Wal-Mart Halts Movie Suggestions on Web – Yahoo! News
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is shutting down the system that creates movie recommendations on its shopping Web site after it linked a “Planet of the Apes” DVD to films about famous black Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr.
Under a “similar items” section, the DVD set’s page linked shoppers to four films about the lives of King, actress Dorothy Dandridge, boxer Jack Johnson and singer Tina Turner.
First of all, I don’t see why Wal-Mart thinks their software is broken. The fundamental theme of “Planet of the Apes” and Dr. King’s campaign for civil rights is that rational beings have equal value and deserve equal treatment despite differences in outward appearance. Almost any large group will have both reactionary and progressive thinkers. Some will be susceptible to superstition, others will be prone to explore the reasons behind those superstitions. Some will be prone to violence, others will understand that violence only proves who is strong, not who is right. Some will cling desperately to the status quo (and do their best to convince those who don’t even profit from the status quo that it is in their best interest to preserve it anyway, generally by appealing to the previously mentioned susceptibility to superstition) and others strive to make a better world. Some will try to enforce conformity, others will celebrate diversity. Both the movie and Dr. King speak out against the oppression and exploitation of the minority by the majority justified by differences in outward appearance.
On second thought, Wal-Mart’s action is perfectly understandable. This is an example of political correctness at its finest worst. Political correctness is the product of reactionary personalities who have settled on progressive ideals. They defend any victory for social progress by quashing any further discussion of the matter, especially any suggestion that any reactionary argument has any merit or warrants further discussion (for example, that since men and women have equal rights, any suggestion that men and women are not the same is unacceptable and must be punished). One of the axioms of political correctness is that any speech that might offend someone is unacceptable. In this case, Wal-Mart fears (correctly) that someone might incorrectly perceive the link between the disparate offerings as one between black and ape rather than the appropriate connection of the common theme of civil rights among rational beings regardless of outward appearance.
Political correctness is just as much of a hindrance to social progress as any [whatever]ism it might oppose. Personally, I’ll never understand why anyone would think good enough is better than better.
