Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Never Forget?
So for my junior high project I'm explaining how fascism and communism were actually both forms of socialism, in the sense that both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia subordinated individual property rights to the demands of the supreme leader.
I just wanted to double check that people referred to Hitler as a fascist (as opposed to a Nazi), and so I went to google "Adolf Hitler fascist."
But I noticed something interesting. As I typed in A-d-o-l... Google started bringing up suggestions. By the time I typed in just "adolf," the first ten suggestions popped up, with the #1 being "adolf eichmann." Then when I pressed the spacebar and typed in "h" all the suggestions disappeared.
So apparently Google has no idea what I might be looking for when I type in "adolf hitle"...
Does anyone know what the deal is? Does he get so many google hits that he would be at the top of the list anytime somebody started by typing in "ad..." to look up "address for the elie wiesel fund" and Google doesn't want people getting mad?
I'm not kidding, I'm being serious. Google obviously disabled Hitler's name from popping up as a suggestion, and I'm just wondering if they explain these things somewhere officially.
I just wanted to double check that people referred to Hitler as a fascist (as opposed to a Nazi), and so I went to google "Adolf Hitler fascist."
But I noticed something interesting. As I typed in A-d-o-l... Google started bringing up suggestions. By the time I typed in just "adolf," the first ten suggestions popped up, with the #1 being "adolf eichmann." Then when I pressed the spacebar and typed in "h" all the suggestions disappeared.
So apparently Google has no idea what I might be looking for when I type in "adolf hitle"...
Does anyone know what the deal is? Does he get so many google hits that he would be at the top of the list anytime somebody started by typing in "ad..." to look up "address for the elie wiesel fund" and Google doesn't want people getting mad?
I'm not kidding, I'm being serious. Google obviously disabled Hitler's name from popping up as a suggestion, and I'm just wondering if they explain these things somewhere officially.
Comments:
Interestingly, if you leave out "Adolf", and just type in "Hitler" you get some suggestions -- not a very robust set, however.
My first theory was that I had "safe search" on, but then I turned it off, and still nothing.
My first theory was that I had "safe search" on, but then I turned it off, and still nothing.
# posted by 
: January 12, 2010 at 2:31 AM
: January 12, 2010 at 2:31 AM
If you think that's bad, type in "Christianity is" and note the results. Then type in "Islam is" and note the results.
There are cowards at Google.
There are cowards at Google.
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 2:40 AM
: January 12, 2010 at 2:40 AM
OK, anonymous, I tried both of your searches, and... what was I supposed to see about Google's "cowardice"?
(different anonymous) Gene Callahan, the implied cowardice is in the automatic search suggestions that Google supplies. As Bob Murphy points out the suggestions disappear as soon as you hit something that some would find offensive, in his example "Adolf H". In the other anonymous's example the offensive query is "Islam is", and the query "Christianity is" provides a direct contrast.
Cowardice is a probably strong choice to describe what's ultimately the results of a heuristic algorithm. The results of the filtering Google is doing for suggestions are to say the least interesting. To be more frank (or just plain biased), it's a little revealing for a company that claims bring transparency to the data of the world.
Cowardice is a probably strong choice to describe what's ultimately the results of a heuristic algorithm. The results of the filtering Google is doing for suggestions are to say the least interesting. To be more frank (or just plain biased), it's a little revealing for a company that claims bring transparency to the data of the world.
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 5:36 AM
: January 12, 2010 at 5:36 AM
Political correctness I'm sure. It may be possible that their algorithm is at risk of suggesting adolf hitler when someone searches for other things, and they figured the safes "pc" choice was to simply disable it.
People are very touchy with searching for something and getting Hitler in the head I suppose. Still silly though.
What I've always found interesting with the history of nazi germany is how much weight they put on nationalism, and "the community" (das heimat). Very much like "For king and country!" or "Mother Russia!", which just proves that the collectivist creed is pretty universal among oppressors.
People are very touchy with searching for something and getting Hitler in the head I suppose. Still silly though.
What I've always found interesting with the history of nazi germany is how much weight they put on nationalism, and "the community" (das heimat). Very much like "For king and country!" or "Mother Russia!", which just proves that the collectivist creed is pretty universal among oppressors.
