If you happened to be on Twitter or on your favorite conservative website on Sunday, you may have noticed the latest faux outrage on the right. Search engine Google, on its homepage, transformed its famous doodle into a version featuring the late labor leader Cesar Chavez.
The Google Doodle has become a bit of an honor, a periodic feature that has recognized some well-known and some not so well-known individuals, holidays and dates of note. It’s also the kind of feature that is usually seen as cute and uncontroversial.
But this past Sunday was Easter. Yes, on Easter Sunday there were no Easter eggs, no bunnies and no Jesus. There was just Chavez. Cue the (social conservative) outrage:
Yep. While two billion Christians around the world celebrate Easter Sunday on this 31st day of March, Google is using its famous ‘Doodle’ search logo art to mark the birth of left-wing labor leader Cesar Chavez. For real. Google’s Doodle logo overlords sure have a way of rubbing their politics in people’s noses.
Sad to say that on this one the religious right needs to be spoken to like it’s a child. Specifically, a child who throws a tantrum because he/she is not the center of everyone’s attention while everyone is busy celebrating some other kid’s birthday.
In other words: It’s not always about you, religious right. There are other people all over the country and the planet who have different beliefs, thoughts, feeling, viewpoints, wants, needs, etc. So when Google uses its doodle to honor Chavez on Easter Sunday, it doesn’t mean the folks at the search engine hate you or your faith. It just means there are other things going on in this world — there are other things people care about — that have little to do with you that just happen to fall on the same day as Easter, as was the case Sunday when Chavez’ birthday coincided with one of the holiest days in Christianity.
But this didn’t seem to be much of a problem last year or every year since the last time Google had an Easter doodle in 2000. It seemed to become a problem only yesterday because Chavez, as we know all too well here at TFN, is not favorite on the right.
In 2009, “expert” social studies curriculum reviewers Peter Marshall and David Barton wanted Chavez removed from curriculum standards. Now people from the same side apparently also want him removed from Google.
I think it also needs to be said that just because Chavez is important, that does not mean that Jesus is unimportant.
A friend was telling me this morning that the really big stink in some of his cyberneighborhoods was that Google was praising that mean ol’ dictator from South America. The one that just died.
All’a them Chavez guys are about the same, apparently…..
Good points, y’all. And to complicate matters, Easter Sunday floats between April & March — due to some complicated formula. Sr. Chavez’s birthday will always be March 31st, no matter what day of the week….
Cesar Chavez was a Christian.
Now Matt. Seriously. Everyone knows that Catholics are not Christians. Neither are members of numerous other major churches that claim to be Christians. Only “true” Christians are Christians. Just look for the label that says:
None Genuine without This Here Signature:
E.Bailey Esq.