Everywhere in social media, from Facebook to Twitter to FlyerTalk, Delta Air Lines is getting roasted for a document purporting to instruct that Black and Brown should be capitalized while white should use lower case.
From a source at Delta Airlines. Delta is asking employees to capitalize Black & Brown but write White in lowercase. @Delta must stop this blatant racism. pic.twitter.com/1Ob0N5dYMq
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 12, 2024
Brian Krassenstein says it is real and offers,
In fact the Associated Press also did something similar in 2020, and gave this reasoning:
“We agree that white people’s skin color plays into systemic inequalities and injustices, and we want our journalism to robustly explore these problems,” John Daniszewski, the AP’s vice president for standards said. “But capitalizing the term white, as is done by white supremacists, risks subtly conveying legitimacy to such beliefs.”
For the record, at the time, the The National Association of Black Journalists and some Black scholars said white should be capitalized, too.
Delta Air Lines confirms, telling me:
Delta’s Inclusive Language Guide uses AP Style to mirror newsrooms and editorial standards across the country. It is also designed to foster more consistent inclusive practices across the business.
Delta doesn’t appear to be responding to any of the thousands of mentions online. However, I understand from Delta that this is not a ‘language requirement for employees’ but rather for those who write on behalf of the company are expected to follow AP style.
Personally I’d be far more concerned with Delta’s greenwashing, wrapping cost cuts in environmental concerns and cheaper indigenous amenity kits, announcing the end of plastic in releases that promote plastic cups, and achieving emissions goals not predominantly by reducing emissions (with an old fleet of aircraft and an oil refinery) but through questionable carbon credits.
Lol @ “indigenous amenity kits.”
Good on Delta.
(My name is not Tim Dunn.)
Good on Delta Air Lines — for the style guide, for not responding to internet trolls — the issue of race and white supremacy is highly nuanced, and after this comment, I guarantee we’ll see dozens of ignorant white supremacist comments as we often do in posts on this blog that touch on the topic of race. Very disappointing for a travel site given travel ought to cure bigotry.
This is AP style. They made the change 3.5 years ago.
If you want an explanation without getting worked in a tizzy, here it is: https://apnews.com/article/archive-race-and-ethnicity-9105661462?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share
@ Dignity — I am usually the FIRST one here to jump on people for being racist, but I’m not so sure I agree with Delta’s style guide.
People getting in a fit over culture wars with DEI and Delta, but don’t comprehend that they’re following AP style guide, as most major corporations do.
Take the issue up with AP, for all those with snowflake comments about how woke makes a company bad.
@Dignity
Most people just want these airlines and companies to STFU and provide the services that we are paying for instead of beating us over the head with the simping for this group or that group.
Ok, so from now on it’s delta.
I find the AP ‘rule’ crazy…
So ONLY White Supremacists capitalize WHITE? “ONLY” paints a pretty broad brush.
That’s like saying ALL Blacks are XXXXX or ALL Whites are XXXXX. ALL left handed peopel are XXXX. ALL blondes are XXXXX . I can’t agree with that .
We agree that white people’s skin color plays into systemic inequalities and injustices, and we want our journalism to robustly explore those problems. But capitalizing the term white, as is done by white supremacists, risks subtly conveying legitimacy to such beliefs.
I wish all those white people working high up at major companies, only because of the inherently racist white privilege they have, would all step down and demand the job be given to a person of color. This will show they truly care
@Gene – careful. Liberal people don’t have too much room in today’s crazy America. If you dare say something against this silly language policing, next thing you’ll be shouted down by a radicalized Ivy league Hamas supporting “progressive”.
This is America today. Normal, classic liberal people are a minority, caught between right extremists and left wing radical nuts.
I think these are the same people that decided we should all use Aptos instead of Calibri and that sentences should be separated by one space instead of two.
If we are all equal and continuing to seek equality, then we should be black, brown, white, mixed, none, or other. All lower case. Enough said.
I would LOVE an indigenous amenity kit. You could rotate and use it to create cultural awareness and eco-conscious business. It could be really interesting and themed around places the airline wants to promote.
@Gary your reasoning is sound. Your impartiality outstanding. Your thinking independent. Thank you.
Accepting that it’s in the AP style guide doesn;t make it right. The guide changes because it’s determined to be incomplete I still believe that doing something for one race and not doing it for another is pretty much the definition of racism.
