Did you go to Google.com this Presidents Day? I did, and was quite surprised to find the normal Google logo on display.
The search engine is known for the display of exciting graphics called “doodles” on holidays and famous birthdays, but seemed oddly plain and barren on a day I consider an occasion to celebrate.
Their website says “Doodles are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists.”
Are not George Washington and Abraham Lincoln pioneers of our country? It seems that, continuing with the idea of celebrating the lives of pioneers, those who founded or steered our country should be among the first celebrated.
In the week before Presidents Day, featured doodles included Valentine’s Day, Serbian National Day, Lithuanian Act of Independence, and Agniya Barto’s 106th birthday. Have you even heard of these last three days of significance? And Presidents Day did not make that list?
George Washington’s birthday has become little more than a “shopping day” to the average American citizen, who likely does not even know the ideals the day represents. As a fixture in our daily culture, Google has a prime opportunity to educate, an opportunity they have taken upon themselves as a responsibility.
I know that, on more than one occasion, I have seen the Google doodle, clicked on it to see what it was about, and learned something interesting. I know many people who have a habit of doing this. Shouldn’t Presidents Day, a day honoring the birthdays of two great presidents, get at least the same attention as these other days?
Or could this be an attempt at forgetting our history as part of a left-leaning agenda? Google has been exposed in its ties to leftist ideals and revolutions, not the least of which include the arrest in Egypt of Wael Ghonim, a Google executive, for his instrumental role in the 2011 uprising. There have also been questions raised regarding the organizations and causes Google supports financially.
I am not in any way calling for a boycott of Google due to possible left-leaning tendencies. I am under no illusion as to how much easier Google makes our life and what a highly useful tool it has become. But I am questioning those in charge of the company, asking if there was a reason behind the oversight of this national holiday.
They claim “The doodle selection process aims to celebrate interesting events and anniversaries that reflect Google’s personality and love of innovation.”
Their decision not to celebrate Presidents Day in the form of a doodle as they do for many other holidays and celebrations really does tell us a lot about Google’s personality. It is a personality I am finding more and more untrustworthy.