When Google fails to google!

Let’s see how this intellectual insult is finally amended

Balatarin
Share/Save/Bookmark

When Google fails to google!
by Abolghasem Amirgholami
09-May-2012
 

Google’s claim that it didn’t intend to take a stance with regards to properly naming the Persian Gulf in its maps is a big fabrication. A decision with the inherent risk of inflaming the feelings of millions of people in Iran and around the world is not made without forethought and deliberation. Google has been well aware of the history of the rogue and in my view the evil campaign for changing a historic name – the Persian Gulf. It seems to me that this Google’s decision goes beyond a lack of stance.

Google as a giant company (institution!), has the greatest resources for researching and authenticating claims, as well as finding officially and historically sanctioned labels and brands. But Google’s complicity in this effort [to erase history] will only tarnish its image since this rogue attempt will undoubtedly end in failure. Changing the “Persian Gulf” name is as impossible as changing “Greece” or “Rome.” Google’s only “gain” in this will be a tarnished image in siding with fabricators and charlatans.

Hey Google! isn’t it true that one day, a handful of decades ago, a man woke up from deep sleep and decided to call this body of water something different from its historic name? Google must know best, of course. Google can do research and find out who that person was. Come on Google, do it. Google it! You probably aren’t in the habit of using Yahoo search or Bing, but these will do as well.

Google has definitely taken a stance here removing the Persian Gulf label from its maps; and I have high intuition that it will reconsider its decision. It is only fair that Google did the right thing. After all, Google is an amazing phenomenon. I personally have used Google more than any other brand. It has made life so much easier for all of us. I thought this about Google one day: “Google is a gift that never stops giving.”

But alas! Google has broken my heart this time. I also know that it has offended the sensitivities of objective and fact loving people. Most definitely it has hurt Iranians. But why? Why would Google do something to hurt so many millions of people? What was the incentive and the catalyst for this maligned undertaking? There are many questions and they must all be answered for the sake of intellectual accountability.

How was Google lured into this debacle? I can vaguely guess. Material incentive is the only tangible that I can think of at the moment and if so, someone please delineate it for us. But regardless of the incentive, the act is one of insult and aggression against the Iranian people worldwide.

Previous to the present time, I used to tell my Iranian friends that we didn’t need to worry about any Arab entity wrongly naming this body of water. I would tell them that in the eyes of this great world of ours facts will remain facts and the truth will always remain the truth. I used to tell them that this misrepresentation was so childish that no credible international body would subscribe to it. I wasn’t worried. I wasn’t worried because I thought that the aggression in the intent would be obvious to anyone who is simply literate. But this is a case of a phenomenal institution like Google siding with the rogue and the aggressive. Google’s gift this time is foul smelling and bitter.

Google, or someone in Google, has breached the norms we should live by. My point here is that Google’s act is beyond respectable inalienable norms.

Remember the person who woke up from sleep and used the fictitious name for the first time? That was a malicious dream, with rouge intent. Someone in Google has taken his bait.

With my current state of mind, I wonder if I google a location, I would find a factual place, a fictitious one, or nothing at all. I know one thing for a fact: Persian Gulf is a very old place based on (all) historic maps and literature.

Google has failed here, or hopefully has had a temporary lapse in its ethical, high-principled and professional judgement. The search engine Google is just a tool but if Google is an institution, it must act as an authority with high intellectual standards.

Finally, I expect responsible elements in Google to be the final judge and “google” the facts. I am eternally hopeful that Google’s “stance” would uphold professional journalism. I demand the best from Google. Let’s see how this intellectual insult is finally amended.

Balatarin
Share/Save/Bookmark

 
amirparvizforsecularmonarchy

This is why I no longer use google, You should stop using it &

by amirparvizforsecularmonarchy on Wed May 09, 2012 02:50 PM PDT

forget sending a petition, focus on PR.

If google is so stupid as to change a geographical name, which has been clear since written history first began, and they do this unilaterally in opposition to how it is taught in every school world wide today and since the beginning of recorded history.  And they do this knowingly & only on the basis of it being disputed by sides with a clear vested interest in renaming the persian gulf then, I say the public using google need to be alerted to the trashy management influencing google. 

