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InclusionBot: move religious-tradition entries from Racist to Other #603

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InclusionBot: move religious-tradition entries from Racist to Other #603

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InclusionBot: move religious-tradition entries from Racist to Other
c-tonneslan May 17, 2026
d108591
Merge branch 'main' into fix/inclusion-bot-religious-categories
rahearn May 18, 2026
881b99b
Merge branch 'main' into fix/inclusion-bot-religious-categories
annepetersen May 19, 2026
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16 changes: 8 additions & 8 deletions InclusionBot.md
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Expand Up @@ -60,12 +60,8 @@ approves your changes, they will be merged and become active in the bot.
| long time no see | it's been a while | This term phrase originated as mocking Chinese immigrants’ English.<br><br>See [The Problematic Origins of Common Business Jargon](https://www.fastcompany.com/90239290/six-business-phrases-that-have-racist-origins) for more. |
| no problemo | no hay problema<br>no problem | "No problemo" is mock Spanish and arose as a way of devaluing Spanish in favor of an "English-only" United States. |
| sherpa | guide<br>shepherd<br>coach | The Sherpa are a Tibetan ethnic group, but the word is often used to refer to mountain guides. Sherpa are a people, not a job.<br><br>See [It's time to rethink how we use the word "Sherpa"](https://thiswonderfulword.com/2014/05/01/sherpa/) for more. |
| pow-wow, powwow, pow wow | meeting<br>working session<br>huddle<br>jam session | Powwows are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual traditions. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.<br><br>See [Use these culturally offensive phrases and questions at your own risk](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/culturally-offensive-phrases-you-should-use-at) for more. |
| circle the wagons | hunker down | This term came to be associated with "savage" Native Americans due to Hollywood westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. We want to avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes. |
| spirit animal | role model<br>kindred spirit<br>inspiration<br>secret twin<br>when I grow up, I want to be... | Spirit animals are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual traditions. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.<br><br>See [Use these culturally offensive phrases and questions at your own risk](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/culturally-offensive-phrases-you-should-use-at) for more. |
| totem pole | level of seniority | Totem poles are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual traditions. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.<br><br>See [Use these culturally offensive phrases and questions at your own risk](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/culturally-offensive-phrases-you-should-use-at) for more. |
| off the reservation | off-topic, off-script, breaking the rules | This expression refers to laws that restricted the free movement of Indigenous people. A person who was “off the reservation” was behaving “lawlessly.” We want to avoid upholding colonizing language and ideas. |
| guru | authority<br>maestro<br>virtuoso | A guru is a sacred role in some Indian spiritual traditions and is not merely an expert or guide. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.<br><br>See [The Power of Words](https://www.klipfolio.com/blog/power-of-words) for more. |
| ninja | expert<br>whiz | A ninja was a covert mercenary in feudal Japan. We want to show respect towards cultural traditions.<br><br>See [The Power of Words](https://www.klipfolio.com/blog/power-of-words) for more. |
| blacklist, black list, blacklisted, black listed | blocked list<br>deny list<br>exclude list<br>reject list | This term implies an association between being Black and being bad. We want to avoid this association.<br><br>See [Terminology: It's not black and white](https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/terminology-its-not-black-and-white) for more. |
| whitelist, white list, whitelisted, white listed | unblocked list<br>allow list<br>permit list | This term implies that being white is the only way of being good. We want to avoid this association.<br><br>See [Terminology: It's not black and white](https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/blog-post/terminology-its-not-black-and-white) for more. |
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -96,7 +92,11 @@ approves your changes, they will be merged and become active in the bot.

