by pointing towards it's roots in European fascism ...
Save Kiana Firouz Hal Duncan 2010
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Back when the Sci Fi miniseries was released and Le Guin made a fuss over what she called the whitewashing of Earthsea, I read dozens of testimonials by people of color all saying roughly the same thing: that the experience of reading Earthsea and discovering that it was peopled by characters who looked like them - something that they had never experienced before within the fantasy genre - was a vitally important moment in their development as readers and genre fans.
At the Risk of Offending Ursula K. Le Guin and Studio Ghibli Fans... Abigail Nussbaum 2006
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But at the same time that - I wouldn't call it whitewashing or stealing the heritage, but the fact that I wasn't made conscious that, yes, I was a Latino.
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Later he got along by doing odd jobs again - whitewashing, building fences and surveying; and he found that six weeks of work a year would cover all his living expenses.
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Ray Drennan's misconduct, it is condoning it if not effectively endorsing it aka whitewashing it or indeed sweeping it under the very lumpy rug at the place that "reeks of privilege and hierarchy" 25 Beacon Street in Boston. . .
Ministers and Professional Ethics Steve Caldwell 2009
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An excellent blog post by the estimable Justine Larbalestier on "whitewashing" in cover art.
what these people need is a honky gregvaneekhout 2009
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I'd like (for obvious reasons) to see children's lit diversify in light of the fiasco going on with the Bloomsbury "whitewashing" covers issue and the lack of any proactive action from other corners of the industry.
In the footsteps of giants Roger Sutton 2009
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For example, one need not look any further than to Texas where the Republican led state Board of Education, ignoring the recommendations of history teachers, is "whitewashing" social studies guidelines to be followed by publishers of the textbooks for its nearly 5 million K-12 students.
Ian Moss: A People's History of Arizona: What Would Howard Zinn Say? 2010
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But consumers are beginning to question "green washing" -- a marketing play on "whitewashing" over a product's limitations or failings.
Robert F. Brands: When Smaller Isn't Better: Innovation That Solves -- Not Creates -- Problems Robert F. Brands 2010
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Now, “whitewashing” describes the habit of casting white actors to play non-white characters, often to shoehorn in a star, sometimes out of racial insensitivity, invariably to the detriment of people (and especially actors) of colour.
‘The idea that it’s good business is a myth’ – why Hollywood whitewashing has become toxic Steve Rose 2017
vendingmachine commented on the word whitewashing
Casting white actors in Hollywood productions instead of POC (people of color).
The popular blog Angry Asian Man called the movie “the latest movie in the grand cinematic tradition of the Special White Person”, adding: “You can set a story anywhere in the world, in any era of history, and Hollywood will still somehow find a way for the movie to star a white guy.”
In her post, Wu wrote: “Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies that one time. We don’t need salvation. We like our color and our culture and our strengths and our own stories.”
The Guardian.
August 3, 2016
TankHughes commented on the word whitewashing
Related song/video: https://youtu.be/mmvqb9Uzu8k
(sounds creepy but it's not a creepy video)
August 3, 2016
bilby commented on the word whitewashing
I feel the discriminatory meaning as in the citation by vendingmachine lacks some punch because of the 'standard' meaning as above, i.e. effacement of errors or bad actions.
August 3, 2016
madmouth commented on the word whitewashing
but there's precedent! e.g. 'whitewashed', as in a POC who's held to have excessively assimilated to whiteness (in my context people apply such terms to themselves), is a fairly established contemporary usage, older than the current debate about ScarJo doing martial arts etc
August 3, 2016
madmouth commented on the word whitewashing
also - greenwashing (BP logo anyone??), pinkwashing (breast cancer support themed snacks)
August 3, 2016
bilby commented on the word whitewashing
ScarJo?
*shows age*
August 3, 2016
bilby commented on the word whitewashing
Oh of course the contemporary meaning of gay for example has supplanted everything else to do with the word. It did take decades to do it.
But if you say for example that "John beat Kumar for the nomination in a total whitewash" there's a tension between the sports jargon meaning - comprehensive victory - and the politically-charged one. Which wins? Neither if you're writing for unambiguity.
August 3, 2016
madmouth commented on the word whitewashing
it may be an irresoluble regional frequency dispute; I've in my (granted, short) life never heard your sampled usage, for instance. note to self: bone up on sports jargon
re: ScarJo - read here
August 4, 2016
bilby commented on the word whitewashing
May you live long and have many obedient camelids.
August 4, 2016
vendingmachine commented on the word whitewashing
Another example. In Louisville, Kentucky, Butler High School’s dress code prohibits dreadlocks, cornrolls, and twists. Students who violate the grooming policy cannot attend the school.
"Hair styles that are extreme, distracting, or attention getting will not be permitted. No dreadlocks, cornrows, twists, mohawks, and no jewelry will be worn in hair."
""Hair must be a natural color. No two-toned hair or severe contrasts. This includes unnatural colors.”"
""No male may dye, tint, or highlight his hair in any way."
"The styles that were targeted in this policy are the most basic and essential styles for black people all over the world. To ban them is essentially to ban blackness itself."--Shaun King, New York Daily News, July 28, 2016.
cultural whitewashing
August 4, 2016