Weird and strange, huh? I went back to my notifications list to get to the blacklist article, and, again, I was redirected to the Changes article. I checked the profile page of elitecodex and I couldn't find the link to that blacklist article. It appears to have been deleted. I wonder why? There were already some comments there and I saw that elitecodex had even responded to one of the comments.
Saving copies of comments
Well, I actually managed to save a copy of my comment. I always copy the entire comment before I hit the submit button in case there's an error or issue and the comment fails to get posted. This happened to me a few times and it's not exactly pleasing, you know, especially when you write a really long and detailed comment and then it disappears just like that. So I've started to make it a habit to make a copy of my comment before I click on the "add new comment" button and even when I reply to the comments of others.Anyway, I'd just like to share the comment that I wanted to post on that blacklist article. After all, I took the time to write it, so I don't want to just lose the comment. I might as well post it here, right? Plus, it seems long enough to be a post anyway. LOL. This is the comment:
Those who read the articles about the recent changes to Persona Paper know what you mean about using the word "blacklist" because you explain exactly what you mean by using the word. We know you don't mean anything bad by using this term and people do understand that you had to make these changes for the site. But the problem is with your choice to use the word "blacklist".
While you don't mean to use this term in a bad way and while you explain exactly what you mean when using this term, the fact remains that there is a negative connotation associated with this word and a lot of people think so, not just those from the excluded countries like AliCanary said.
Other people, non-members of Persona Paper, those who come across the word "blacklist" will automatically get the idea that this refers to something bad because of all the negative connotations associated with this word.
If people hear the word "blacklist", what comes to their mind isn't something good. Even dictionaries list the bad meanings associated with "blacklist". People know about this meaning more than they'd know about the term in programming so they'll naturally assume those who use the term "blacklist" mean something bad.
I don't remember the exact words in AliCanary's comment on the blacklist article. But I was planning to reply to her and say that I agree with her comment. She also said something about a discussion about this that was going on in Facebook, which I had planned to ask her about since I didn't know about that.
But I agree with her about the usage of the word "blacklist". Unfortunately, there are negative connotations associated with this word. Do a quick Google search and see for yourself. Most, if not all, people won't think of blacklist as something good, right?
What do you think? Were you able to see that blacklist article? What are your thoughts on it? What are your opinions regarding this matter?
By the way, this is the post by bestwriter that sparked the blacklist debate: http://personapaper.com/article/27077-it-hurts-to-see-india-being-blacklisted-at-persona.
Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:
scheng1 wrote on March 17, 2015, 8:43 AM:
Since a decision is made to stop new writers from India and Philippines to join, there is no need to speculate or talk about it. Wait till PP starts to make more money, then Admin will re-look into it.
FreyaYuki replied to scheng1 on March 17, 2015, 8:56 AM:
That is not the issue being discussed though. People who read those articles get that and understand that. The issue that some or many have is regarding the use of the term "blacklist", which has negative connotations associated with it.
Hollyhocks100 wrote on March 17, 2015, 8:44 AM:
I agree it does have bad connotations, but what other word would you suggest?
FreyaYuki replied to Hollyhocks100 on March 17, 2015, 8:52 AM:
AliCanary suggested using "excluded" or "currently excluded" and it seems to be a gentler word when compared to "blacklist", which sounds harsh and bad. What do you think?
Hollyhocks100 replied to FreyaYuki on March 17, 2015, 8:57 AM:
I like Ali's suggestion a lot.
AliCanary replied to Hollyhocks100 on March 17, 2015, 9:45 AM:
bestwriter had actually originally suggested "excluded" or "temporarily excluded", but I thought "temporarily" might indicate a promise that the admins might not be able to make, so "currently excluded" was my compromise. I'm glad you liked it :)
MaeLou wrote on March 17, 2015, 8:51 AM:
elitecodex deleted the articles so the term blacklist would stop popping up and make us look like we deliberately put certain countries in a negative light. People were just causing drama and it was completely unnecessary. Adults were acting like children and crying over something that they took the wrong way.
Quite frankly, I just think the situation needs to be dropped. Will is a much nicer person than I am, and members should be very thankful for that.
