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Tag: racist

  • Did Google’s Attempt To Fix Racist Results Screw Over Businesses?

    It looks like Google Maps vandalism and Google’s way of addressing it may have led to a massive rankings shift in local search results, which can obviously have a major impact on businesses.

    Have you noticed any drastic changes in local search results? Let us know in the comments.

    Last week, news came out that Google Maps had been tampered with to lead users to the White House and other locations when a user searched for certain racist queries. As soon as this was pointed out in a Washington Post article, Google released a statement.

    “Some inappropriate results are surfacing in Google Maps that should not be, and we apologize for any offense this may have caused. Our teams are working to fix this issue quickly,” it said.

    Not long after that, Google said:

    “We were deeply upset by this issue, and we are fixing it now. We apologize this has taken some time to resolve, and want to share more about what we are doing to correct the problem. At Google, we work hard to bring people the information they are looking for, including information about the physical world through Google Maps. Our ranking systems are designed to return results that match a person’s query. For Maps, this means using content about businesses and other public places from across the web. But this week, we heard about a failure in our system—loud and clear. Certain offensive search terms were triggering unexpected maps results, typically because people had used the offensive term in online discussions of the place. This surfaced inappropriate results that users likely weren’t looking for.”

    “Our team has been working hard to fix this issue. Building upon a key algorithmic change we developed for Google Search, we’ve started to update our ranking system to address the majority of these searches—this will gradually roll out globally and we’ll continue to refine our systems over time. Simply put, you shouldn’t see these kinds of results in Google Maps, and we’re taking steps to make sure you don’t.”

    As previously reported, That “key algorithmic change” involved tackling Googlebombs – the practice of making sites rank for certain, often derogatory searches by linking to the site behind “obscure or meaningless queries.” The most famous Google bomb involved George W. Bush’s page ranking for “miserable failure”.

    Google fixed the Google bomb issue a long time ago didn’t it? How could this have happened? Here’s how industry veteran Danny Sullivan explained it in a post last week:

    To understand more, say Google knows about a local sporting goods store. The owner of that store might explain in the description it provides to Google Maps that it sells baseball, football and hockey equipment. It also sells other sporting equipment, but if these things aren’t also listed in its description or on its associated web site, the store might not be deemed relevant for those things.

    With the Pigeon Update, Google sought to correct this. Imagine that some customer of the site wrote a blog post saying that the store was a great place to get skiing equipment. Google, seeing the business named in that post, might effectively add this information to the business listing, making it relevant for skiing equipment. To our understanding, there doesn’t even have to be a link to the business site or listing in Google Maps. Using a business name alone might be enough to create the connection.

    It appears Google’s fix ended up creating a new problem, at least for many businesses who had gotten used to their local result rankings. As Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable points out, there has been a lot of talk in local search forums about changes that have led to “massive ranking” shifts. He attributes this to the Googlebomb fix, as most discussion of the changes began right after Google’s apology.

    Here’s a sample of what Google Local Specialist Linda Buquet said in a post at Local Search Forum. “Results seem to be more national organic and less localized. PLUS even if you set location to where you client is, the organic results you see are all for the actual location you are searching from and you don’t get results that are localized to the search location setting. PLUS packs are smaller and more scattered if you don’t use a GEO modifier. Just all kinds of changes!…the majority of consumers search without GEO. So most consumers are going to be seeing theses smaller pack/less localized results.”

    Local search guy Mike Blumenthal talks more about the “screwy” location results here.

    It’s entirely possible that Google will get everything back in order, but as we’ve seen with many updates in the past, that can often take a lot of time, and Google is probably more concerned about the vandalism that led to all of this more than some shuffled rankings for the time being. This has been tremendously pad PR for the company, not only due to the highly offensive, racist nature of the most recent case, but also the fact that it is only the latest example in a string of attacks on Google Maps. That’s simply not good for the reputation of such an important product.

    Unfortunately, businesses have little they can do to recover their listings until Google makes changes on its end.

    To be clear, it’s not a sure thing that the Googlebomb fix is actually what caused the “massive” changes in local results. It’s a theory that’s out there, mainly due to the timing and the location-related nature of both things.

    Buquet said in a Google+ comment last night, “I mentioned that at 1st too, but this does not seem related now that I think more about it. They were going to Google bomb it. But Chiropractor and Dentist are not terms they would Google bomb. And the whole layout is different for non-GEO terms, which does not seem to jive with the White House deal.”

    Ultimately, the actual cause doesn’t necessarily matter to businesses who have to deal with the blow Google has dealt with. It seems like things acre screwed up enough that it will need to come down to a fix on Google’s end. Will it happen? In another Google+ post last week, the issue of location settings was brought up, and Google’s John Mueller said that nothing had changed, and that they “use a bunch of factors for geotargeting,” but after others (including Blumenthal) chimed in, Mueller said he’d double check”.

