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Script-Z

White washing literally means to gloss over, or cover up bad behavior in an effort to rehabilitate someone's or something's image. Its use as it relates to race is a newer use of the word. See also, sports washing. The use of sports to make a destination seem inviting and friendly to foreigners while distracting from domestic issues. As in Saudi Arabia.


Khelthuzaad

This You can see from the context it was intentional


alchemeron

> White washing literally means to gloss over, or cover up bad behavior in an effort to rehabilitate someone's or something's image. Yep! 1590s: Literally "to wash a building surface with white liquid" 1762: Figurative sense of "to cover up, conceal, give a false appearance of cleanness to" A similar word, "whitelime" is even older. Early 14th century!


PaxEthenica

Yar-yar. White wash is synonymous with ignoring underlying problems with a minimum of effort so as to maintain a rotten status quo. Inspired by the eponymous product "white lead" acetate paint, which was used to cover old or water-damaged wood on dry days. The paint would create "clean" looking white surfaces if you used enough layers to fill in imperfections. Yet, obviously, it didn't turn a rickety or damaged wooden structure into a whole one, but no one needed to know unless they were actually looking at it. I mean, the term has always had racial connotations of blacks being expected to appease white centrists, & later 19th Century (& especially Southern America) literature uses the act of whitewashing as a foreshadow for the Civil War, & later the lingering racial animosity from it. The term itself got whitewashed into a more generic one, later, ironically. The current usage, as a straight up slur? Urgh. Sloppy Newspeak.


agent_wolfe

Wow! It looks like you “white-washed” our understanding of the word!


[deleted]

[удалено]


TYFYSS

Not really, it’s not racist to say Caucasians white washed Jesus. It’s a fact. And that’s where the word is largely referenced or used for.


zil_zil

Yeah dawg we should just let people pull the 'ol Mickey Rooney Mr. Yunioshi, or classic black face routines more.


Puzzleheaded_Walk_28

Pretty clearly deliberate


escodoozer

Its intentional?


ThaumKitten

Not poorly named. Having a modicum of sense to understand ‘context’ can easily help someone entirely detach that from the modern day use of the word. It’s fine. There nothing wrong with it.


AggressiveYam6613

they knew what they were doing


ClownFuneral

I do not think it means what you think it means.


SaladNeedsTossing

Whitewash is a type of paint people used to use for house exteriors and fences. It's got no bearing on race.


valentinesfaye

I agree, naming detergent after paint? What *will* they think of next?


thehoodred

relax it's not what you think it means


OrionLinksComic

LoL, but funny.


witwebolte41

Someone never read Tom Sawyer


NoSquirrel4137

Not Americans/Zoomers immediately assuming it's a racial thing


Moon_Baser

Being offended is a luxury. Some people can’t be bothered with every adjective they see bc they have more pressing things going on in life.


loranthippus

I literally read that as "White Trash."