Terminology at XSEDE
Words matter! XSEDE's commitment to fostering and promoting an inclusive environment for all users, staff, and the wider community extends to all language and terminology in all of our materials. As a result of this commitment, XSEDE's Terminology Task Force (TTF) was formed to review, address, and define processes to eliminate offensive terms in our materials.
The TTF has compiled a living list of terms deemed inappropriate for use in our organizational areas. For each term we describe why it may be offensive, cite source materials in support, categorize the term by type of bias, and provide replacement suggestions.
It's important to understand why certain terms can be offensive in order to effectively find and replace offensive terms and clarify those that were used appropriately. Some terms should never be used, while others can be appropriate in the right context; in these cases, it helps to use precise language.
Terminology List
Click on each column's header to sort.
| Term | Replacement | Bias | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abort (Context Dependent) | cancel, end | Gender Bias | May evoke violent images, religious objections | Harmful ableist language you unknowingly use |
| American | US Citizen | Implicit Bias | When we talk about "Americans" in the United States, we're usually just referring to people from the United States. This erases other cultures and depicts the United States as the dominant American country. | Inclusive Language Guide |
| Black Box | opaque box | Implicit Bias | The phrases didn't originate in times of slavery, but the use of "black" to describe things is subconsciously racialized | CNN: Everyday words and phrases that have racist connotations |
| Black Mark | demerit | Implicit Bias | Assigns negative connotations to the color black.The phrase didn't originate in slavery, but the use of black to describe value is subconsiously racialized | Huffington Post |
| Blackball | deny | Implicit Bias | The term implies wrongdoing. If you bear a black mark, you've done something that people hold against you. | CNN: Everyday words and phrases that have racist connotations |
| Blacklist(ed) | disallowed, block list | Implicit Bias | The term implies wrongdoing. If you've been blackballed, you've been banned from joining an organization because of something you've done. | CNN: Everyday words and phrases that have racist connotations |
| Blind Review | anonymous review, redacted review | Disability Bias | May be offensive to those with visual disabilities. When we use metaphors like "blind study," we unintentionally perpetuate the abnormality and negativity of impairment, furthering an ableist culture. | An End to "Blind Review" |
| Blind Study | anonymous review, redacted review | Disability Bias | May be offensive to those with visual disabilities. When we use metaphors like "blind review," we unintentionally perpetuate the abnormality and negativity of impairment, furthering an ableist culture. | An End to "Blind Review" |
| Brown Bag | lunch and learn, tech talks | Implicit Bias | In terms of the seemingly innocent brown bag that has been used to pack lunches for decades, the term actually traces back to the "brown paper bag test," which was traditionally used to judge skin color by certain African-American sororities and fraternities. Wikipedia explains that the color of the paper bag was the center marker of blackness – if your skin tone was darker than the paper bag you would not be let into the party. City leaders usually designate bring-your-own-lunch meetings as brown bag lunch meetings, but have decided that "lunch-and-learn" or "sack lunch" are more appropriate alternatives. | Don't Call It a ‘Brown Bag Lunch': Seattle Frowns on Popular Term |
| Chief | Indigenous people/peoples, an individual's Nation or community, e.g. "Cree", "Musqueam", "Mohawk". | Ethnic Slur | Calling an Indigenous person "chief" is offensive. It's a nickname that reduces a person solely to race. | 7 things you should never say to a Native American |
| Dumb | nonsensical, person who cannot speak | Disability Bias | Once widely used to describe a person who could not speak and implied the person was incapable of expressing themselves | Inclusive Language Guide |
| Dummy Value | placeholder value, sample value | Disability Bias | Once widely used to describe a person who could not speak and implied the person was incapable of expressing themselves | Twitter Stops Using Terms 'Master,' 'Slave' and 'Blacklist' |
| First Class Citizens | core feature, top level | Implicit Bias | Socially charged term | Google Developers |
| Flow Master (Kanban) | flow manager | Institutional Racism | Use of master may convey a sense of superiority, and may have negative historical context | Words Matter: Finally, Tech Looks at Removing Exclusionary Language |
| Freshman | first-year | Gender Bias | Reinforces a language that already privileges men | Inclusive Language Guide |
