Snapshot 4:Thu, Sep 11, 2025 6:30:01 PM GMT last edited by Kevin

Musk Challenges AP's Race Capitalization Rules

Musk Challenges AP's Race Capitalization Rules on X

Published SEP 11 2025

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Above: Elon Musk is photographed at SpaceX in Brownsville, Texas on May 27, 2025. Image credit: Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post/Getty Images

The Spin

The AP's capitalization rules represent thoughtful journalism standards based on extensive research and global consultation. Black deserves capitalization because it represents a unified cultural identity forged through shared historical experiences of discrimination and diaspora. White people typically identify with specific ethnic heritages rather than a collective white culture, making capitalization less justified. The decision distances journalism from white supremacist language while respecting Black identity and community.

The Associated Press The Associated Press

These capitalization rules expose clear anti-whiteWhite bias in mainstream media institutions. Either all racial terms deserve equal treatment through capitalization, or none should be capitalized — anything else constitutes discrimination by definition. The AP's reasoning — which reflects Critical Race Theory — creates a racial hierarchy in print, making whiteWhite people appear as second-class citizens while elevating other groups. This double standard reflects the broader anti-whiteWhite sentiment that has infected legacy media organizations.

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Kyle Becker on X

The capitalization debate reveals the complexity of language and identity in modern America. Both approaches carry unintended consequences — capitalizing "white" risks legitimizing supremacist language, while lowercasing it may reinforce whiteness as an unmarked default. The issue demonstrates how even grammar rules become battlegrounds for deeper cultural conflicts about race, power and representation in society. No perfect solution exists when language intersects with centuries of racial history.

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