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Google Explains Racist Michelle Pic
Google an image of Michelle Obama, and the top hit will be a racist caricature. Though Google won't be removing the image because it doesn't violate the company's Webmaster Guidelines, it did feel the need to explain itself because "the image is offensive to many," a spokesperson said. Google issued a statement explaining that the image was purely a result of the company's search algorithm, and was not in any way a reflection of the beliefs or preferences of Google employees. A Google spokesperson hypothesized that the image could be top hit if people were linking to it to condemn it. The image had been removed once before after a complaint was filed, but not because Google had issued a judgment that the content was racist, rather because the original host site was also serving malware.
Carole65
That's bullshit! They can and should remove it.
johnsmith1882
I have to disagree. Freedom of speech allows people to say, do, and show, all sorts of distasteful things, including racism. Unless the image depicts her being murdered, in the act of child pornography, or is an advertisement for something, it's legal.
nightdragon09
I agree with you johnsmith... in fact I found that pic almost flattering compared to some other pics that come up in an expanded search for Michelle Obama...
http://www.pentoon.com/images-01/subjects/obama/michelle-obama.jpg
Separated at birth perhaps?!?
xlntcat
You theory has been tested by the SCOTUS but that would be a good next step. Freedom of speech was orginated to devalue citizens. It was to protect the press from government control and it has well over stepped it usefulness.
Honchos
Meh, it's a Google bomb. Disgusting and classless but nothing worth getting worked up over. A bunch of racists rigged it with favorable conditions to get the picture an artificially high ranking. It was a temporary thing - it's already gone. Google did the right thing. Censor it and you give the racists something to whine about. Ignore it and it goes away on its own.
bobj72
Sorry Bud, but as of 6:27PM CST it had not been removed.
It's certainly a tribute to The Lowly, Ignorant, Classless, Offsprings of Swine - Racist of America!!
Honchos
For me, it's the the same as it was a few hours ago. A pic of the Obamas from a best dressed list. This is a basic Google image search for "Michelle Obama". Safe search turned off.
And don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning the picture in any way. I'm just saying that this is all part of a planned effort to provoke people and the more you react to it and get angry the more you play into their plan. If you really want to annoy the ignorant just ignore them. Of course, if I could follow my own advice I'd probably post a lot less frequently here.
connie47
It should be removed because it i's not a picture of Mrs. Obama. It's a picture of her that's been altered to make her appear to be a monkey. Google has every right to remove it. Freedom of speech does not apply. Freedom of speech protects the citizen from the government, not from Google.
amapola101
I have not seen it, but anythign offensive, and racist of our first lady should always be removed.We have to be proud and respect our own.Things should be done just because its right.
jaydeekay
Freedom of speech.
bonkus
Freedom of speech doesn't apply - Google is a private entity dude. They can censor anything they feel like. They could censor a picture of a space shuttle if they felt like it. Just like if you run a comic store, you can decide not to carry spiderman if you don't feel like it.
Now, if you want freedom of speech to apply to Google, I think that means you're in favor of sociallizing the internet. Socialist.
jaydeekay
It wasn't Google's picture... dude.
Kricket
It doesn't matter if it's Google's picture, bro. They absolutely have the right to remove it.
Matt572
Freedom of speech under the constitution doesn't apply, but censorship is touchy. If Google were to censor the image, how would we really know where they draw the line on what gets censored? What else aren't they showing us? As soon as people start asking those questions, they start using other search engines, Google loses hits, advertisers, and ultimately, money. Guess what? Money wins.
Or, in a less cynical angle, maybe they believe in the principle of freedom of speech and choose to extend it to their search results.
xlntcat
What happened to freedom of speech for the two protesters who were arrested for wearing tea shirts deemed derogatory of Bush? Were you up in arms regading freedom of speech then. When the SCOTUS rule that a racist photo was covered by Freedom of Speech?
Demsdisorder
well if it quacks and walks like a duck???
johnsmith1882
See? Dems here can post crap like this all day if he wants. Because of the First Amendment, he is guaranteed the freedom of speech. God Bless America.
Honchos
Wow. That's possible the most clearly racist thing Dems has said here (that I've seen at least). He knows he's being racist and if he came out and said what he's thinking he'd get banned again and would have to come back under yet another new name. Instead he's being coy about it by referring to the picture rather than being brave enough to come out and say the hateful crap he's subtly alluding to. Anyway, what's the Voltaire quote?
