Slurs in Puzzle

[Freakapotimus]

If I can get a copy of this puzzle scanned, I'll let you know! And now I have to go through the article and censor it, because fucking NG won't allow it... Grrr...

***

Investigation launched into slurs in word-search puzzle

By Jack Hagel
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

The advertising agency that designed the brochures for the Sunoco Welcome America celebration said it would investigate how a number of racial terms wound up in a word puzzle contained in the promotional material.

John Goodchild, chairman of the Weightman Group, said it appeared that the terms, including several slurs, were randomly produced by a computer program that created the puzzle.

"We think it's important that we find out that it was, in fact, just a randomness occurring and we're going to investigate to be sure," he said. "We're terribly distraught that anything like this could happen. It has never been our intention to harm anyone or to make anyone feel uncomfortable."

The patriotic-themed word-search puzzle, intended for children, urged players to find 11 words such as America, celebration and independence. Among the seemingly random assortment of letters one could find n i g g a h, jap, japs, yid, Jew and goy. Jew, japs and goy appear spelled backward.

The Weightman Group agreed to the investigation after meeting with Barry Morrison, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League for the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware region.

"Our people are cooperating with the Weightman Group to determine whether or not these terms were introduced at the computer source," Morrison said. "If there is a culprit person who inserted these words to offend or to insult, we want that person identified and held accountable for their actions."

The brochure, with a press run of 450,000, was distributed yesterday to individuals, businesses, attractions and organizations on the start of the eight-day Welcome America Fourth of July celebration.

According to Goodchild, the Weightman Group had downloaded free puzzle-generating software after finding it on an Internet search engine.

A. Bruce Crawley, a member of Welcome America's executive committee, said the Weightman Group was determining which program was used to generate the puzzle.

"We have to know if [the program] has a predisposition to print offensive words," Crawley said. "It's ironic that this whole flap is over a computer-generated puzzle and this is the first time we've published [a puzzle]."

Crawley said the puzzle was printed as it was generated by the computer program. It was not edited by anyone at Welcome America or Weightman.

As for issuing an apology, Crawley said: "We don't know who would issue it. We're trying to find out if there was a culprit."

Abba Krieger, a professor of statistics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, said it was plausible that the words were randomly generated.

"The chances of finding any [offensive words in such a puzzle] is very high, assuming that the set of words that we consider offensive is large," Krieger said. He added that the probability of a five-letter word appearing randomly in a puzzle like the one in the brochure was about 1 in 5,000.

The odds are considerably greater if one is looking for "a particular word spelled a particular way," he said. "The reality is that there are a lot of offensive words."

According to one longtime editor, it all comes down to proofreading the product. Joyce Mott, editor of Kansas City-based Universal Press Syndicate's word-find puzzle, Wonderword, said: "In the 20 to 25 years we've run Wonderword, the big three dirty words have shown up once - and only by accident. We hardly ever have complaints."

According to Mott, Wonderword is syndicated in more than 200 newspapers nationwide, including The Inquirer.

"One time the F-word got in there backwards and I just plain didn't see it, and it was right smack dab in the middle of the grid."

Officials at Sunoco, Welcome America's top sponsor, were understandably unhappy about the flap.

"We regret it took place," said Jerry Davis, spokesman for Sunoco. "I hope that we can focus on the real meaning of the celebration in spite of the unintentional words that were used in the puzzle."

[Pecos]

I think it's fucking stupid. The word itself wasn't spelled out. Y100 radio made some good points when that article came out - they said that words/slang like: jew, wap, goy, ass, etc. are very common in most crossword puzzles. So why make such a big deal about it?

I'm tired of having to put up with shit because blacks "can't get over how bad they've been treated" by a bunch of american retards 50-100 years ago.

[shorbe]

Massive: ooh...you'll get in trouble for that. The truth isn't liked around these parts...hehe

shorbe

[IamJacksalias]

At 6/29/01 10:03 AM, shorbe wrote: Massive: ooh...you'll get in trouble for that. The truth isn't liked around these parts...hehe

Good one and damn true!!!!

[Shrapnel]

At 6/28/01 11:35 AM, MassiveBit wrote: I think it's fucking stupid. The word itself wasn't spelled out. Y100 radio made some good points when that article came out - they said that words/slang like: jew, wap, goy, ass, etc. are very common in most crossword puzzles. So why make such a big deal about it?

I'm tired of having to put up with shit because blacks "can't get over how bad they've been treated" by a bunch of american retards 50-100 years ago.

Saying stuff like that just perpetuates the vicious circle of hate.

[shorbe]

Shrapnel: In defence of MassiveBit, he's been in America for something like fifteen years. He's a Jew, originally from Russia.

Just because he's white though, he's seen as the devil and expected to wear some bullshit guilt trip for something that happened so long ago. In his case, the situation is even more absurd, because one can't even draw the long bow that his ancestors did something wrong to the blacks.

I'm sure in his past (being Jewish), a lot of shit has gone down. I think the point he is making though, is you just get on with life.

shorbe

[Shrapnel]

At 7/2/01 02:07 AM, shorbe wrote:

I'm sure in his past (being Jewish), a lot of shit has gone down. I think the point he is making though, is you just get on with life.

I don't think you can get on with life living in a country where racial prejudice begins the day they see your skin colour.

My next statement will walk the line of "political correctness" but I think you can agree that Jewish people enjoy a certain amount of protection now because many of they have many support groups that defend their culture/religion and actively fight against discrimination. If it wasn't for the Holocaust I think discrimination against Jews would still exist.

[Shrapnel]

At 7/2/01 03:44 AM, Shrapnel wrote:

If it wasn't for the Holocaust I think discrimination against Jews would still exist.

Discrimination to a greater degree would exist I mean.

[Pantomime-Horse]

At 6/28/01 11:35 AM, MassiveBit wrote: I think it's fucking stupid. The word itself wasn't spelled out.

I agree, Every Find-A-Word I've seen had coincidental unintentional words, it's not some attempt at subliminal messaging, it's just coincidence, you often find swear words, slurs, slang & names in word puzzles that aren't meant to be there.

[Low-Budget-Superhero]

At 6/28/01 11:35 AM, MassiveBit wrote: I think it's fucking stupid. The word itself wasn't spelled out. Y100 radio made some good points when that article came out - they said that words/slang like: jew, wap, goy, ass, etc. are very common in most crossword puzzles. So why make such a big deal about it?

I'm tired of having to put up with shit because blacks "can't get over how bad they've been treated" by a bunch of american retards 50-100 years ago.

I have to agree. I personally think that someone just wanted to get their names in the newspaper, so what do they do, they blame a crossword puzzle for being racist! I'm sure it was a simple error, that someguy wasn't paying attention. In other words: Pay no attention!

[shorbe]

Shrapnel: That's certainly true to a large degree. However, I think the Jews, as a group, are generally very proactive. Of course, that's part of the reason they've been hated. Still though, more power to them for having the balls to get of their arses.

shorbe