Where’s the poppy, Google?

! This post hasn't been updated in over a year. A lot can change in a year including my opinion and the amount of naughty words I use. There's a good chance that there's something in what's written below that someone will find objectionable. That's fine, if I tried to please everybody all of the time then I'd be a Lib Dem (remember them?) and I'm certainly not one of those. The point is, I'm not the kind of person to try and alter history in case I said something in the past that someone can use against me in the future but just remember that the person I was then isn't the person I am now nor the person I'll be in a year's time.

Google has had a Sesame Street logo on its site for most of the week to mark the 4oth anniversary of the show.

Presumably the makers of Sesame Street are presumably paying them to display the logo because not only did the Google UK site fail to mark the 5th of November, but they have also failed to mark Remembrance Sunday.

I can forgive them missing the 5th of November but failing to mark Remembrance Sunday is a disgrace and an insult to the memory of the men and women who gave up their lives during the two world wars and beyond.

Google should be ashamed.

20 comments

  1. subrosa (13 comments) says:

    Well said. You have my support in this but of course, there’s no money in it for Google.

  2. Ray (2 comments) says:

    Maybe they will mark the 11th (Remembrance day itself).

  3. jamie (5 comments) says:

    yes this is disgusting i see this as one of the important days of the year and google chooses to remember it by putting up a picture of Elmo

  4. Jamws Wood (1 comments) says:

    i have emailed

    press-uk@google.com.

    informing them of my dissapointment

  5. wonkotsane (1133 comments) says:

    I also emailed the press office and ukdoodle@googlemail.com as well, which is the email address Google Doodles (the special occasion logos).

  6. CherryPie (69 comments) says:

    The 11th is the correct day for celebrating so maybe they will then…

  7. Dillon (1 comments) says:

    I too was disgusted.

    Apparently they’ll have a poppy on 11th, but that doesn’t make up for their crass insensitivity.

    Remebrance Sunday has been the official day for many decades and it’s only in recent years that there has been a 2 minute silence on the 11th too.

    Shame on Google.

    I looked for a complaint e-mail address at their site and couldn’t find it so thanks for posting.

  8. wonkotsane (1133 comments) says:

    No Google Doodle today either on any of the Google websites you would expect to see it on. I’ve snet another complaint for them to ignore:

    I emailed you on Sunday about your decision to mark Remembrance Sunday with a picture of the Cookie Monster off Sesame Street rather that the poppy but received no reply. Talking to people, the general consensus was that it was disrespectful and insensitive but some people were prepared to give Google the benefit of the doubt and wait until Remembrance Day, the actual Remembrance Day itself, when they felt sure that Google would bring back the poppy logo used in previous years.

    How wrong they were. I’ve checked the UK, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, South African, French and Belgian versions of Google and not one of them bears a poppy despite it being either a public holiday or national day of remembrance associated with the poppy in all those countries.

    After spending a week marking Sesame Street’s 40th birthday with special Google logos, even putting the American kids TV programme before a national day of remembrance for fallen soldiers on Sunday, completely failing to mark Remembrance Day at all is not just insensitive and disrespectful, it is an insult to the memory of the millions of people around the world who lost their lives to make sure our generation had the opportunity to live in (relative) freedom.

    Stuart

  9. BARBARA STRAUGHN (1 comments) says:

    QUITE RIGHT
    Google, once again you have demonstrated that you are only interested in MONEY, MONEY, MONEY and are not representative of the United Kingdom despite your dominance of the market.

  10. Katie (2 comments) says:

    Google’s spokesperson: “I’m sure we have something planned in time for 11 o’clock. Obviously it is extremely important.”
    Well, it’s gone eleven and it’s still the standard Google homepage.
    Sunday’s ‘Sesame Street’ choice was insensitive and disrespectful. However, not to issue an apology or try to make amends with a fitting tribute to our fallen soldiers today is disgraceful and inexcusable.

  11. Ryan (4 comments) says:

    At least Bing.com marked the occasion with a lovely picture of a poppy field. #shameongoogle

  12. fiona (2 comments) says:

    Boycott Google and use Bing today as a mark of respect, and to make a point.

  13. Ryan (4 comments) says:

    They’ve added a poppy now, better late than never!

  14. Catherine Elliott (1 comments) says:

    A poppy finally arrived at 11.40 am on the 11th November. A bit late but better than nothing!

  15. kristin (1 comments) says:

    Here in Canada, there is no poppy on the English page. There is a poppy link underneath the Google name on the French page. I’m disappointed.

  16. Katie (2 comments) says:

    Too little too late, Google. It just compounds their disrespectfulness: clearly the criticism levelled at them has been the only reason for adding the image, not a desire to pay tribute to our soldiers, otherwise there’d have been a lovely, respectful image ready to be added first thing this morning, not the rush job they’ve churned out over the last hour. Ridiculous.

  17. kat (1 comments) says:

    Yes I agree,Google can put Seasame on all week ,but on the 11th no poppy ..shame on Google…Kat

  18. cindy van loan (1 comments) says:

    Also here in Canada, I was very upset and extremely disppointed not to see a poppy on the homepage. I could not find where to email but I did call and leave a message. Lest we forget.

  19. Susan (1 comments) says:

    Shame on Google, No poppy, no mention, how can that be? Totally disappointed for sure. Susan

  20. Barry (5 comments) says:

    “Remebrance Sunday has been the official day for many decades and it’s only in recent years that there has been a 2 minute silence on the 11th too.”

    I must say that is incorrect, the armistice was signed in france at 1100 on 11th Nov and is the correct annual day to ‘celebrate’ Armistice day, the day which ‘Remembrance day’ purposefully coincides with. The first official Remembrance day was held on the 11th Nov 1919 and has been ever since.

    The Sunday aspect was introduced as a method to celebrate in churches on the Sunday closest to the true Armistice day. Google being an entirely religion-neutral business likely decided to only celebrate the actual day and not one which only a handful (if that) of religions do.

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