Describing a person or people group using a color (black, white, yellow, red or brown) is insufficient and almost globally used to either belittle another or embolden one’s self. Per AP’s press release, they made this change to show that “Black” demonstrates an “essential and shared sense of history, identity and community” within the constituency; but, then AP goes on to use the phrase “who identify as;” insinuating that one’s “essential and shared sense of history, identity and community” is a choice. Those two things cannot logically coexist.
To battle racism, stop using language that promotes the existence of an essential difference with any basis in the color of skin. The alternative would be to demonstrably show that there ARE essential differences with a basis in the color of skin. Somehow when ever the latter has been tried it’s batted 1.000 for things like slavery, genocide, and poverty. Maybe we should go for the former. I’m pretty sure a famous guy said something about “not…by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
@JOJO Actually that’s equally racist. That’s one huge reason people are against DEI and why the Supreme Court ruled like they did. Jobs should be based on qualifications first, and individual merit second. Giving somebody preferences specifically because they’re a minority is just as discriminatory as giving it to somebody because you like or believe better about some generalized attributes of the group they fall into.
Also, correcting the past wrongs does not mean being someone else’s turn to be favored / disfavored, that’s just equally wrong in another direction.
We have to learn from and make a point to prevent future wrongs, not recommit them against a new target.
Accepting that it’s in the AP style guide doesn’t make it “right.” The guide changes because it’s determined to be incomplete or outdated. To say it’s “right” because it’s in the style guide is to say that before 2020 it was “right” to have colors of skin lowercase.”
Doing something for one race and not doing it for another is pretty much the definition of racism.
Describing a person or people group using a color (black, white, yellow, red or brown) is insufficient and almost globally used to either belittle another or embolden one’s self. Per AP’s press release, they made this change to show that “Black” demonstrates an “essential and shared sense of history, identity and community” within the constituency; but, then AP goes on to use the phrase “who identify as;” insinuating that one’s “essential and shared sense of history, identity and community” is a choice. Those two things cannot logically coexist.
To battle racism, stop using language that promotes the existence of an essential difference with any basis in the color of skin. The alternative would be to demonstrably show that there ARE essential differences with a basis in the color of skin. Somehow when ever the latter has been tried it’s batted 1.000 for things like slavery, genocide, and poverty. Maybe we should go for the former. I’m pretty sure a famous guy said something about “not…by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
More importantly, should it be Orange Hitler or orange Hitler?
Everyone knows that two spaces is so 1955, therefore racist, as all things from 1955 were.
I’m pretty sure a famous guy said something about “not…by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
So 1968, therefore racist. (I’m not kidding, the quote isn’t included on his memorial in DC. You can look it up.)
Delta had gone woke. One more reason I’m glad I rarely fly them anymore even though lifetime Platinum and flew them almost exclusively the first 10-15 years of my career. Companies need to tread very carefully into social issues IMHO. There is no win and you really don’t want to tick off you d half your customers. BTW proud White man here
Can someone please find a White supremacist saying “Delta is a great airline”? Then forward the quote to Delta, who will be forced to never claim being a great airline, because…. a White supremacist said it.
LOL, that’s my Delta.
#FireEdBastion
I just used my Amex offer spend $100 at a Black owned business get $30 back.
I’m waiting on my other racially themed offers Amex!
If it’s “Black” then it’s “White”. Or you’re a racist POS. End of.
Joseph – you’re an idiot.
DEI is for losers that can’t make it on their own without crying and whining that they’re oppressed. It’s not 1860’any more.
Outright and open racism is certainly the cure for perceived potential racism
-leftists
Interesting.
Has me wondering are they ejits or Eejits?
Delta flies premium customers to premium destinations.
Delta is predicted to run out of indigenous amenity kits soon. They will be replaced by undocumented immigrant amenity kits.
Thanks to @White Inferiorist for his nice comment.
@Dignity, you do know it’s Racist to capitalize “Black People” while using lower case for “white people”, right ?
The really sad part of capitalizing some races and not others it is racist. Why is it okay to be racist against Whites. All races should be capitalized to be completely Inclusive!
Delta should get it together and drop this DEI woke agenda fostered by Biden and Obama. Hire most qualified and let the chips fall
You are welcome.