# Other

| Instead of | Consider | Why |
| ------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Goddamn, goddam, goddamnit, goddammit | awful<br>terrible<br>wretched | This term can be offensive or triggering to some religious traditions because it implies a deity cursing or reproaching people. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions. |
| jesus fucking, fucking christ | Wow<br>oh no<br>oh my | We want to show respect towards all religious traditions. |
| Instead of | Consider | Why |
| ------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Goddamn, goddam, goddamnit, goddammit | awful<br>terrible<br>wretched | This term can be offensive or triggering to some religious traditions because it implies a deity cursing or reproaching people. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions. |
| jesus fucking, fucking christ | Wow<br>oh no<br>oh my | We want to show respect towards all religious traditions. |
| pow-wow, powwow, pow wow | meeting<br>working session<br>huddle<br>jam session | Powwows are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual traditions. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.<br><br>See [Use these culturally offensive phrases and questions at your own risk](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/culturally-offensive-phrases-you-should-use-at) for more. |
| spirit animal | role model<br>kindred spirit<br>inspiration<br>secret twin<br>when I grow up, I want to be... | Spirit animals are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual traditions. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.<br><br>See [Use these culturally offensive phrases and questions at your own risk](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/culturally-offensive-phrases-you-should-use-at) for more. |
| totem pole | level of seniority | Totem poles are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual traditions. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.<br><br>See [Use these culturally offensive phrases and questions at your own risk](https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/culturally-offensive-phrases-you-should-use-at) for more. |
| guru | authority<br>maestro<br>virtuoso | A guru is a sacred role in some Indian spiritual traditions and is not merely an expert or guide. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.<br><br>See [The Power of Words](https://www.klipfolio.com/blog/power-of-words) for more. |
72 changes: 36 additions & 36 deletions src/scripts/inclusion-bot.yaml
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Expand Up @@ -211,17 +211,6 @@ triggers:
been used as a racist slur for Romani people), and is based on a racist
stereotype that Romani people are dishonest or thieves.

- matches:
- guru
alternatives:
- authority
- maestro
- virtuoso
why: >-
A guru is a sacred role in some Indian spiritual traditions and is not
merely an expert or guide. We want to show respect towards all religious
traditions.

- matches:
- grandfathered
alternatives:
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -265,6 +254,17 @@ triggers:
because it implies a deity cursing or reproaching people. We want to show
respect towards all religious traditions.

- matches:
- guru
alternatives:
- authority
- maestro
- virtuoso
why: >-
A guru is a sacred role in some Indian spiritual traditions and is not
merely an expert or guide. We want to show respect towards all religious
traditions.

- matches:
- hysterical
alternatives:
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -476,19 +476,6 @@ triggers:
that their viewpoints should be ignored. This term arose from theater
performance seating, and has racist and classist origins.

- matches:
- pow-wow
- powwow
- pow wow
alternatives:
- meeting
- working session
- huddle
- jam session
why: >-
Powwows are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual traditions. We
want to show respect towards all religious traditions.

- matches:
- postmortem
- post mortem
Expand All @@ -502,6 +489,19 @@ triggers:
":TERM:" can trigger emotions related to death that employees may not want
to process at work.

- matches:
- pow-wow
- powwow
- pow wow
alternatives:
- meeting
- working session
- huddle
- jam session
why: >-
Powwows are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual traditions. We
want to show respect towards all religious traditions.

- matches:
- spaz
- spastic
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -540,18 +540,6 @@ triggers:
The Sherpa are a Tibetan ethnic group, but the word is often used to refer
to mountain guides. Sherpa are a people, not a job.

- matches:
- spirit animal
alternatives:
- role model
- kindred spirit
- inspiration
- secret twin
- when I grow up, I want to be...
why: >-
Spirit animals are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual
traditions. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.

- matches:
- suicide
- suicidal
Expand All @@ -570,6 +558,18 @@ triggers:
":TERM:" can trigger emotions related to vulgarity that employees may not
want to process at work.

- matches:
- spirit animal
alternatives:
- role model
- kindred spirit
- inspiration
- secret twin
- when I grow up, I want to be...
why: >-
Spirit animals are a sacred component of some Indigneous spiritual
traditions. We want to show respect towards all religious traditions.

- matches:
- totem pole
alternatives:
Expand Down
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