Google Standard Memorial Day Excuse
Tue, May 29, 2007 at 11:29:16 am PDT
A reader forwarded the following reply from Google, about their continuing failure to mark Memorial Day; it’s the same reply they’ve given for at least three years running.
Thank you for your note. We appreciate your interest in seeing a Memorial Day Google logo. If we were to commemorate this holiday, we’d want to express reverence; however, as Google’s special logos tend to be lighthearted in nature, this would be a particularly challenging design. We wouldn’t want to create a graphic that could be interpreted as disrespectful in any way.
We have a long list of holidays that we’d like to celebrate in the future. We have to balance this rotating calendar with the need to maintain the consistency of the Google homepage. We really value your feedback regarding the Google logo, and please be assured that we’re actively pursuing ways in which we can acknowledge Memorial Day and other such occasions in the future.
Regards,
The Google Team
By “in the future,” they apparently mean sometime in the next century or so.
UPDATE at 5/29/07 11:34:31 am:
As for their claim that they want “lighthearted” logos, how “lighthearted” were those melting glaciers they used on Earth Day?
UPDATE at 5/29/07 11:39:25 am:
Here was Google’s reply in 2005 when people asked why they didn’t mark Memorial Day.
We have to balance this rotating calendar with the need to maintain the consistency of the Google homepage.
Furthermore, Google’s special logos tend to be lighthearted in nature. If we were to commemorate Memorial Day, we would want to express reverence, rather than mirth. This would be a particularly challenging design. We would not want to, in any way, create a graphic that could be interpreted as disrespectful. In light of the mail we have received about this, we are actively considering designs we could display on this day next year. We welcome any suggestions you may have.
UPDATE at 5/29/07 11:50:06 am:
To show you how transparently false this excuse is, here’s the logo Google used for Australia’s ANZAC Day, the Aussie equivalent of Memorial Day:
In truth, Google is willing to honor the fallen of every country—except their own.
(Hat tip: Dylan.)
UPDATE at 5/29/07 12:15:08 pm:
And here’s their logo for Canada’s Remembrance Day, which they’ve been running for several years:
And here’s the British Remembrance Day logo from 2004:
UPDATE at 5/29/07 12:36:24 pm:
Zombie is holding a Google Memorial Day logo design contest.