This is a clear PR mistake and the world public needs to be encouraged to stop using google because it has such stupid company policy makers.

 


  •  
Cost-of-Progress

The only people who care, or know

by Cost-of-Progress on Wed May 09, 2012 11:59 AM PDT

are the Iranian when it comes to this topic.

You should see what they write about Iran's regime in the Arab News (newspaper).   BTW, Iran's regime and Iran's people are one in the same as far as the rest of the world is concerned, so we got that going for us.

Yet, we Iranians loose control quickly and pop a vein when anyone dares to articulate the truth about this f'ked up religion and what it has done to our psyche and culture.

Bottom line:

Arabs don't like you; they don't consider you true muslims, get it? Would you stop being "kasseye daagh tar az aash?"

They even believe your spilling blood over another Arab during Muharam is silly......Imagine that.


  •  
Anahid Hojjati

We Iranians have a bad representative

by Anahid Hojjati on Wed May 09, 2012 10:39 AM PDT

My position is same as Faramarz. Until IRI is in power, Iranians get shortchanged in many international issues not just Persian Gulf naming. 

Iranian students and other Iranians living in Diaspora and our families visiting us, have had problems for three decades because we are from Iran and a criminal regime is in charge in Iran. Until that is the case, we might win the battle (in this case, the naming battle for Persian Gulf) but we will not win the war (getting respect and fair treatment for Iranians).


  •  
areyo barzan

Persian Gulf for ever

by areyo barzan on Wed May 09, 2012 10:16 AM PDT

I believe that Google need to go back and read the history again.

The name Persian Gulf is a historical fact and Centuries older than the countries who are trying to fraudulently change it in order to pump up their own hollow eager.

 

Now if Google have also decided to discard its principals, its obligation to the truth and its respect for the justice in order to please a few sleazy investors then that is Google’s problem.

 

What is certain though is the fact that in long term they will pay the price for it. for it. A price much higher than any short-term financial gain as many people will start to doubt the results of their search in this search engine, wondering if what is presented on their screen is the actual fact or a fraud and censorship to please personal and company interest. And it will eventually reduce the search engine to a joke.

 

As for me I can see no difference between the censorship of Google to protect its own financial interest and the censorship committed by a dictator regime like IRI in order to stay in power and protect itself.

 

In fact as from this day Google has lost all its credibility to me and I have already boycotted the search engine furthermore I ask anybody who has the slightest regard for the truth to join me in this action and ask others to do the same .


  •  
Rastin

Thanks for sharing

by Rastin on Wed May 09, 2012 09:52 AM PDT

I agree that the IR has been a negative factor in this whole deal and more generally in the last 33 years in Iran. However, as noted in the blog, I believe Google has taken a political stance by leaving out the name - IR or not.

'Hambastegi' is the main key to victory (courtesy of Bavafa)


  •  
Azarbanoo

Framarz, Well said comment

by Azarbanoo on Wed May 09, 2012 09:35 AM PDT

Great comment.


  •  
Azarbanoo

Mr. Amirgholami, Thanks for great blog

by Azarbanoo on Wed May 09, 2012 09:32 AM PDT

Your blog was very logical.  Hope Google people read it and change the course.


  •  
Faramarz

The Solution

by Faramarz on Wed May 09, 2012 09:29 AM PDT

 

This is just a symptom of a larger problem called the Islamic Republic that has weakened Iran and has created hostility towards all Iran’s neighbors (with the exception of Armenia) and ultimately has created the environment that a tiny nation like UAE can make such ridiculous claims.

But please remember that Google as a commercial enterprise does what it regards as serving its bottom line and fairness does not play into its decision-making process. Also, this is not the first time that Google has done this. If you look at the body of water that’s in between Japan, Korea and Russia, Google does not name that body because Japan calls it the Sea of Japan and Koreans call it the East Sea. The similar situation exists with several islands that have various ownership claims by different nations.

Today, most international carriers that fly over the Persian Gulf, refer to it as The Gulf or the Arabian Gulf because most of the people who are sitting in the first or business class are either from or do business in the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.

Filing petition by Iranians is not going to change this. A regime change in Iran will.


  •  
« first‹ previous12