"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. "
Having morons like him spew hate and ignorance is a small price to pay for freedom of speech.
Demsdisorder
come on it was funny.. lighten up.
djanimaequeen
No Dem it was not funny. That's why everyone you encounter thinks you're a weirdo.
cbeenthere
Disorder is just another poster desperate for attention, nothing new or original.
cbeenthere
PS He slobbers over SP, and thinks Christie Brinkley a liberal hag. Need one say more about his psyche.
SFGiants
Not funny, Dems. Whatcha been drinking?
tolatetocry
with the Obama's everything that is said is going to be a racist remark.
johnsmith1882
Yeah, dude, because a picture of the First Lady with a monkey's face superimposed over hers is _totally_ not racism. Those Obamas, always jumping to conclusions.
brownjackson
To Honchos: it's a shame witty remarks like yours will only be understood by people who watch dailyshow and colbert report. It's not that liberal's are smarter, they have a greater appreciation for tongue-in-cheek, subtle humor. Conseratives like their humor light on meaning, heavy on slapstick e.g. "bomb, bomb Iran, bomb, bomb Iran" It's so obvious that it's only marginally funny. Compare this to Stewart's or Colbert's mockery of parroting the logic of Foxnews, which serves as an unbounded fount of humor.
Honchos
When it involves comparing them to apes, uh, yeah, it is. Pick another animal (well, you might want to avoid some sort of rabbit in the jungle) and then it stops being racist and just starts being silly.
History happened. We live in a context. The connotation is clear to everyone whether you guys want to play dumb about it or not.
johnsmith1882
Honchos, if you are talking to me, I was being sarcastic.
Honchos
No worries johnsmith, I got the sarcasm - I was responding to tolatetocry. I'm not a Republican. I understand how humor works.
reasonable
with tolatetocry(sic) everything that is said is going to be ignorant
Jack59
The Truth hurts doesn't it? There is no doubt that Michelle was and probably still is very racist. Go back in time and research her you will see. If the shoe fits, wear it. Good for Google for standing by what they believe in.
tolatetocry
I've seen plenty of pictures of Bush as a chimp, you didn't have a problem with that, in fact, I'm sure you found it hilarious! If you can dish it out, you better be able to take it, just saying!
djanimaequeen
Do you understand the context? Calling a white person a monkey is not the same thing as calling a black person a monkey. Are you completely retarded? Just sayin.
Demsdisorder
explain please
cbeenthere
disorder-
Djaminaequeen owes you no explanation.
tolatetocry
does your entire life revolve around the color of your freaking skin?
bobj72
"Lower Intestinal Disorder"; Soliciting a response with; "explain please" is a Public Admission of "Social Retardation!" Either you TOTALLY LACK any reasonable measure of Social Awareness, OR you have lived out your life in an "Enclosed Caucasian Colony!!!" (Most of them exist below the Mason-Dixon Line, and they are situated near the Larger Population Hubs.)
Demsdisorder
i just cant understand all of the hesteria. come on you fools the fight is over. time to flog a new horse
Honchos
Dems, you're very blessed to have been able to make it to adulthood in America without ever once having to hear of the heinous and hateful stereotype comparing black people to monkeys. You must have lived a very sheltered life to be blissfully unaware of this imagery that was used for centuries and, as this article shows, continues into the present as a tactic of racists who want to classify black people as subhuman.
Unless of course you're full of it and you're just feigning ignorance and pretending that MLK somehow magically made racism disappear back in the 60s.
Or maybe you guys really do just have the memory of a goldfish.
bobj72
"late crier"; Even if that was true (which I highly DOUBT) - it's socially and intellectually "Stupid" to publicly draw such a comparison. (How often do you "get out?")
tolatetocry
I work in the real world, people are freaking tired of the black people blues, its old and its tired!
bobj72
"late crier"; You are "Old and Tired" and you are the BASE-LINE (type) that's the CAUSE of Most of the Social Problems and the Real Problematic Race Relations (include Gender, Age, Sexual Preference) that exist today.
You may live and work in 'Your real world' but you are Absolutely WITHOUT A CLUE....... when it relates to anyone other than Old, Stinky, Wrinkled-Up, Under-Educated, Ever Complaining, White man. Who Consistently acts-out the Role of "The World Owes Me The Right To Be Superior!"
