pibby means the practice of zoning dangerous or hazardous facilities, such as incinerators, landfills, and dumps, in predominantly Black neighborhoods. It carries an Arena rating of 1116, earned across 9 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, pibby ranks #950 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,128 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,194 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #3,135 of 17,151 for The Improbable.
Why “pibby” is a great word
The systemic, racially discriminatory practice of siting dangerous or polluting facilities, such as incinerators and landfills, in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Coined in 1979 by Robert Bullard, the term is an acronym of ‘place in Blacks’ back yard’, modeled after NIMBY (not in my backyard). Unlike NIMBY—which describes a general, often affluent local opposition—or the broader framework of environmental racism, PIBBY specifies the concrete, operational mechanism of that injustice. It is the acrid scent of an incinerator downwind from a playground, the rumble of garbage trucks past church on Sunday, and the zoning map redrawn in shadow—the bureaucratic enactment of a calculated, geographical sorrow.
Etymology
Acronym of place in Blacks' back yard, modeled after NIMBY. Coined by Robert Bullard.
noun
- The practice of zoning dangerous or hazardous facilities, such as incinerators, landfills, and dumps, in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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