Posted on 01/06/2006 1:34:08 PM PST by Serb5150
Wal-Mart Web site makes racial connections
DVD shoppers get offensive referrals
Wal-Mart apologized yesterday after its retail Web site directed potential buyers of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Planet of the Apes" DVDs to also consider purchasing DVDs with African American themes.
The world's largest retailer said in a statement that it was "heartsick" over the racially offensive grouping and that the site was linking "seemingly random combinations of titles."
"It's just simply not working correctly," said Mona Williams, vice president of corporate communications for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
The company said it was alerted to the problem early yesterday afternoon after word began spreading among bloggers. When visitors to Walmart.com requested "Planet of the Apes: The Complete TV Series" on DVD, four other movies were recommended under the heading "Similar Items." Those films included "Martin Luther King: I Have A Dream/Assassination of MLK" and "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson."
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Perhaps I'm being insensitive, but I doubt I would even have noticed this myself.
If I may quote Weird Al Yankovic: "I only watched "Will And Grace" one time one day/Wish I hadn't 'cause TiVo now thinks I'm gay"
LOL! I noticed you picked up a new tagline today.
And was it the combo? If so, the algorithm might just have a weird glitch.
I couldn't help myself, the Potter article was so badly written it was impossible to ignore.
It's all about the meta-tags associated with those DVDs in Walmart's system. It means *someone* on WalMart's staff at one point made some keyword connections to make that possible. I'm guessing chocolate -- African and apes -- Africa(n). The second one may or may not be offensive, depending on the association.
When I'm shopping on Amazon I get recommendations thrown at me on every page. Some of them are based on what I've purchased, some of them are based on what other people that bought my stuff have also bought for themselves, while others are just promos for new products.
"Perhaps I'm being insensitive, but I doubt I would even have noticed this myself."
Could you let me in on it? I still haven't noticed. Are they not supposed to recommend DVDs featuring black people? Sorry, I'm completely missing this one.
Great tagline.
Darn it, I searched under 'Wal-Mart' and 'racial', figuring that would cover it....
I think this is hilareous. Reminds me of the time that REAL lesbians were complaining that TIVO was bombing them with "lesbian" porn.
What's Next?
Google ads for fried chicken and watermelon to go with your Planet of the Apes?
hahahahahahahahahahahaha
Uh, if you are looking at a movie on apes and it lists Martin Luther King as a related topic, yes that's offensive.
I think they're getting angry that films with black people in them were being recommended when 'Planet of the Apes' was purchased.
If you purchase planet of the apes, you are also recommended movies that are supposed to be similiar.....which happens to be african american themed movies.
Yea, I'm sure that was an accident.
I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I wouldn't put it past anti-wal-mart activists to intentionally do this so as to cause more damage to wal-marts rep.
But the same movies were also being recommended when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was purchased.
I suspect a programmer with time on his hands and a skewed sense of humor.
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