Whining About Google’s Racist Doodles, A Seriously First World Problem
THERE are indeed things wrong with this world and it behoves us all to pay attention and try to make the world a better place by solving such problems. However, whining about what Google puts in its front page as a doodle may not actually be one of these things.
Activists have accused Google of being racist and sexist in their choice of figures to create the firm’s much loved Google Doodles for.
Spark, which describes itself as a ‘girl-fueled activist movement’, said its analysis found the majority of Google’s doodles were of white males.
It said the accolade was the modern equivalent of being put on a stamp, and said ‘it’s uncommon for Google to celebrate historical women of color.’
Well, yes. It’s entirely true that the world is a better place now as a result of it not being entirely the white males who have a say about what goes on it. But it’s also true that the current world is largely a creation of the dead white males of the past. For as is pointed out by Google:
Google said it already is working to improve the doodle gender balance.
Ryan Germick, Doodle Team Lead, told MailOnline: ‘Women have historically been underrepresented in almost all fields: science, school curricula, business, politics — and, sadly, doodles.
Yes indeed. Those women of colour were slaves who didn’t get to become famous, those women of all colours were stuck home dying in childbirth and thus didn’t become famous. The past may have been a horrible place but it was one in which pretty much only the white guys got to become famous.
Thus doodles, which are of famous people and things and events, reflecting that historical truth.
Posted: 28th, February 2014 | In: Money, Technology Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
