wypipologist Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com

NegusWhoRead

Wypipologist is based on wypipo, a Black slang term for “white people” (particularly those perceived to be racist, unaware of their own privilege, or engaging in cultural appropriation) based on a Black colloquial pronunciation of the phrase. Wypipo is especially found on social media, such as Black Twitter, and is recorded as early as 2016.

Added to wypipo is the suffix -ologist, signifying someone with expert knowledge of a particular domain of study, usually a kind of science (think biologist). A wypipologist, then, “studies” wypipology —  the science of white people, as it were, or white, mainstream culture.

Why does Donald Trump keep coming for black folks?

We consulted resident our wypipologist, @MichaelHarriot, to take a look at Trump’s tweets about black people, by the numbers. pic.twitter.com/xwweIInigj

— The Root (@TheRoot) August 25, 2018

The term wypipologist appears to have been coined by journalist and commentator Michael Harriot, a major contributor to the Black-geared website The Root in early 2017. In his bio for the site, Harriot describes himself as a “world-renowned wypipologist.”

Harriot often uses wypipologist in his irreverent coverage of white people and their sometimes-ridiculous or racist behaviors, ranging from the humorous (making acoustic versions of rap songs) to the harmful (calling cops on Black people for being, well, Black).

From Harriot, the term has spread and a few other media personalities began cheekily calling themselves wypipologists.