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 6:39 AM
: January 12, 2010 at 6:39 AM
It's the same if you type in "Christianity is" where you immediately get things like "Christianity is a lie" or "is false" but if you type in "Islam is" you'll get nothing.
Google is full of crap really. Use Bing for searching.
Google is full of crap really. Use Bing for searching.
http://searchengineland.com/islam-is-blocked-by-google-suggest-bug-32921
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 7:46 AM
: January 12, 2010 at 7:46 AM
If you just start with Hi.. it will already bring up Hitler.
My guess is that this was blocked in order not upset so many of the potential "Adolf" consumers
My guess is that this was blocked in order not upset so many of the potential "Adolf" consumers
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 9:54 AM
: January 12, 2010 at 9:54 AM
Type "adolf" into the Iphone and it retypes "adolph" and then "adolfo" and then it changes "hitler" to "butler" ..
adolf Hitler = adoph butler
adolf Hitler = adoph butler
I posted a blog on the socialist economics of Barack Obama, Sr. and the self-confessed inspiration the son took from his father's politics -- within days my whole blog disappeared from Google ...
This sort of thing happened to several conservative political bloggers during the 2008 campaign.
This sort of thing happened to several conservative political bloggers during the 2008 campaign.
Seems you're not the first person to notice this:
www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/akp27/dear_google_look_i_dont_like_him_either_but_he
www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/akp27/dear_google_look_i_dont_like_him_either_but_he
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 12:21 PM
: January 12, 2010 at 12:21 PM
Interestingly enough, if you go to Google and type in 'handsome', Bob Murphy appears as a suggestion right after you enter the o.
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 12:38 PM
: January 12, 2010 at 12:38 PM
Gene,
Are you serious? You typed in "Christianity is" first, saw what happened, then tried "Islam is" and thought, "Huh, I guess nobody has ever typed that phrase in, so Google has no idea what to suggest"?
Are you serious? You typed in "Christianity is" first, saw what happened, then tried "Islam is" and thought, "Huh, I guess nobody has ever typed that phrase in, so Google has no idea what to suggest"?
Bob, I'd just like to say that I casually made the same claim that fascism and communism were both forms of socialism about 6 months ago to some folks at university, and they literally blew up at me.
"Are you retarded?! We did this in my pop literature class... fascism and socialism are on opposite ends of the political spectrum!!!"
"Yeah, fascists are right-wing, socialists are left-wing! This is common knowledge!!"
I then brought out several dictionaries, encyclopedias, and essays that defined fascism, socialism, and communism, and noted that socialism is an economic theory, while fascism and communism were econo-political thoeries, thus an overlap of fascism and socialism was entirely possible. They denied everything.
I don't hang out with those people anymore.
"Are you retarded?! We did this in my pop literature class... fascism and socialism are on opposite ends of the political spectrum!!!"
"Yeah, fascists are right-wing, socialists are left-wing! This is common knowledge!!"
I then brought out several dictionaries, encyclopedias, and essays that defined fascism, socialism, and communism, and noted that socialism is an economic theory, while fascism and communism were econo-political thoeries, thus an overlap of fascism and socialism was entirely possible. They denied everything.
I don't hang out with those people anymore.
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 3:15 PM
: January 12, 2010 at 3:15 PM
If it just based on what people search, most probably don't type in adolf hitler, just hitler. And Bob, i am pissed off at the spammer.
# posted by : January 12, 2010 at 4:40 PM
: January 12, 2010 at 4:40 PM
Take a look at "Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler: The Age of Social Catastrophe" by Robert Gellately. It's a long read and it switches between Lenin/Stalin and Hitler, comparing the moves made by both factions. The Nazis have always made a convenient bad guy target in literature and film even though Communism has killed, tortured and impoverished far more people.
# posted by : January 18, 2010 at 1:35 PM
: January 18, 2010 at 1:35 PM
If your saying that fascism and communism can overlap with socialism then you must aknowledge that democracy and socialism can overlap just as easily. As can fascism and capitalism. Also, it is just wrong to say that communism killed more than fascism. Capitalism has blood on its hands too
# posted by : January 27, 2010 at 7:52 PM
: January 27, 2010 at 7:52 PM
Bobo, looks like google heard about the Islam is block, but not adolf hilte...
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# posted by : February 2, 2010 at 1:31 AM
: February 2, 2010 at 1:31 AM Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
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