    What are your thoughts on the issue? Discuss.

    Image via Cezary p, Wikimedia Commons

  • Clorox Washes ‘Racist’ Bleach Joke

    Clorox Washes ‘Racist’ Bleach Joke

    Clorox has become the latest in a long line of companies to say something dumb on Twitter. It won’t be the last.

    Looking to piggyback on all the chatter surrounding the new Apple emojis, which made their debut earlier this week, Clorox sent out a tweet with an image of a Clorox bottle composed entirely of existing emojis.

    “New emojis are alright, but where’s the bleach?” it read.

    In case you’re not caught up on the latest emoji news, the thing about the new emojis is that they contain a more racially diverse set of faces.

    Cue the outrage:

    Clorox has since removed the tweet and apologized, saying it wishes it “could bleach away that last tweet.”

    You know, toilets, sinks, tubs, wine, etc.

    There are two sides to this, both of which are maddening and ridiculous. On one hand you have Clorox – more specifically whoever runs Clorox’s social media presence. When your job is to run a large company’s social media, I’d like to think you’d be a little less myopic. That seems like an important trait of a social media manager.

    You have to be able to step back, look at the big picture, and see how a tweet or Facebook post could be misconstrued. Let’s call it the ooooooooh, I see principle. Or maybe the duuuuuude, c’mon rule.

    How could that tweet actually make it out?

    On the other hand, you have the social media outrage machine.

    You really think Clorox was making a racist joke? You honestly believe that whoever runs Clorox’s social media accounts thought to themselves hey, I’m going to black people bleach their skin – but you know, in a haha type of way!

    Lessons learned – 1.) hire a better social media manager and 2.) be a little more selective when it comes to where you sling your outrage. Save it for the intentionally racist garbage spewed out across the internet on a daily basis. There’s plenty.

    Now, let’s all focus on this truly offensive thing Clorox posted this week…

    Image via Clorox, Twitter

  • “Dear White People” Director Wants People To Think

    Dear White People, a film that started with a self-funded concept trailer for an immensely successful crowd-funding project, is getting a lot of talk these days.

    The film is a work by a new and impressive director, Justin Simien. It follows characters on the fictional college campus of Winchester University as they interact in different racially charged situations.

    Dear White People centers around the character Samantha (Sam) White, played by Tessa Thompson, a provocative radio DJ who hosts a show called Dear White People.

    The radio show addresses differences in white and black people and showcases how the two races interact. The pointers that are given by Sam White on her show, Dear White People, range from humorous (like you have to have two black friends to not seem like a racist now) to deep and heartfelt (like stop touching her hair, it’s inappropriate).

    According to the director of Dear White People, the film isn’t just a shallow compare-and-contrast about the differences in the stereotypical black person and the stereotypical white person.

    He challenges us to each examine the role we play for others and who we really are inside, and to rethink trying to fit into a pre-made race mold.

    “I know that people are going to talk about the issues in the film,” said Justin Simien, referring to race, sexuality and gender. “But, ultimately I want people to walk away thinking about their own identities and the way in which they created the character that they play and the way that character holds them back and pushes them forward. Truly, that’s what the movie is about to me.”

    He added, “That to me was the whole point, for people to see themselves. Maybe be a little uncomfortable with what they see and go out into the world maybe rethinking themselves.”

    Sounds like such a great concept. What do you think about the premise behind Dear White People?

  • Boston Herald: Obama Cartoon Was Honest Mistake, Not Racist

    Twitter has been aflutter over a cartoon that recently appeared in the Boston Herald, and the newspaper, as well as the cartoonist behind the controversial ‘funny’, have made apologies.

    The cartoon, meant to poke fun at the recent Secret Service breach which saw an armed intruder make it wa(aaaaa)y too far into the White House, depicted said intruder sitting in Obama’s bathtub while the President brushes his teeth.

    “Have you tried the new Watermelon flavored toothpaste?” asks the man.

    The cartoon went viral (and not in the good way) soon after publication, as people pointed out that it played off a particularly prevalent racial stereotype involving African Americans and watermelon.

    The cartoonist in question, Jerry Holbert, recently went on the record – apologizing to any and all who were offended.

    “I want to apologize to anyone I offended who was hurt by the cartoon,” Holbert told Boston Herald Radio. “It was certainly, absolutely, not my intention … I was completely naive or innocent to any racial connotations. I wasn’t thinking along those lines at all.”

    What was he thinking? Apparently, the idea to go with ‘watermelon’ as opposed to any other flavoring was sparked by his kids’ watermelon-flavored toothpaste.

    The newspaper echoed Holbert’s insistence that the cartoon was in no way meant to offend.

    “As Jerry Holbert discussed on Boston Herald Radio this morning, his cartoon satirizing the U.S. Secret Service breach at the White House has offended some people and to them we apologize. His choice of imagery was absolutely not meant to be hurtful. We stand by Jerry, who is a veteran cartoonist with the utmost integrity.”

