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There are several threads at the Google Web Search Help forum with complaints about an offensive search result.
If you search Google for [define an english person] Google returns the Wikipedia result for the term "Cunt".
Some people are saying they find it funny but others are truly offended by it.
Here is a picture of the search result:
Googler, Albert, said:
Just saw a report regarding this. This looks like a bad case of ranking that we're looking into.
Every now and then these types of search results come up. The big questions is why did this happen in this case and can Google fix it or will Google have to leave it like they did with the Michelle Obama Image case.
Forum discussion at Google Web Search Help.
Image credit to ShutterStock for English man image.
Comments:
Dan Whitehouse
12/13/2011 01:27 pm
WHAT???!!!
Alex Holliman
12/13/2011 02:06 pm
Your little character is using a Great British flag, us Englishmen prefer the Cross of St George Old Chap.
Craig Timmins
12/13/2011 02:22 pm
Haha brilliant, I notice our bordering countries are left untouched by Google as well.
Craig Timmins
12/13/2011 02:25 pm
I hope you typed that with a pipe in your mouth Alex ;)
Dan Whitehouse
12/13/2011 02:33 pm
We do prefer the St George's cross actually because we are English 1st..
Ian Anderson Gray
12/13/2011 02:58 pm
I thought Google bombing didn't happen any more. I'm usually the type of person who doesn't like offensive words like this, but I have to admit I found this funny. Just hope no kids type it in!
John_meffen
12/13/2011 03:20 pm
Em, the Cross of St George is a military medal.... and it is given for acts of bravery in .... Russia.
Ben Johnston
12/13/2011 03:23 pm
I bet the French are behind this ;)
DaBadger
12/13/2011 03:26 pm
Proves that Google has made an effort to provide accurate results in order to stop further erosion of their dominance.
Pedant
12/13/2011 04:19 pm
"St George's Cross (or the Cross of St George) is a red cross on a white background used as a symbolic reference to Saint George. The red cross on white was associated with St George from medieval times."
Joe Youngblood
12/13/2011 05:51 pm
Looks like the freshness algo is working. Below the top 3 are mostly recent forum / blog posts about this.
Joe Youngblood
12/13/2011 05:58 pm
Google also does a bad job with "define a spanish person" and "define a japanese person" but neither in a crude way like this.
Dave Erocket
12/13/2011 07:52 pm
No offence caused here. I'm an Englishman and from time to time this describes me perfectly :-)
dsg
12/13/2011 11:08 pm
google are a bunch of racists
PAOLO
12/14/2011 01:10 am
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, THAT IS ALL!
Joel Chudleigh
12/14/2011 04:41 am
If they can't be accurate they might as well be funny!
Jelly Jim
12/14/2011 09:11 am
Have you seen what it thinks a German person is? BTW, the bloke you've got illustrating the story is holding a Union flag. Not analogous to 'England' (unless you want to uphold stereotypes about geographically-challenged Americans). Perhaps by drawing your attention to this, I've just reinforced Google's opinion as to what an English person is, natch ;)
Kes Phelps
12/14/2011 12:28 pm
Shows what the rest of the world thinks of us and, quite frankly, rightly so. Hang my head in shame sometimes when i see my fellow country (no pun) men abroad
Rob w
12/14/2011 05:41 pm
I'm not sure this is traditional google bombing. It doesn't seem to be caused by backlinks but rather by the heavy bias google gives to wikipedia results.
Ian Anderson Gray
12/14/2011 06:02 pm
I know Google gives Wikipedia high ranking, but how does it link up the word "cu**" with the phrase "define an english person"? I did notice that the Wikipedia page in question has the words "define", "english" and "person", so perhaps that's just it?
redpenguinxx
12/14/2011 08:09 pm
If you type in "define a Scottish person" the second article is the Wikipedia definition of "assault"!! What does that tell ya!!
PAOLO
12/16/2011 04:02 am
not accurate?
EnEm
12/23/2011 12:15 am
Since we are talking about the English, what would a Google search return for a Royal Englishman (or woman)?
Annum2023
12/24/2011 01:00 am
I beg to differ. First discover who is the author at Google that either wrote this derogatory relationship connection or as an editor, allowed it to stand. There is an ethical accountability factor that you are dismissing with your generalization and I'm not one to just accept or assume what the author wrote is accurate, especially considering the citizens of the United States were - before Obama-Soetoro single-handedly bankrupted our country by bailing out WallStreet & the Euro-based banks [Goldman-Sachs, JPMorganStanleyChase, etc] - usually the largest monetary contributors to devastation due to natural disasters experienced in other countries (Indo tsunami, Haiti EQ, etc.). The fact that our military is being used by the UN to attack countries and leaders who refuse to conform to their mandate for a One World Govt under their New World Order is shameful, but the focus should be on those who rule in the World Court, the UN and Trilateral Cmsn... not the USA.
Dave
12/26/2011 04:23 pm
"First discover who is the author at Google that either wrote this derogatory relationship connection or as an editor, allowed it to stand." Wow. Really? Way to flaunt your ignorance at how a search engine works. Do you REALLY think humans have any part in connecting the billions or random peices of data on the internet? The fact that you think there is some kind of editor presiding over Google search results just goes to show that some people are hplessly stuck in the 20th century. The fact that you think Google could be beholden to any person, or group of people, who get their panties in a twist over any little thing (and make no doubt, this IS a "little thing") and yet still maintain the integrity of their search results is rediculous. That mode of operation would lead to every search result leading to a blank page. THINK about it. "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln
Oak
06/15/2012 11:29 am
Theres a few: "english person" = Cunt "define a german person" = Evil "define an irish person" = Pikey "define a south african person" = Kaffar
Oak
06/15/2012 11:31 am
There are a few, try: "english person" "define a german person" "define an irish person" "define a south african person" I'm sure there's more too.
Clive Andrews
06/15/2012 12:17 pm
Shutterstock need to check the tags they use for national flags...
Bal Pacino
06/15/2012 01:56 pm
Does that mean if you put in Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey, it comes up French?
john
06/15/2012 03:28 pm
no, you slimey italian fuck
eddie
06/15/2012 03:51 pm
Well everyone seems to want to come live in england so we cant be that bad :D Dont know many other places offering free money to people who cant be bothered to work!
vehj
06/15/2012 04:44 pm
i was put onto this by an english person who thought it was hilarious, as do a number of our other english friends. anyone offended is probably just a dick anyway. The kind that complains about "swearing" of anykind. effin carrots
callum
03/26/2013 02:45 pm
and I loved google, i thought so much of it. :(