political correctness - Does the term "white lie" have racist connotations?

In his book Overcoming our Racism, psychology professor Derald Wing Sue talks about "unconscious racial oppression" that leads well-meaning White people to say and do things that are harmful to people of color. Some examples he gives of this are claiming to "not see color," laughing at racist jokes, and using the terms white lie and black lie.

I had never heard the term black lie before, and I had never thought of white lie in racial terms. Wikipedia defines white lies as "minor lies which could be considered to be harmless, or even beneficial, in the long term" (emphasis mine). I know there are plenty of other terms that equate "white" with "good," such as white hat and white magic.

Is it racist, or at least politically incorrect, to use terms like this?

Answer

As with any question of political correctness, the answer depends on the audience:

There is a claim (presumably ascribed to by Sue) that the English language is liberally infested with terminology that reinforces unconscious racial biases, chiefly revolving around the "white = good, black = bad" paradigm. This claim is both common and well-received in progressive academic circles and other subgroups with an interest in raising consciousness around racial issues. When communicating in or with such a group, you would be expected to police your own language for inherent biases.

Outside of such groups, such terms are unlikely to cause offense, and can be used at your own discretion --you can decide for yourself whether your use of them is likely to reinforce bias in yourself or others (and whether apt alternate terms do exist).