If you can't accept the Fact that you're EQUAL to everyone AND Superior to NO ONE....... You're Dated and You're a Burden on the Total of Society. YOU make up your mind, if you want to participate with others, do so without a condescending attitude
Honchos
Hey tolate: You know who's really tired of the black people blues?
Black people.
reasonable
zzzzzzzzzzing!
SFGiants
Never saw any pictures of Bush as a chimp. Now as a chump--yeah.
bobj72
It is SUCH A SHAME that Sanity and Common Sense fails to prevail. But ACTS such as the referenced subject were inevitable. And I point not to the full breadth of the First Amendment. I point to the Outright Failure and Refusal of the "Political Right" to take on the Responsibility to reign-in the Hate-Speech, the "Racist Innundo" and the Racial & Ethnic Cynicism.
Check this out....... I am a Black man and I ABSOLUTELY AND FULLY DETEST the Very Thought of Sarah Palin. But being an intelligent, civil and responsible adult - I would NOT even Consider Maligning, Defaming or Demeaning Her, publicly or privately. Yet....... for a Black Woman - They Damn the fact that she is "The First Lady of America", their actions harken us back to the Days of the Plantation and the Inhumane treatment Black Women were exposed to.
It's NOT that Race Relations in America was "set back" 50 Years with the Election of Barack Obama. It's that They Sensed NO OBJECTIONS to Their Opening Racist Overatures - from Their White Brothern. So the "Masquerade of "The White Supremacist", "The KKK" and "The Other Garden Variety Racist", SENSING NO OBJECTIONS from Their White Brothern to their "Beginning Overatures", They Simply DECIDED to STEP-UP THEIR HATEFUL ACTIVITIES!!!
Frankly, whosoever FAILS TO PUBICLY DENOUNCE this Detestable Racist Crap (in my humble opinion) is as Guilty as the Villanous Perpurtrators!
tolatetocry
hey bob,
if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! a democrat said that, Harry Truman an evil white man!
bobj72
"late crier"; Why you "Broke Back" LYING Half-A-Man, that's NOT HEAT....... It's "Low Down, Trailer-Trash, Bovine-Mating HATE SPEECH." Make NO Mistake about it, either Bub!!!"
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n--Y--maladaptedbobj72
"Might Not Adapt"; Answer this for me. Why is it that some White folks "GO DUMB ON YOU" when they get caught with their Pants Down??? That BS you posed, I GUESS worked O.K. ....... 50 Years or so - Ago. That CHIT WON'T FLY TODAY, Buddy.
NOW... "That's calling a Spade a Spade!!!"
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n--Y--maladaptedbobj72
"Might Not Adapt"; The problem you're encountering has Nothing to do with coherence... It's either Genetic, related to your Heritage or something you failed to achieve on the Educational front.
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n--Y--maladaptedThis user is no longer registered.
n--Y--maladaptedoaklynne
According to maladapted, it's perfectly OK to depict Sarah Palin as a monkey - great, photoshoppers, get started and get them up on the web!
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n--Y--maladaptedreasonable
Letting twenty monkeys in a room type random letters until they form words and then posting them online is funny!
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n--Y--maladaptedreasonable
Seriously? You're tearing a page from the Andy Rooney book of comedy?
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n--Y--maladaptedreasonable
m'lady,
It's late and I'm tired and I'm supposed to be studying, so I'm gonna break my cardinal rule of TDB engagement (never bang my head against a brick wall for entertainment) and answer you seriously. Feel free to hang me by my thumbs.
I agree that race is an issue that lies beneath just about all aspects of our public life here in America. I agree that sometimes we do not know what is acceptable to say, and the rules keep changing. I think that anyone who says they are absolutely color blind and free of every possible prejudice is full of crap. I have been known to target the misspellers, grammar manglers and punctuation offenders with tremendous zeal, so I'm in no position to judge.
But, Maladapted, I also know that when someone posts something online it stays there forever and can have unintended consequences. McCain's adopted daughter found out what was said about her during the 2000 campaign when she googled her name and it devastated her. Is that who you are? You can have your own personal prejudices...but do you really need to share them with the world?
Demsdisorder
are you saying im a racist?