    Though the original version appeared in the Herald, an alternate version with “raspberry” instead of watermelon was drafted for syndication.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Halle Berry Talks About Her Role as a White Racist

    Actress Halle Berry recently spoke of the challenges of her Frankie & Alice role in the Blue-Ray/DVD release, which was released last week.

    In the film, directed by Geoffery Sax (White Noise, Othello), Berry plays Frankie, a black go-go dancing woman with dissociative identity disorder caused by a repressed traumatic incident from her childhood. But her other alter-egos come into play: Genius, a seven-year-old child, and Alice, a Southern white racist woman.

    “[This] was hard for me as a person and as an actor,” she said. “It was hard for me to accept and understand that a woman could exist inside of a person of color that was filled with so much hatred and had the ability to express it the way she did.”

    Although the part intimidated her, Berry still wanted to do it.

    “Whenever I am scared to death of something, then I know I am on the right track,” she said.

    But the 48-year old also said that the role compared to her own struggles in Hollywood as a black actress.

    “I relate to a woman’s will to survive and to win. I’ve had to operate from that place my whole life as a black woman in this industry,” she said. “I’ve had to persevere, I’ve had to find ways to reinvent myself, I’ve had to find ways to not feel victimized but to keep fighting, keep fighting.”

    Based on a true story, Berry said that Frankie had to “keep believing she could overcome things.”

    Berry was nominated and earned several awards for the film, including Best Actress by the African-American Film Critics Association and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture by the NAACP Awards.

    Despite Berry giving it her all, Frankie & Alice received several mixed reviews.

    The Hollywood Reporter called it “a well-wrought psychological drama that delves into the dark side of one woman’s psyche” but, holding a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 21%, others weren’t so receptive.

    Frankie & Alice also stars Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Oz, Frankie’s psychiatrist.

  • Racist Woman Poised for Viral Infamy After Insane, Almost Unbelievable Rant

    I’d like to start this off by saying that this woman be crazy. This woman be so crazy she’s almost a little too crazy. This woman be so crazy that it makes me question the authenticity of this video, simply based on the fact that even crazy people are rarely this crazy.

    But if we take this video, uploaded Thursday, as genuine, we have quite the viral star on our hands! Congrats lady – like this racist stripper before you, you’re now a candidate for the racists caught on camera hall of fame. Take a bow.

    It appears that the crazy person was involved in a minor accident with our cameraman. This did not make her happy, and his appearance seems to tip her over the edge. Here is a sample of some of the crazy exhibited by our soon-to-be viral star.

    “F*ck you, if I had a gun I would shoot you dead.”

    “I’m gonna goddamn kill your kids and your mother.”

    “You f*ckin Muslim.”

    “You blow up school bus children, you goddamn son of a n*gger-lovin atheist bitch.”

    That last one was a doozy, huh?

    Here’s the thing. The video, which has amassed nearly 350,000 views, was uploaded to a comedy channel and let’s be honest, seems almost unbelievable. It’s probably real, because people are insane – but I’m going to hope, for the sake of humanity, that this is some sort of bit.

    Image via YouTube screenshot

  • Donald Sterling Apologizes For Racist Remarks

    In his first public comments since being banned from the NBA, Donald Sterling, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, has apologized for his racist comments.

    On Sunday, Sterling broke his silence and told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that he was sorry for the things he said, and claims that he is not racist. “I’m not a racist,” Sterling said. “I made a terrible mistake. I’m here to apologize.”

    The interview comes nearly two weeks after Sterling was banned from the NBA for life and fined $2.5 million. “I’m a good member who made a mistake,” Sterling added. “Am I entitled to one mistake, am I after 35 years? I mean, I love my league, I love my partners. Am I entitled to one mistake? It’s a terrible mistake, and I’ll never do it again.”

    “The reason it’s hard for me, very hard for me, is that I’m wrong,” Sterling continued. “I caused the problem. I don’t know how to correct it. If the owners feel I have another chance, then they’ll give it to me.” So far, that chance does not seem likely as Cooper is urging the other league owners to force Sterling to sell his team.

    Sterling’s wife Shelly Sterling says that she will fight to keep her 50 percent ownership of the team. ”I will fight that decision,” Shelly said. ”To be honest with you, I’m wondering if a wife of one of the owners, and there’s 30 owners, did something like that, said those racial slurs, would they oust the husband? Or would they leave the husband in? I don’t know why I should be punished for what his actions were.”

    In response to Shelly’s concerns, NBA spokesman Mike Bass issued a statement. ”Under the NBA constitution, if a controlling owner’s interest is terminated by a three-quarter vote, all other team owners’ interests are automatically terminated as well,” Bass said. ”It doesn’t matter whether the owners are related as is the case here. These are the rules to which all NBA owners agreed to as a condition of owning their team.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Clippers Owner: Don’t Bring Black People To My Games

    Come reader, as we glimpse into the vain and amoral ponderings of the filthy rich and the honesty among the people that love them.

