Google’s Map Goof Strikes an Offensive Chord in Germany

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
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Well at least Google has proved that making mapping errors is not limited to Apple by a long shot. The name of Hitler in Germany these days is still a no-no and how the name change got past Google censors and editors so easily is still a mystery. The name change was corrected after only several days of public exposure.

One would think that a change of this magnitude, especially involving the name of a rather taboo subject in Germany (to this day), would catch the attention of one of Google's volunteer moderators who would summarily reject the change. Not so, in this case.
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Technikal said:
History happened Germany. You can't erase it.
Get over it, everyone else has..
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Yes, but renaming a place Hitler Plaza is clearly meant as an insult, although personally I think its funny.

But yes, they certainly overreact there. Stalin was far worse than Hitler IMO, and its not like there were a shortage of war crimes over in Japan... that is before we decided to end the war via a firebombing and then nuclear holocaust on Japanese women and children.

Fun-fact is that the Nazi party was actually the first in the world to start a anti-smoking campaign, one of the most powerful smoking campaign ever undertaken by a government to date (and certainly back in the late 30s/40s), their scientists were the first to link tobacco use to cancer and provide other valuable research on treatments, and they embarked on a widespread health education campaign.

While not particularly fond of Jews, Hitler was also a big time animal lover and funny enough enacted many of the first laws in the world to create various conservation and animal cruelty laws... a hilariously ironic quote is from Goering below:

“An absolute and permanent ban on vivisection is not only a necessary law to protect animals and to show sympathy with their pain, but it is also a law for humanity itself…. I have therefore announced the immediate prohibition of vivisection and have made the practice a punishable offense in Prussia. Until such time as punishment is pronounced the culprit shall be lodged in a concentration camp.”

So see, Hitler wasn't all bad. Something to think about while cruising to work tomorrow in your Volkswagen. :D
 
It's historically correct so I don't see how it relates to Apple maps getting you lost or directs you to drive off a bridge.
 
mi7chy said:
It's historically correct so I don't see how it relates to Apple maps getting you lost or directs you to drive off a bridge.
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It relates in the sense that Steve makes bad attempts at insulting one of the richest and most successful companies in the world constantly even when it doesn't relate in the slightest constantly.
 
Gah! Foiled...Major posted this.

Well...don't I look silly. My comment still stands about Steve, though.
 
Technikal said:
History happened Germany.
You can't erase it.
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It's a pretty common practice to rub out names though when they are associated with a great deal of death or destruction. No one is probably ever again going to name a ship the Titanic or Hindenburg. Names of destructive hurricanes don't get used again. There's plenty of examples of this behavior.
 
Hitler is no taboo subject in Germany, not by a long shot. Actually, Hitler should never be a taboo subject anywhere, you can't learn from history if you make it a taboo. It's just that naming a place after a mass murderer isn't so well received after that guy isn't in charge anymore :) Oh, and as far as taboo in Germany goes, just like everywhere else, people are making fun of the Nazis. Was about time. There's even a parody version of "The Office" called "Obersalzberg" (as part of a comedy show), where Hitler is in charge and running the Reich is transformed into running a department of a company... and when he "lost the war", e.g, he was sacked, he went to South America, running a Schnitzel restaurant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL4CPewSqT4
(Sorry, German only)
 
Jadawin said:
Hitler is no taboo subject in Germany, not by a long shot.
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I think it ranks along the lines of dead baby jokes, sure there are some in the US that make it, but generally you won't find any in polite company. For a while they were on a massive campaign to destroy all evidence that the Nazis even existed, so it just went with the territory.

WW2 video games depicting Nazis were banned when I was there, as was the Swastika even on historical items and sadly even the traditional national anthem, which is stupid because that existed long before Hitler, and from what I recall any question about the death toll figures in WW2 of russians or jewish people would get you thrown in jail.

I heard that only recently have they actually grown the balls to even show Hitler and Nazi artifacts in museums, as before there was concern I think about Hitler worship just like there was Ceasar worship back in the Roman Empire even after he died. Who knows, maybe someday there will be a Hitler Hitler fast food chain that will serve schnitzel instead of pizza. :D
 
OEM said:
It relates in the sense that Steve makes bad attempts at insulting one of the richest and most successful companies in the world constantly even when it doesn't relate in the slightest constantly.
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Of course. Poor Apple. Pity them and their suffering at the hands of internet detractors.
 
Gah! Foiled...this was about Google.

Well...don't I look silly. My comment still stands about Apple, though.
 
No big deal. England still has statues of Oliver Cromwell, even though he damn near wiped all of Ireland off the map.
 
Heil_00c0d2_212460.gif



Did I just blow your mind?
 
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