In modern times, when a person is blackballed, it means he or she is excluded from normal society for breaking important social rules. However, blackballing is more frequent in the job market. If an employee has been fired from a job for controversial reasons, then he might find landing another job very difficult because of negative feedback (or blackballing) from his former employers and colleagues.
Blackballing started as a system of voting. The word ‘ballot’, now meaning a ‘vote’ is derived from the Italian ‘ballota’ for ‘small ball’. The system was used by exclusive clubs, for example, the Freemasons, to admit new members. It was also used to expel undesirable members. Members were given one small black and white ball each. A black ball would stand for a negative vote and a white for a positive one. They would drop it into a communal voting box kept under a cloth cover for security. Each club had its own rules. In some, a single black ball would decide the aspiring member’s fate. In others, a certain number of either black or white balls had to be polled for rejection or admission.
The origin of the system can also be traced to the ancient Greeks who used light or dark shards of pottery as voting ballots. Called ‘ostrakon’, the piece would carry the name of the person whom the community wished to exile or ostracise.
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