    Donald Sterling is the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Los Angeles Clippers owner. In 1981 he bought the Clippers for $12.5 million – a team now worth $575 million according to Forbes. Sterling is a billionaire and rather racist.

    Sterling’s self-respecting and obviously not-in-it-for-the-money girlfriend V. Stiviano describes herself on her Instagram as a: “Artist, Lover, Writer, Chef, Poet, Stylist, Philanthropist.”  Her website, vstiviano.com, looks like this:

    The darlings of TMZ Sports managed to get their hands on a recorded conversation planned by Stiviano that took place on April 9th. Stiviano and her boyfriend, Mr. Sterling, got in a heated argument in which he voiced his opposition of her taking pictures with minorities and Magic Johnson. Highlights of the recording include Sterling saying:

    “It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?” (3:30) – Ironically, Stiviano is a both black and Mexican.

    “You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want.  The little I ask you is not to promote it on that … and not to bring them to my games.” (5:15)

    “I’m just saying, in your lousy f******* Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people.” (7:45)

    Pictures like these are what Sterling is upset about:

    This isn’t the first time Sterling’s racism peered its ugly head. ESPN reported in November 2005 he wound up paying a fine of $2.73 million to settle claims in regards to discriminatory rental practices. In February 2009 he was sued for employment discrimination on the basis of age and race; that same year in August, the Los Angeles Times reported that he was sued again by the U.S. Department of Justice for housing discrimination, unwilling to rent to non-Koreans in Koreatown, Los Angeles, and to African Americans in Beverly Hills.

    More money more problems.

    Update (2014.04.28): DeadSpin recently acquired extra audio of the conversation above. Assumingly, Stiviano is selling it to the highest bidder:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tof8ty3xzY

    Now, what Sterling is suggesting is a racist culture in the elite that is unchangeable by the will one. It is deep rooted and still manages continuation in modern times; inescapable.

    Images via YouTube, NBA.COM, vstiviano.com, twicsy (1), (2), (3)

  • Ted Nugent Rocks Texas for Republican Greg Abbott’s Campaign

    Ted Nugent, the 65-year-old rock musician, is campaigning alongside Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott of the GOP who is running for governor.

    Nugent is a 70’s rock icon who has been a long-time active supporter of the Republican Party. He is also an advocate of gun ownership rights and a member of the National Rifle Association. The rock star is known for having said crude comments about President Barack Obama during the National Rifle Association convention that was held in 2012. Nugent also called Obama a ‘gangster’ and ‘subhuman mongrel’ just last month in an interview conducted by Guns.com.

    Abbott’s decision on inviting Nugent to the campaign has been drawing criticism from the public, especially from the Democrats. Texas Senator Wendy Davis, Abbott’s opponent, has also expressed her sentiments over Abbott’s decision, calling the idea of campaigning with Nugent repulsive and an insult to all Texans.

    According to one of Abbott’s senior campaign aides, the decision to bring in Nugent is just a way of increasing the turnout of voters during the campaign. Originally, the event only had about a hundred people committing to attend, but tripled in number when they publicized that Nugent was coming. The attendance of the musician made sure that there were a lot of people who attended the campaign, which was held in a restaurant in Denton, Texas on Tuesday morning.

    Abbott’s campaign is putting aside the comments made by Nugent about Obama saying that what he said was in the past. They also added that the rock icon was there to support them, and that they are not the ones endorsing Nugent.

    Despite all the controversy regarding the issue, Nugent remained undeterred and even tweeted a short message before the event saying that he is proudly campaigning for Greg Abbott to be the next governor of Texas.

    Watch Ted Nugent’s Nasty Rant

    Image via YouTube

  • ASU Fraternity Suspended For Racist “Black Party” On MLK Day

    Arizona State University has suspended one of its fraternities following a party that some are calling racist. Somehow, none of the students of the ASU chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon had the good sense to know that hosting their “MLK Black Party” was a seriously bad idea.

    Few would be upset about an event that celebrated civil right leader Martin Luther King Jr. However, the way in which these ASU students chose to celebrate sparked nationwide outrage. On Sunday, students at the frat party dressed up in basketball jerseys and offensive costumes that stereotype African Americans. They also drank from hollowed out watermelons, threw up gang signs and posted Twitter hashtags like “Ihaveadream” and “blackoutformlk.”

    A statement from ASU’s senior vice president for student services, James Rund read:  “We regard the behavior exhibited as completely outrageous, extraordinarily offensive and wholly unacceptable. This kind of behavior is not tolerated by the university, and we intend to take swift and immediate action”

    Local civil rights groups are now demanding that the chapter be expelled, according to a report by ABC. National fraternity organization spokesman, Alex Baker, said the group does not condone such behaviors nor is it an advocate for racism.

