whitewashing

Glossing over faults

Whitewashing literally means applying white paint or lime wash to a surface, typically walls or fences.

The figurative sense dominates: to whitewash is to conceal wrongdoing or make something unsavory appear acceptable.

The report whitewashed the company's safety failures.

In media criticism, whitewashing refers to casting white actors in roles written for or historically associated with people of color: Critics accused the studio of whitewashing the film's Asian characters.

revisionism

distortion

Twisting from original state

propagandaBiased information for influence
disinformationIntentional deceptive falsehoods
rewritingComposing text anew

falsification · mythmaking · manipulation · misrepresentation · erasure · denial · apologetics · half-truths · selective · bias

representation

casting

Shaping through liquid form

HollywoodAmerican film industry center
colorblindCannot perceive certain hues
erasureAct of wiping away

yellowface · brownface · diversity · appropriation · Exodus · Oscars · controversy · backlash · activism · authenticity

concealment

cover-up

Hiding wrongdoing from public

obscureUnknown to most
downplayDiminish perceived importance
sanitizeCleanse of pathogens

minimize · suppress · hide · mask · veil · bury · spin · deflect · omit · overlook

coating

calcimine

Zinc-white ceiling coating

brushBristled cleaning tool
bucketOpen-top carrying vessel
fenceBoundary structure between properties

barn · cottage · masonry · plaster · daubing · picket · primer · latex · emulsion · matte

whitewashing

distortion

casting

cover-up

calcimine

whitewashing

Opposites

Categories

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