As a science fiction fan and owner of a satellite dish with a DVR, I often look at the upcoming shows for something to record. I found out that the Sci-Fi Channel usually plays episodes of the same science fiction series from 8 am to 4 pm Eastern time a few months ago. I've recorded episodes of the original Battlestar Galactica, Kolchak The Night Stalker, Time Cop, First Wave and most recently the little remembered 1974 television series adaptation of Planet of the Apes. I decided to try to see if one of my favorite sites for its great prices and service, Walmart.com, had the series available on DVD. When I searched for "Planet of the Apes" in the search area of the site, I was presented with three choices. The DVD set I was hoping for, a compilation of the Planet of the Apes movies and the unfortunate Tim Burton 2001 Re-make (known by some as "Aperaham Lincoln" for its ending). When I clicked on the television series DVD I was given choices of similar items to choose at the right of the screen . At first I thought, "oh, 'Introducing Dorothy Dandridge', maybe Roddy McDowell or one of the other actors was in this HBO Movie. That turned out not to be the case.
As I looked farther down the list, also "similar" supposedly is a documentary on the life and death of Martin Luther King, the arrow and hot link say that there are more items below.
When I clicked below I got a list of products already seen as well as "Unforgiveable Unforgiveable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson," a documentary on the first African-American heavyweight champion and "What's Love Got to Do With It?", a Tina Turner biopic, which are both apparently also similar to "Planet of the Apes."
In our nation's history and even to this day"yard apes" along with the equally offensive "porch monkey" are derogatory terms for black Americans and racists since the slavery days have attempted to sub-humanize slaves by comparing them to apes and monkeys. I am not the first one who will yell "racism!" when being given a set of circumstances to examine. As a matter of fact, I think at times that "the race card" is used too much in our society by such people as Jesse Jackson to perform shakedowns on individuals and corporations. In this case however given how different these items are, with their only link being that they are about black Americans and I have to wonder if a malicious coder or someone working at Walmart.com somehow linked these items together with the "Planet of the Apes." Given the history of racism and the civil rights struggle in our nation and especially in the South, where Walmart is headquartered, one would think that a multi-national concern like Walmart would be more cognizant about it's website and its content.
UPDATES: Here and here in L'Affair Walmart: The Education of a San Diego Blogger
Three months later and Walmart still hasn't fixed this.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1596594
Posted by: Matthew Tobey | 05 January 2006 at 09:00 PM
Wal-mart isn't racist, you are. Apparently you have racism on the brain. Every movie that was linked has one thing in common, yeah you guessed it, they all deal with racism and the struggle for equality. According to your logic, Wal-mart is racist because they sell Planet of the Apes. Grow up loser.
Posted by: junior | 06 January 2006 at 04:30 PM
Sounds to me like Junior here is a racist. Spread your hate elsewhere, devil-man!
Posted by: Paul Morano | 06 January 2006 at 05:46 PM
If you perform a web search on the two terms "Planet of the Apes" and "Martin Luther King," you can find a number of sites that suggest that revulsion at King's assassination helped fuel interest of the "Planet of the Apes" series. An example is at http://www.phobosweb.com/reviews/dvds/escapefrompota.html :
"In many ways Escape can be seen as an exploration of the loss of idealism and innocence experienced in America at the end of '60s. Zira loses much of the trust and faith in mankind that once defined her personality when she is subjected to their cruelty and oppression. In 1971, it was also a powerful and timely metaphor that, like Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, Zira and Cornelius are essentially assassinated because they believed in a future defined by progression and equality."
As for the other items that came up on Wal Mart's list, I haven't a clue. As a matter of fact, what's the reason for any linkage between King and Jack Johnson?
Posted by: Ontario Emperor | 06 January 2006 at 08:50 PM
Junior's ranting notwithstanding, thank you for your comments. Thank you for your information on the context of the "Apes" movies as relates to the civil rights struggle and tumultuous late 1960's, Ontario Emperor. It was merely my intention to bring up the anomalous web result and I wondered myself if there was in fact any sinister intent.
Posted by: San Diego Johnny | 06 January 2006 at 09:40 PM
The question of "racism or fluke" is certainly a valid question. Although I doubt that the results will be publicly available, I'd love to see the technical analysis of how the references were generated.
Posted by: Ontario Emperor | 09 January 2006 at 07:08 PM
I doubt we shall see the results nor even hear anything more from Walmart at this point. I don't buy the whole MLK promotional linkage idea, seems weak at best since it doesn't account for the other items. I have to think that some employee was having fun with a sick joke and either forgot or left it that way.
Posted by: San Diego Johnny | 09 January 2006 at 10:36 PM
WalMart - its not the first and wont be the last... That "Computer glitch" is the last thing that walmart needs after all the bad press that walmart has had in the last year.
Posted by: Joni Mancilla | 10 January 2006 at 08:04 AM
Just by accident I discovered another jaw dropper. In a web search to see how commercialism is affecting the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, I found a King web page with a JC Penney ad for an anything but white sale. Follow the link and read the end of the post for details.
Posted by: Ontario Emperor | 13 January 2006 at 04:59 PM
I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin- its like the next capitol of little Mexico. I have mixed feelings of this inner city but I am White with very strong ties to my family/s who are almost Mexican. Well at least Mexican desendents.
Ok So I can be partial stupid cause I dont like my heritage sometimes. But what really burns me is when a coporation like Walmart will allow management to be abusing and HARRASSING any other Race then White people, thats my Family ! OK ! maybe I am not their cousin or brother but still thats MY FAMILY!
WEST ALLIS WISCONSIN has several Managers who have been continuously abusing other cultures for years.
I have friends who have quit but went their with intentions to maybe to try to make a positive change.
The movie and ad displays are showing subtle messages of discrimination.
The managers I have personally overheard while being a customer; 2 managers were discussing with the Customers of how they dont like people from mexico and India cause they only buy businesses in the ghetto. Other comments were said of "wish they could go back to mexico" why are they here" and dont they know this is america" WOW ! unfortunately !
Isnt Walmart world wide?
Well I am fired up. I hope someone from milwaukee will see this.
Thanks for letting me voice my views.
upsetwithracism@yahoo.com
Posted by: upsetwithracism | 27 May 2006 at 09:14 PM