    The university noted that the party was held outside campus; hence not condoned by the institution. According to the University’s statement, it is “unfortunate that a few misguided individuals held an offensive party.”

    The fraternity has issued an apology: “We apologize for any offensive actions that a few of our members might have participated in. We can assure all other parties that these actions do not represent Tau Kappa Epsilon and the beliefs of love, charity, and esteem that we have stood by for 115 years.”

    Rev. Jarrett Maupin, a civil rights activist, said the school should take responsibility and expel the students involved. Activists also asked the university to consider offering diversity classes to all students and staff.

    ASU has not yet provided further details about the incident or actions it has taken against the offenders.

    Image via YouTube

  • Joe Rickey Hundley: Baby Slapper Sentenced To 8 Months In Prison

    Joe Rickey Hundley was sentenced Monday by a federal judge to serve 8 months in prison for assaulting a 19-month-old child on February 8 of last year.

    According to FBI documents, Hundley, a resident of  Idaho at the time, committed the offence while on a flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta. He was seated next to Jessica Bennett, a white woman who was carrying her adopted black toddler on her lap. As the plane descended into Atlanta, the child started crying and Hundley told the mother to “shut that N****R baby up.” Hundley then slapped the baby, leaving a scratch below the child’s right eye.

    After reaching an agreement with prosecutors, Hundley pleaded guilty to simple assault against a toddler and also admitted to using a racial slur against the child.

    In court, Hundley expressed remorse for his behavior telling the judge that he accepts full responsibility for his actions. “I made the most terrible day in my life much worse for me and for others,” Hundley told the judge.

    According to Hundley’s lawyer, Marcia Shein, Hundley’s grieving for his son and his alcohol intoxication contributed to his actions. Turns out that Hundley booked a last-minute flight to Atlanta to meet with his ex-wife so that they could take his son off of life support.  His son was declared brain dead after being in a coma at the hospital due to an apparent suicide attempt.

    Although the prosecutors had recommended a 6-month sentence, Judge Alan Baverman said he imposed a higher jail term because Hundley has a criminal history which includes a prior assault. The judge told Hundley, “you cannot assault another individual, regardless of how sad or upset, or even how intoxicated or sick, you are.”

    Hundley’s lawyers strongly objected to the ruling saying the sentence was not proportionate to what had been agreed to in the plea agreement with the prosecutors.

    The 8-month sentence was not the only punishment for Hundley. Judge Baverman also ordered a year of supervised release, alcohol and anger management treatment, 120 hours of community service and restitution of $105 to Jessica Bennett. He will also have to pay a $2,500 fine to the government.

    Hundley was not taken directly to prison after the ruling, more time is needed for assignment but he and his lawyer are considering an appeal.

    Image via YouTube

  • Mitt Romney Ridiculed For Having Black Grandson

    MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry attracted outrage on MSNBC Sunday’s airing of “What’s So Funny About 2013?”  Harris-Perry and her guests poked fun at Mitt Romney’s black grandson pictured in a Christmas photo.  The photo features Romney and his extended family which includes baby Kieran, who was adopted by Romney’s Son Ben and his wife Andelynne.

    The panel of comedians and liberal pundits on the show took the opportunity to turn the photo into an uncouth political joke.

    Actress Pia Glenn added, “One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just isn’t the same,” in reference to baby Keiran. “And that little baby, front and center, would be the one,” Glenn said.

    “It really sums up the diversity of the Republican party, the RNC. At the convention, they find the one black person,” jested comedian Dean Obeidallah.

    Melissa Harris-Perry is an African-American herself and her show normally focuses on black issues. Harris-Perry added to the joke by saying that she looked forward to a wedding between North West (Kanye West’s daughter) and Kieran Romney in 2040. For many viewers the “joke” was in poor taste and not very funny. Some have even called it racist.

    Sarah Palin wrote in her Facebook page that the joke was despicable because the “media hounds” were expressing a prejudice and not an opinion. “This latest attack from the Left is despicable,” she said.  She further mocked them by calling them “yellow journalists” who needs to find a conscience.

    Glenn was defensive in her response to a critic but she later apologized through her Twitter account, “In a spontaneous reaction to a photo, my disdain for Mitt Romney’s political platform led me to inadvertently insult adoptive families … I can say all day what I ‘meant,’ but my intentions do not negate the very real pain I have caused. I sincerely apologize.”

    Obeidallah also later apologized in a statement to CNN and Harris-Perry took to Twitter to express her regret as well.

     

     

    Was this “joke”  in poor taste? 

    Image via YouTube

  • Justine Sacco: Yet Another Immature, Stupid, Racist Tweet

    Justine Sacco’s tweet on Friday was not just racist, but sadly very immature for someone who is supposed to be a “public relations professional”.

    Sacco is PR director of corporate communication for IAC.  She sparked outrage in the social media world after she tweeted Friday, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!’

