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WalMart website compares African American leaders to Apes
walmart.com — WalMart online shoppers who buy the Planet of the Apes DVD set are shown similar items available for purchase. Among these are documentaries on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., boxer Jack Johnson, and Tina Turner. I am not sure how these items are similar, but it sure is offensive.
44north- 576 diggs
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- anonymoustroll, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2...well, what the hell isn't offensive about WalMart?
- jfair, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Dugg. This is insane. It's very offensive.
- goat4, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2LOL SO HILARIOUS
oh man that funny - 44north, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1unfreakingbelievable
- ViperDaimao, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1weird. Im at a loss to explain this. I dont believe that any store, much less one like walmart would intentionally insult any group like this. but im still really wondering whats going on here? Possibly a lone website worker playing a sick joke?
- angedinoir, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0Um, they're all DVDs? Oh well. Stupid ***** always think people are being racist.
- |ant|, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1i agree that this is freakin hilarious
- Mordanthanus, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11You know what? Most people would probably have never noticed this if it wasn't shown to them. Am I the only one who is getting tired of hearing about racism? This is just an example of some dumb ass's idea of a joke... one that only he/she and a couple of friends might have seen. Now, it is dugg up for all the world to see and for weeks we will hear nothing else except how "white people" are all racist when it was just one prick. Damnit why can't people just get over it.
- Stillbored, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Right, they re-programmed the entire ***** script used for the site and the reccomendations just to compare African Americans to Apes.
I'm surprised you people can even find you keyboards. - redman5419, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Here here, Moranthanus.
- 44north, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I am sure Wal-Mart isn't actively trying to be racist. My first email was to Wal-Mart corporate informing them of the oddity. But, your comments intrigue me even more. Are we really supposed to overlook everything just because we are tired of the argument?
- quatre4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4It honestly just looks like the Walmart script is just written poorly. The Martin Luther King documentary lists Polar Express and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as similar. Dukes of Hazzard (unrated) also lists Polar Express and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (kids movies) as similar sometimes, in addition to Batman: Begins (how they hell are they related?). It seems to me like it's just bad quality database work.
- 44north, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I agree the script is the culprit and not some racist programmer looking to make a point. BUT, things like this are what hurt the reputations of good companies. It is a matter of poor quality control. A company the size of Wal-Mart should have people testing and retesting things to make sure this doesn't happen. Not in this day and age.
- Azlen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My guess is that someone outside of the company took advantage of the poor script and caused it to occur.
- dirtyfratboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I doubt this was on purpose, but Caveat Venditor...
++digg - nork, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Oddity? Script error? They've clearly classified this DVD set as black or african american themed. Way to go Wal Mart.
- frankendigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That is just soooo wrong. Try not to laugh, i dare ya.
- 44north, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Hell, I'm black and I DID laugh..then i was offended...then I laughed again. I am so wrong.
- Fantt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Bad AI!! No donut!
- frankendigg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0How long before they fix this, I give them 48 hrs.
- exoendo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0it's not ++digg. it's digg++. I invented digg++. Get it right.
- dirtyfratboy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0@exoendo
1.it was a typo dammit, i didnt even mean to give two diggs
2.btw, al gore took the initiative in creating the Internet - exoendo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0I'm not knocking you. I am just spreading the word that I invented digg++ :p (it's true, I'm that great)
- Grandfinale1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I'm so offended. But weird funny, Wal-Mart better do something quick.
DiggXDIgg = Digg...lol - FredM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8As a monkey from the future, I am offended by the comparison to black people.
- 44north, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0you so funny fred. now go eat another banana!
:) - skell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0daaaaamn! someone's gonna get in some ***** for that :P
- techlinks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Uh...some people are just idiotic. It's obvious it's pure coincidence. Like other people mentioned...look at the other recommendations.
- srj76, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Walmart didn't make the comparision, but you sure did. So, I guess we can call you racist now.
- zaibatsu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0We all love Walmart. Soon we will get to worship them... Walmart is all me need.
- Vladk1000, on 10/12/2007, -3/+0It's just a coincidence, I'm sure it wasn't done on purpose.
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http://ultra-tech.blogspot.com/ - Odweaver, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Submitter is a moron, they choose that based on what other people have went to from that, kinda like what was done to Jack Thompson's book on amazon.com
NO DIGG FOR STUPIDITY! - njbraun, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Hahaha, Oh please. Some webmaster prolly got a little bored one day and futched a bit with the code. If you were massively offended by that, you need to pick up a hobby. It was a joke, a rude one, but still a joke. Nobody got killed or injured, everything is fine, get over it.
- avantretard, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Racism is a THEME explored in all those works. This combined with a subpar database system = NON STORY.
- jonathanex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Coincidence, but funny.
- fani, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Hahahahaha. I don't know what to say....hahahahha..
Its probably offensive or maybe not offensive since planet of the apes is just a movie, not a documentary about monkeys/apes.
Also, planet of the apes shows the apes to have conquered most men,so its probably a good thing
Yay, Walmart ? - supremechees, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA! ITS THE GODDAMN WHITE MAN I TELLS YA!
- spiderland, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0"it's not ++digg. it's digg++. I invented digg++. Get it right."
Who cares? ++Digg. - BNJM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Do you suppose they suggest a sleeveless flannel lumberjack shirt, mud flaps for your truck, a box of ammunition, and a case of beer when you buy something NASCAR related?
Wal-Mart sucks anyway! - SilentSpyder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That's messed UP. Someone take some screenshots before they take it down and claimed it never happened!
- 44north, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0the website doesn't say these are items people also purchased, it says SIMILAR items. I am not offended to the point of marching on Little Rock, AR, but it is mildly offensive nonetheless.
- WickedDrag0oN, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Ohh for cryin out loud, thats funny as hell. Just shows you know what kind of people run that website. Seriously though, you idiots that are griping about it being insulting? Its only insulting if you percieve it that way... Insensitive? Ya sure but are you being overly dramatic over a rating system recomending movies with black people in them? Honestly people find a sense of humor. Being so serious and uptight about life will only kill you sooner. If some kkk, neo nazi, or gang member doesnt do it first you whiney bastard.
- buzzkillg230rc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I doubt that was intentional..
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=850027 - Opiate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Agreed with srj76.. The only ones that are racist are the ones that made the association themselves. If you look at the other recommendations they don't make much sense either. Legislated politically correct racism ftw.
- ernestorocks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think it isn't a coincidence, I mean if you look at "See More Below", the rest of those movies are also related to african americans. Also, the database must have a way of classifying the items, and obviously a link was made between planet of the apes and african american related movies.
I think this was probably a bored worker's way of keeping themselves entertained. - Samus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1no sane person can read this story and not laugh
- spyro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My guess is that if you wrote a script to compare each page you would find a couple words that are in every description or something along those lines.
- wizgha, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0What's the big deal? Looks purely coincidental to me. Would anyone have said anything if it was a documentary about a white person?
This somehow reminds me of that South Park episode ("Chef Goes Nanners") where the adults were the only ones making the racist links...
Now quit your PC obsession and get a life. - tardmonger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Damn dirty apes!
- fname, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is not a Wal*Mart, it's a problem is general of recommendation engines. Some white supremacists or racists probably went about viewing African-American themed movies, then browsed ape-themed movies, in order to get this result. Amazon has been bothered by this type of activity in the past.
Don't blame Wal*Mart. I doubt they have anything to do with this. -
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