Blackbird – A Web Browser for African Americans?
When I first read the story about Blackbird, a web browser for African Americans, I thought it was a joke. Sadly, some people seriously believe that African Americans need a special web browser. As an African American, I must say that that I find this to be bad (and offensive) idea:
Blackbird’s “Black Friendly” Features
Blackbird includes several features that are supposedly useful to African Americans. The color scheme is darker, the search tools are modified to provide more results from websites that are geared towards African Americans, and a ticker a the top streams news from African American related news sources.
Blackbird is unneeded
I’m an African American. I tend to use Firefox for my web browser because I happen to like that browser, although I’m just as comfortable using Safari, Konqueror, Links, Lynx, Chrome, or Internet Explorer. Never have I been in the middle of using a regular web browser, only to feel that because of the color of my skin, I needed a new browser. If I wish to visit the NAACP’s website, I can do so using Firefox. If I wish to see BET’s news, I can subscribe to their RSS feed. If I want to read the news, I’m perfectly capable of doing so from any ordinary news source – I don’t need a “Black” version of the news.
Blackbird is offenseive
The type of racism I’ve found to be most offensive in my life is not the type I experience when a racist cop pulls me over and treats me like a gang member, rather than someone who will (soon) be an Attorney at Law, and who holds a B.S. in Computer Science degree as well. Nor is the casual racism I’ve experienced for uneducated idiots the most offensive type. Instead, I’ve found the most offensive type of racism to be the kind that I experience from people who believe that the color of my skin means that I am a lesser member of society. And that is exactly what Blackbird does.
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I don’t think this can be considered racism, it is just some one’s idea that there might be a market for it. If it really is racily motivated it will be a matter of time before it is gone. Or the Arian Brotherhood might use it (they might call it White Nation Bird).
Any way, I feel the need for a computer designed with my specific back ground in mind. Being a Scandinavian with viking roots, a PC that can withstand my battle axe and me going berserk from time to time on raids against small defenseless villages.
Any way, from what I have read, the Black Bird browser is a skinned Flock and there for I’m even remotely interested in it.
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Thanks for the comment, Anders
To clarify, I don’t think that the creators or Blackbird set out to act in a racist manner. My problem is that they seem to feel that black people need a different browser, just as some people seem to think that black people need different laws…
And I wish you the best of luck on your quest for a battle-axe-resistant browser
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I wounder if the creator’s are black them self?
Here is a few comments about Black Bird
http://www.crunchbase.com/product/blackbird
It is not a software issue for me, it’s hardware that’s the problem. Take a look and see how feeble modern electronics are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkfMuj623AQ
April 18th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
I don’t think this can be considered racism, it is just some one’s idea that there might be a market for it. If it really is racily motivated it will be a matter of time before it is gone. Or the Arian Brotherhood might use it (they might call it White Nation Bird).
Any way, I feel the need for a computer designed with my specific back ground in mind. Being a Scandinavian with viking roots, a PC that can withstand my battle axe and me going berserk from time to time on raids against small defenseless villages.
Any way, from what I have read, the Black Bird browser is a skinned Flock and there for I’m even remotely interested in it.
June 4th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Thanks for the comment, Anders
To clarify, I don’t think that the creators or Blackbird set out to act in a racist manner. My problem is that they seem to feel that black people need a different browser, just as some people seem to think that black people need different laws…
And I wish you the best of luck on your quest for a battle-axe-resistant browser