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n--Y--maladaptedreasonable
Depicting a black person as a monkey is bad
Depicting a white person as a monkey is not bad
Are you suggesting that you don't understand why it's wrong to depict a black person as a monkey?
Or were you spelling it out so other posters won't make an ignorant mistake?
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n--Y--maladaptedDragonScorpion
~"Google issued a statement explaining that the image was purely a result of the company's search algorithm, and was not in any way a reflection of the beliefs or preferences of Google employees."~
Duh! I cannot believe people are getting so worked up over this. Do you support free speech, or not? I do. Do you favor censorship, or not? I don't. Did you think it was right when Google sold out to China, allowing the government to filter their content to "protect China's citizens" from being exposed to things like tanks on Tiananmen Square? I sure as hell didn't. And as such I don't see any reason why it would be appropriate for Google to filter out racist, sexist, homophobic, or other offensive content from its searches. For the most part, they should truly be indifferent to content.
I'd like to remind the liberals out there that curtailment of free speech is an enemy to the democratic process. I'd also like to remind them to apply some consistency, like when they don't want lewd music banned, or objectionable content on TV censored by the FCC, or pornographic artwork pulled out of museums, etc. etc. etc.
Censorship doesn't suddenly become less draconian because it's in the name of political-correctness.
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n--Y--maladaptedDragonScorpion
~"Assigning group guilt for one person's deed is the exact sort of offense that racism involves." ~ Maladapted
True. But, just so that you know, this applies to demonizing homosexuals in general because of the actions of a few. Which, bloggers like AslanLeon do in nearly every thread that involves homosexuality at TDB. If you actually apply your principles with any consistency then you should point this out the next time you see it here.
Demsdisorder
I love that poster
reasonable
DragonScorpion,
I was responding to maladapted's post where he made a list of things that are considered "objectionable" by PCbots, including "depicting a black person as a monkey is bad."
That has nothing to do with free speech. For the record, I don't believe in censorship or limiting free speech.
I was addressing the issue of racism. Whether or not it is racist to depict Michelle Obama as a monkey, not whether or not it is legal.
I believe it IS racist. Not illegal, not against the constitution...just morally objectionable.
Also, for maladapted to contend that he doesn't understand why such an image is racist is disingenuous at best. I've read his posts, he's not an idiot. Whether or not he is racist isn't for me to decide.
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n--Y--maladaptedreasonable
"It is certainly racist to alter that photo that way, by any normal definition of the term"
We agree on that, thank you for saying it.
Happy Thanksgiving
DragonScorpion
@reasonable
I want to make sure there are no misunderstandings. 1) I was not directing my comments at anyone in particular, except where noted. 2) In no way am I defending this racist garbage.
In most instances it most certainly is racist to depict blacks as monkeys and that is the intention. I still think it's protected (free) speech/expression and should be. That accounts for the legal angle, anyway.
I also believe the importance of the Internet being kept as uncensored as possible far outweighs the burden of having to deal with asinine behavior, including the distribution of offensive content. I think there are better ways to deal with bigotry online than Google using mass filters, which is what some have advocated. It is this solution and the mentality that would endorse it that I oppose.
reasonable
dragonscorpion,
I agree with you completely regarding an uncensored internet.
Happy Thanksgiving
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n--Y--maladaptedDragonScorpion
Hmmm... That can so easily be applied as having either a supportive or a disapproving connotation. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and add, I think people who ACTUALLY have gay friends know that homosexual orientation neither establishes one as being moral or immoral.
As for AslanLeon's use of demonizing an entire group by the actions of some, here is one directed at "liberals":
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/maine-rejects-gay-marriage /rebukes/#comment_310938
Here are two directed at gays and supporters of:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/maine-rejects-gay-marriage /rebukes/#comment_311694
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/maine-rejects-gay-marriage /rebukes/#comment_310875
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n--Y--maladaptedDragonScorpion
"The is no moral component to being gay or straight."
Well said. Glad to see it. And I don't doubt that you have gay friends, though with sarcasm online being what it is it can be difficult to tell just what people mean sometimes. To be safe my caveat was only to point out that those who really do have gay friends and consider them to be friends, wouldn't believe that there is something inherently immoral about us. I have encountered those who do claim to have gay "friends" who also claim such experiences have reinforced their belief about an intrinsic lack of morality among us. You are obviously not one of them. I was hoping that would be the case.
Happy holiday.
Thank you.
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