    The chief PR officer, who represents brands like OKCupid, Vimeo, Tinder, and ironically, Blackpeoplemeet.com is said to have made the tweet from London shortly before departing to South Africa. Apparently, she was unaware of the firestorm she created while on her 12-hour flight.

    By the time she landed in Cape Town, her post had been retweeted about 3000 times. She then promptly deleted her entire Twitter account, but the damage was already done. Her employer later issued a statement that blasted her tweet as “outrageous” and “offensive”.

    “This is an outrageous, offensive comment that does not reflect the views and values of IAC,” read the statement.  IAC, which is owned by Media tycoon Barry Diller, also said it had been unable to reach Sacco, “Unfortunately, the employee in question is unreachable on an international flight, but this is a very serious matter and we are taking appropriate action.”

    One bitter Twitter user went as far as creating a domain name, justinesacco.com that links a coalition of charities that assist Sub-Saharan Africa.

    Sacco is most likely to receive a hostile landing and stay in Africa. Her arrival in Africa was anticipated shortly after the tweet went viral, and made the #HasJustineLandedYet hashtag a popular trending topic.  One twitter user, @Zac_ R said he went to the airport just to see who Sacco was and take photos of her. Twitter user John Becker wrote in response: “’Are you even real?!? This is utterly ghastly on so many levels.”

     

     

    This is not the first time Justine Sacco has made offensive tweets, thus removing the likelihood that her Twitter account was hacked.  In January 2013, she tweeted: “I can’t be fired for things I say while intoxicated right?”

    You most certainly can: This tweet Sacco wrote in January may have been a self fulfilling prophecy

    Another tweet she posted in February 2012 read: “I had a sex dream about an autistic kid last night.”

    Images via Youtube and Twitter

  • Brandi Glanville Apologizes For Racist Comment

    Brandi Glanville seems to always be putting her foot in her mouth. During the Monday, December 9 episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Glanville not only said something offensive (which isn’t anything new), her comment was also racist.

    While excessively drinking and enjoying laying out by the pool, she said something to newcomer Joyce Giraud that she probably shouldn’t have said. When Giraud admitted to the women that she couldn’t swim, Glanville’s obvious (at least to her) answer was, “You’re black.”

    She tried to defend herself by saying: “It was a joke and my black friends would’ve laughed crazy, ’cause they don’t go in the pool because they will get their weave f*cked up . . .All my black friends can’t swim. Is that bad?” However, Giraud wasn’t buying it and firmly responded: “Yes, I’m black. What’s your problem? Puerto Ricans are black, they’re Indian and they’re Spanish. So I am a mix of three cultures and I’m very proud to represent all three.”

    After the show aired, and Glanville received a swarm of tweets regarding her comment, Glanville took to Twitter to apologize saying: “I’m sorry for whomever I offended with my insensitive joke, I’m not racist I’m just inappropriate 90 percent of the time!” She then called into Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen to explain herself further. “I know what I said was definitely inappropriate, but I say a lot of inappropriate things. I’m not racist, I’m just inappropriate 90 percent of the time! It definitely was not sensitive and I apologize to anyone I offended,” she said. “But to be honest with you, my friends and I joke with each other this way and they’re from all different backgrounds. So I’m sorry and I guess TV’s not ready for the real Brandi, but should I censor myself? Is that gonna be exciting?”

    “I think it was definitely inappropriate,” Glanville repeated. “I’m the least racist person of all time. I think the more you defend it, the more you look guilty, so I don’t really have to say that much more. I am very sorry with whomever I defended. Defended. Offended!”

    “How dare she put black people in a box!” Giraud wrote on her official Bravo blog. “My great grandmother was black. So yes, I’m proud to say I’m a mix and very proud of my African lineage as well! But even if I didn’t have it in my blood I would still not tolerate her racial remarks. She stereotypes and labels because I tell her I can’t swim,” she said.

    So, this week it was Giraud. I wonder who she will defend, oh I mean offend, next week. What do you think about Glanville’s comment? Leave your comments below.

    Image via Twitter

  • Bob Dylan Is Being Investigated For Racial Comment

    The legendary singer/songwriter, Bob Dylan, is being sued by a France-based Croatian organization for an alleged comment that he made last year during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Dylan is being accused of comparing the conflict of the Serbs and Croats to the Jewish persecution by the Nazis.

    “It’s a distraction. People at each other’s throats just because they are of a different color. It’s the height of insanity, and it will hold any nation back – or any neighborhood back,” Dylan was quoted as saying. “Or any anything back. Blacks know that some whites didn’t want to give up slavery – that if they had their way, they would still be under the yoke, and they can’t pretend they don’t know that. If you got a slave master or Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood. It’s doubtful that America’s ever going to get rid of that stigmatization. It’s a country founded on the backs of slaves.”

