Wallmart Racist? (1 Viewer)

[nofriendo]

A WAL-MART WEB STORE feature that creates movie recommendations has been shut down after it started making racist suggestions. Apparently, if you took out a Planet of the Apes DVD the site would suggest that you would also like films about African-Americans including Martin Luther King Jr.
The problems were made public when someone started circulating a screenshot on the Interweb showing Wal-Mart store making suggestions about similar items to a boxed DVD set, Planet Of The Apes: The Complete TV Series. The software suggested four movies about the lives of Martin Luther King Jr, actress Dorothy Dandridge, boxer Jack Johnson and singer Tina Turner.
Wal-mart acted swiftly to manually change the site so that the Planet of the Apes set linked to Friends, Everybody Loves Raymond and Star Wars.
But it became clear that the software had a mind of its own and was making other links that Wal-Mart wished it didn’t.
In a statement, a spokes-Mart admitted Walmart.com's item mapping process "does not work correctly and, at this point, is mapping seemingly random combinations of titles. We were horrified to discover that some hurtful and offensive combinations are being mapped together.
"We are deeply sorry that this happened," she added.
Other African American films were being randomly linked to titles such as Home Alone and Power Puff Girls, Polar Express and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. µ

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=28777

 

[MDR]

So is the answer that they're not racist and that it was just an error?

 

[nofriendo]

So is the answer that they're not racist and that it was just an error?

Maybe their system is just apeist then! And yeah it was just an error and i swear i didnt mean to start this fire i just flicked away my smoke!!

 

[MDR]

Apeism is rife where i live. They really need an ape crisis centre.

 

[nofriendo]

Apeism is rife where i live. They really need an ape crisis centre.

Just knock the R from your local rape crisis centre sign , i think be law they then have to convert then!

 

[SONYMEGADRIVE]

i was gaybashed by Centra on Dame st, coming out of the George once

not the same thing but i think it's relevant

 

[MDR]

i was gaybashed by Centra on Dame st, coming out of the George once

not the same thing but i think it's relevant

You're right. Planet of the Apes has bred a lot of violence among the nig nog community.

 

[A Cream Lolly]

What the hell is a "spokes-mart"?

 

[therealjohnny]

I'm not a racist but...

The Planet of the Apes sequels dealt with class and social issues which could be interpreted as metaphors for racism in society

I'm with the all knowing Wal-Smart 2000 or whatever the machine is called


the Tina Turner thing though...hmm

well Charlton heston was the "hero" and I'm sure Dr. Zaius thought to himself "great, that's all we need"