| Gender Biased Terminology | one ..., a person ..., | Gender Bias | Pronouns are an important part of how we identify that deserves to be respected. Assuming someone's gender can be hurtful, especially to members of our community who are transgender, genderqueer, or non-binary. | Business Insider: What you should know about gender pronouns, how to use them, and why they're important |
| Gender Biased Terminology, pronouns etc | they/them/theirs | Gender Bias | Pronouns are an important part of how we identify that deserves to be respected. Assuming someone's gender can be hurtful, especially to members of our community who are transgender, genderqueer, or non-binary. | Business Insider: What you should know about gender pronouns, how to use them, and why they're important |
| Grandfathered in | exempt, legacy status | Institutional Racism | Refers to the "grandfather clause" adopted by seven Southern states during the Reconstruction Era. This allowed those states to deny voting rights to blacks | NPR: The Racial History Of The 'Grandfather Clause' |
| Gray Beard | individual's name | Ageism | Older, more experienced IT or cybersecurity personality. One sought after for wisdom born from study and experience over a lifetime. | none |
| Gray Hat Hacker | hacktivist | Ageism | Older, more experienced IT or cybersecurity personality. One sought after for wisdom born from study and experience over a lifetime. | none |
| Guys | folks, people, all, you all, y'all, everyone | Gender Bias | Reinforces a language that already privileges men | Instead Of Saying 'Hey, Guys!' At Work, Try These Gender-Neutral Alternatives |
| Male or Female connectors and fasteners | plug/socket connectors | Gender Bias | References to Gender Bias | The Register |
| Man Hours | person hours, effort hours | Gender Bias | Reinforces a language that already privileges men | Twitter Engineering |
| Master | manager | Institutional Racism | References which have historical context regarding oppression of a group of people. Masters controlled those people and made them slaves, unable to exercise free will or be considered human | Washington Post: Opinion: There's an industry that talks daily about ‘masters' and ‘slaves.' It needs to stop. |
| Master / Slave | Use the replacement term that the vendor or provider uses in their documentation | Institutional Racism | References which have historical context regarding oppression of a group of people. Masters controlled those people and made them slaves, unable to exercise free will or be considered human | Washington Post: Opinion: There's an industry that talks daily about ‘masters' and ‘slaves.' It needs to stop. |
| Master Branch | main branch | Institutional Racism | References which have historical context regarding oppression of a group of people. Masters controlled those people and made them slaves, unable to exercise free will or be considered human | Washington Post: Opinion: There's an industry that talks daily about ‘masters' and ‘slaves.' It needs to stop. |
| Minority | Native American, African American, a general term "people of color" when referring to racial or ethnic communities. | Institutional Racism | The term "minority" has come to be seen as a generalized term for "the other." Also, the use of "minority" implies a "less than" attitude toward the community or communities being discussed. Instead, use either community-specific terms (e.g., "Native American," "African American," etc.) or the general term "people of color" when referring to racial or ethnic communities. | Speaking and Writing About Diversity |
| Mob or Mob programming | team, swarm, troop | Ethnic Bias | Mobs originated as hordes of people, most always White, who'd torture and kill Black people. Mob has also been linked to stereotypes regarding Italians. | CNN: Everyday words and phrases that have racist connotations |
| Native | Indigenous people/peoples, an individual's Nation or community, e.g. "Cree", "Musqueam", "Mohawk". | Ethnic Slur | The use of these words to refer to an Indigenous person today reflects colonial and racist practices, as it invokes images of savagery and barbarism. | Social Justice Synonyms #12: Indigenous Identity and Terminology |
| Native Feature | built in | Ethnic Bias | The use of these words to refer to an Indigenous person today reflects colonial and racist practices, as it invokes images of savagery and barbarism. | https://developers.google.com/style/word-list - native |
| Native Speaker/Non-Native Speaker | English as a primary language, English as a secondary language (ESL) | Ethnic Bias | The use of these words to refer to an Indigenous person today reflects colonial and racist practices, as it invokes images of savagery and barbarism. | https://developers.google.com/style/word-list - native |
| Nitty-Gritty | details, specifics | Ethnic Bias | Some scholars believe this was a euphemism for the N-word, originating from the lower decks of ships used to transport enslaved people across the Atlantic Ocean. | 7 Racist Slurs Which You Should Drop From Your Vocabulary |