    Vlatko Maric, secretary general of the Representative Council of the Croatian Community and Institutions, said that his organization started the case close to a year ago. Dylan was informed of the investigation last month shortly after receiving one of Paris’ most prestigious awards, the Legion of Honour.

    Maric explained the organization’s decision to sue Dylan. “An entire people is being compared to criminal organizations like the Nazis or the Ku Klux Klan,” he said. “The Croatians are peaceful people who respect Bob Dylan as an artist, but we must remind him that he can’t make such remarks. We have nothing against him, but the Croatians do not want to be insulted.”

    So far, Dylan has not commented on the situation.

    [Image via Wikimedia Commons]

  • Is Lily Allen’s “Hard Out Here” Video Racist ?

    Is Lily Allen’s “Hard Out Here” Video Racist ?

    Lily Allen’s New Music Video has been branded racist by some fans and bloggers. As reported by MTV , the twerking scenes in the video have come under scrutiny for racism. The video features fancy cars, fake liposuction, champagne, and twerking galore and it seems that some people were less than impressed with the explosive video’s portrayal of black women as predominantly ‘sex objects’.

    Lily has however hit back at the critics who savaged the promo for the new release and says the video is meant to deliver a feminist messages against misogyny and sexism in pop culture. The video and the song lyrics are taken from her original single in 2009. She pokes fun at Robin Thicke’s controversial Blurred Lines video when she dances in front of inflatables that say,  ‘Lily Allen has a baggy pu**y’. Robin Thicke, on the other hand, dances in front of a message that says, “Robin Thicke has a big d**k.”

    And in a response to the criticisms directed to her new release, Lily has released a twitter statement called “Privilege, Superiority and Misconceptions” which seeks to clarify, but mostly hit back at the suggestions that her music video is racist. Here are some of her comments:

    • “If anyone thinks for a second that I requested specific ethnicities for the video, they’re wrong.”
    • “If anyone thinks that after asking the girls to audition, I was going to send any of them away because of the color of their skin, they’re wrong.”
    • “The message is clear. Whilst I don’t want to offend anyone. I do strive to provoke thought and conversation.”
    • “The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture. It has nothing to do with race, at all.”

    Here’s the Video. Is it Racist?

    (main image via YouTube)

  • Lily Allen Defends Video, Denies Racism

    Lily Allen Defends Video, Denies Racism

    Lily Allen is under fire right now for her new video, “Hard Out Here” in which she takes on issues concerning the objectification of women and the double standard in the music industry.

    Now she faces allegations, though they are a stretch at best, of racism in the video, according to Spin. Warning: This video is NSFW.

    “The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture,” she wrote. “It has nothing to do with race, at all.” She added that despite two weeks of attempting to master Miley’s famous twerk, she was unable to pull it off. She also stated that the reason she was wearing more clothes than the backup dancers was, in fact, her own insecurity, thank you very much.

    She took to Twitter to dispel the rumors and tongue lashings she was receiving:

    Allen is no stranger, unfortunately, to racism accusations. In August 2012, she sparked a mass frenzy with this tweet:

    However it may have seemed, the tweet was not racist. It is a little crazy to think someone would say something like that in this day and age, and actually mean the color of someone’s skin. And expect to ever work again….She later tweeted:

    While the backlash is damaging to Allen in some ways, and great in others (many fewer would have seen this video, if not for the brewing controversy), it’s sad that her message, bringing attention to the objectification of women in the music industry, may be lost in all the unnecessary hysteria.

    Image via youtube

  • Frantic Home Depot Apology Prompted By Racist Tweet

    A racist tweet sent by a social media contractor of Home Depot has generated large unprecedented online outrage. The tweet which originated from Depot’s official Twitter handle, @HomeDepot, was part of a college football game promotion by ESPN. Although it was quickly deleted, many people had already taken screenshots of it and widely circulated it on the social media.

    (image)

    The tweet showed a picture of two African Americans drummers and one person in a gorilla mask seated between them and asked “which drummer is not like the others?”

    Home Depot has already issued a statement condemning the act, and apologizing for it. “We have zero tolerance for anything so stupid and offensive,” read Home Depot tweet. It also says that it has fired the individual who was responsible for the tweet, but it has not indicated who the individual is.

    Depot says that it is closely reviewing its social media procedures in order to determine how this could have happened and ensure that the same never happens again. Since Thursday, Home Depot has been frantically sending the same apology in its twitter account bearing the same message, “we have zero tolerance for anything so stupid and offensive. Deeply sorry. We terminated the agency and individual who posted it.”

    It remains to be seen to what extent this unfortunate incident will damage the home improvement retailer’s brand. Home Depot is not the first company to be involved in racist Twitter comments. In 2012, KitchenAid also received public backlash after one of its employees posted a tweet about President Obama’s grandmother’s death.