FreyaYuki replied to MaeLou on March 17, 2015, 9:01 AM:
Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying that. I was surprised because I was in the middle of posting a comment on that article when it just disappeared and I couldn't find/get back to it again so I wondered about what had happened.
erikalui wrote on March 17, 2015, 9:22 AM:
I guess that we can only leave it here as it's one word with different meanings. The word can be interpreted by others as per their understanding but since we know what the admin means by using it, we should accept it as it is. I too was initially upset with the term used but by talking about it, it will make this website more negative which is not right. We know that this site is genuine and the admins too are supportive. Let's make it peace here :)
FreyaYuki replied to erikalui on March 18, 2015, 10:52 AM:
Yes. I agree that the Persona Paper admins are nice and supportive.
AliCanary wrote on March 17, 2015, 9:48 AM:
Thank you for the mention! You had made a very good comment on bestwriter 's original post that I appreciated, and you were one of the people about whom I was thinking when I mentioned that many of us who weren't even from the countries involved felt that a better term might be used. The new post by elitecodex did well to eliminate the controversy over terminology and doesn't require any explanation, so I was happy to see it.
CalmGemini replied to AliCanary on March 17, 2015, 10:26 AM:
Thanks for your comment on bestwriter's original post.
FreyaYuki replied to AliCanary on March 18, 2015, 10:58 AM:
You're welcome and thanks. Yeah, I agree with you. I was also happy to see the new post by elitecodex.
Carmelanirel wrote on March 17, 2015, 9:53 AM:
I think I did read it, but I didn't comment. True the word "blacklist" has a negative attachment to it, so is the new article "Changes" about the same topic, but using different words?
FreyaYuki replied to Carmelanirel on March 18, 2015, 11:10 AM:
Yeah, I saw the new post by elitecodex. I was happy to see it. It is much better without having to mention that word and we are all still able to understand what's going on and why these changes had to be done.
AliCanary wrote on March 17, 2015, 9:57 AM:
Oops, I forgot to answer your question about Facebook. I didn't see it out on Facebook proper, but I belong to a few Facebook groups for people who are looking for good places to do online writing, and there was some discussion of the controversy in there. People were getting the idea that the site was in trouble, and I didn't want that to get out of hand. And that was just from people who weren't from the countries in question, so they were not emotionally involved--they'd just gotten a negative vibe from the whole thing.
FreyaYuki replied to AliCanary on March 18, 2015, 11:28 AM:
Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying that. It makes sense though - use of that word can make people think bad things are happening or something because it sounds very negative. No wonder some were getting that idea or feeling that something was up with the site. Glad that it's all sorted out now.
CalmGemini wrote on March 17, 2015, 10:24 AM:
Thank you for the understanding shown by you. All the related articles including bestwriter's have been taken down.
MaeLou replied to CalmGemini on March 17, 2015, 10:41 AM:
bestwriter took it among herself to remove her own article. Didn't want anyone to believe we deleted it.
CalmGemini replied to MaeLou on March 17, 2015, 11:21 AM:
No, I know you did not delete it. But thanks for the clarification, as such a doubt may occur to some.
trufflehunter wrote on March 17, 2015, 12:27 PM:
Wow that was a long comment. You could have written a post.
FreyaYuki replied to trufflehunter on March 18, 2015, 11:52 AM:
LOL. Yeah. That was why I decided to just post the comment here.
crowntower wrote on March 18, 2015, 7:28 AM:
I think the deletion of that post has something to do with the number of people one of the them is bestwriter, telling that the word "black list" should be rephrase into a more appropriate one, for the same reason you have in your "comment" listed in your post and of others that black list is not the right term for a temporary cancellation of registration of any bloggers who want to join PPers from Philippines and India. God bless, and thanks you all for the support you express to our country and yours. God bless.
FreyaYuki replied to crowntower on March 18, 2015, 11:59 AM:
The new post by elitecodex explains things perfectly without using that word so it's all good now.
*Notes:
- Image is a screenshot of my Persona Paper notifications list
- This was previously published elsewhere