| Pow-Wow | Huddle, Standup, Discussion | Ethnic Bias | Pow-wows are social gatherings for ceremonial and celebratory purposes and are conducted under strict protocol. Using this phrase to refer to a quick business meeting denigrates the long, cultural significance of the pow wow. | Use these culturally offensive phrases, questions at your own risk |
| Red Team | cyber offense | Ethnic Bias | The use of color to denote values may be offensive to some ethnic groups. | The Colors Of Cybersecurity |
| Rule of Thumb | standard or general rule | Gender Bias | The rule of thumb derived from English law which allowed a man to beat his wife with a stick so long as it was no thicker than his thumb. | Inclusive Language Guide |
| Sanity Check | Quick check, Confidence Check, Coherence Check | Disability Bias | May be offensive to those with mental health issues. | Unconscious Bias in Computer Science |
| Savage | Indigenous people/peoples, an individual's Nation or community, e.g. "Cree", "Musqueam", "Mohawk". | Ethnic Slur | The use of these words to refer to an Indigenous person today reflects colonial and racist practices, as it invokes images of savagery and barbarism. | Social Justice Synonyms #12: Indigenous Identity and Terminology |
| Scrum Master | agile lead, agile program manager, agile coach, agile team facilitator, scrum coach, scrum teacher, scrum leader, scrum facilitator, scrum custodian | Institutional Racism | References which have historical context regarding oppression of a group of people. Masters controlled those people and made them slaves, unable to exercise free will or be considered human. | Words Matter: Finally, Tech Looks at Removing Exclusionary Language |
| Slave | worker | Institutional Racism | Refers to a person being the legal property of another. This person has no legal rights other than those granted by the master. | Washington Post |
| Submit (Context Dependent) | process | Implicit Bias | The dictionary term means to give or offer something for a decision to be made by others. However, due to some discussions within religious communities, submit can be taken in the context of allowing others to have power over you. Additionally, submission is a topic of discussion within some communities, resulting in a word that may have multiple meanings according to culture. | none |
| Tarball | tar file, tar archive, tar bundle | Ethnic Bias | The use of the term tarball can have negative connotations to people of color who may be unaware of the acronym associated in computing context. | Politicians should stop using Tar Baby |
| Tone Deaf | unenlightened | Disability Bias | May be offensive to those with hearing difficulties. | medium.com |
| Tribal Knowledge | institutional knowledge | Ethnic Bias | Cultural appropriation and disrespect of signs which carry religious signifcance to Indigenous Americans. | |
| User (context-dependent) | customer | Implicit Bias | The phrase is criticised for its negative connotations and outdated use, and many argue that is has no place in a modern UX terminology or in broader business language. | UX terminology: Is it time we dropped the term ‘users'? |
| Webmaster, Web Master | web product owner | Institutional Racism | Reference which has historical context regarding oppression of a group of people. Masters controlled those people and made them slaves, unable to exercise free will or be considered human. | none |
| White Hat / Black Hat | ethical actor / bad actor | Implicit Bias | Assigns value connotations based on color. The phrase didn't originate in slavery, but the use of color to describe value is subconsiously racialized. | ‘Whitelist,' ‘Blacklist': The New Debate Over Security Terminology |
| White Paper | position paper, publication, report | Implicit Bias | Assigns value connotations based on color. The phrase didn't originate in slavery, but the use of color to describe value is subconsiously racialized. | ‘Whitelist,' ‘Blacklist': The New Debate Over Security Terminology |
| White Team | cyber exercise cell | Implicit Bias | Assigns value connotations based on color. The phrase didn't originate in slavery, but the use of color to describe value is subconsiously racialized. | ‘Whitelist,' ‘Blacklist': The New Debate Over Security Terminology |
| Whitelist(ed) | allowed | Implicit Bias | Assigns value connotations based on color. The phrase didn't originate in slavery, but the use of color to describe value is subconsiously racialized. | ‘Whitelist,' ‘Blacklist': The New Debate Over Security Terminology |
Suggestion Form
The Terminology List is an evolving document. We encourage you to reach out to the XSEDE Terminology Task Force with any feedback, recognizing that some third-party materials may be beyond our editorial control.
XSEDE Terminology Suggestion Form
PEARC21 BoF Presentation
BoF: Towards Inclusive Terminology in Advanced Research Computing