    (image via today.com)

  • Mother Defends Her 7-Year-Old’s Ku Klux Klan Costume

    Well, it’s that time again, Halloween is over, and we’re slowly seeing the after effects of post-holiday uploads like the 6:30AM Pizza Man walk of shame, and a Trayvon Martin costume. Usually, such costumes don’t have much reason tied behind them, but when you’re a Craigsville, Virginia family, the reason your son is wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit is because it’s part of a sacred family tradition.

    In regards to the passing tradition, Jessica Black, whose son dressed as a Klansman for Halloween told WHSV that, “My brother has when was in Kindergarten and when he was 13.”

    Even little 7-year-old Jackson Black, as he was donning the white drapes of hatred, said that the reason he wore such a controversial costume was “Cuz it was cool.”

    In fact, Jackson asked his mother if he could dress as a member of the White Supremacist group, to which she allowed and actually made the costume.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRg5DlFdJqA

    “I did tell him that if you do it, you know there’s going to be people talking about you, there’s going to be people saying bad things about you when you do wear it,” said Jessica Black.

    Neighbor’s heads turned as little Jackson stepped out from his front door; they were shocked to see the controversial costume.

    “I just think it’s really sad that a kid is being taught that. That young, because they don’t know any better. You don’t hear that much about it,” said Wendi Sprouse, who saw Jackson Black in his Klansman outfit.

    Jackson was asked where he learned about the costume, and he said he saw it in the movie ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’.

    Jackson’s mama believes that there is nothing wrong with wearing the Ku Klux Klan costume, and that such apparel still exists in Craigsville, Virgina.

    “It’s supposed to be white with white. Black with black. Man with woman and all of that. That’s what the KKK stands for. The KKK every year, raises money to donate to the St. Jude’s,” said Jessica Black.

    Jessica Black said that she’s received a handful of threats via Facebook after a user uploaded a photo of her son on WHSV’s Facebook page.

    (image)

     

     

    (Images via WHSV)

  • “Only White People” As Church Greeters

    “Only White People” As Church Greeters

    Many churches pride themselves in being an open door to people of all races, backgrounds, ages and color. However, a church in North Carolina has suddenly caused a lot of stir.

    Executive pastor Makeda Pennycooke, an African-American, sent out an email to a list of her church’s volunteers, asking that “only white people” greet those attending the church services at Freedom House Church. She said that “the best of the best” should be at the front doors and that “first impressions matter”. We learned this when the email that Pennycooke sent out was showed to local news station WBTV by a woman who received the email .

    The email also said ”We would rather have less greeters on the front door if it means that the few that we have will represent us the best.”

    It was reported that executive pastor Makeda Pennycooke sent out the email saying “white greeters only” because she was in the mindset that her church needed to attract more white people to worship at Freedom House Church.

    When news leaked that this incident had taken place, the church sent out a sincere apology. Pennycooke has also apologized for her actions. A member of the church told WBTV, “The email was sent by one of our longtime pastors in an attempt to emphasize that our greeting team reflect the racial diversity of our entire congregation. However, she admitted it was a mistake to over-emphasize any specific group and sent an apology email within 24 hours of the original email going out.”

    The church also told WBTV, “The pastors have been meeting with staff and church members to confirm their commitment to diversity and to ensure nothing like this happens again.”

    In this day and age you would think that racist comments would become obsolete but unfortunately, this may be sign we take two steps forward and one step back in the fight against racism.

    [Image via Youtube]

  • Dunkin’ Donuts Blackface Campaign in Thailand

    Dunkin’ Donuts has issued an apology for being “insensitive” during their recent advertising campaign in Thailand.

    The advertisement shows a woman with her face painted black and bright pink lipstick holding a half eaten “charcoal doughnut”. The slogan reads “Break every rule of deliciousness.”

    The Thailand CEO, Nadim Salhani, originally defended the campaign saying the outrage was just “paranoid American thinking”. “It’s absolutely ridiculous,” he continued. “We’re not allowed to use black to promote our doughnuts? I don’t get it. What’s the big fuss? What if the product was white and I painted someone white, would that be racist?” Hours later Dunkin’ Donuts headquarters issued an apology for the “insensitivity” of the campaign.

    “It’s both bizarre and racist that Dunkin’ Donuts thinks that it must color a woman’s skin black and accentuate her lips with bright pink lipstick to sell a chocolate doughnut,” said Phil Robertson, who is the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch. “Dunkin’ Donuts should immediately withdraw this ad, publicly apologize to those it’s offended and ensure this never happens again.”

    The Thailand franchise of Dunkin’ Donuts is operated independently of the American franchise, and Salhani says that doughnut sales have increased aproximately 50 percent since the start of the campaign two weeks ago. “Not everybody in the world is paranoid about racism,” said Salhani. “I’m sorry, but this is a marketing campaign, and it’s working very well for us.” Saljani says that he used his own daughter as the model for the campaign.

    Image via Twitter