By Nicholas Muiruri – Naturally Moi
From the look of things, people of color will never experience life without facing some sort of bias directed at their race. Even Siri, the computer program developed by Apple Inc., appears to ride on the same prejudice. Siri, an acronym that stands for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface, allows you to talk to your phone in the same manner you would speak to your friend. Siri can place your calls, send messages, set reminders or even reserve a dinner table. The app works on Apple’s devices such as the iPod, iPad, and iPhone.
Despite the application’s innovative nature, there is an issue with its second definition of the word “b*tch.” Siri defines the term as a woman who is either unpleasant or spiteful. The app further clarifies that the word is a derogatory term for everyday use in conversations. Moreover, as a sub-definition, Siri states that ‘b*tch’ is slang among black people and is often used to refer to women.
In her article that appears in The Huffington Post, Taryn Finley feels the definition used by Apple Inc. is racist and offends black women. She quotes the definition from Urban Dictionary, which uses less derogatory terms. The online dictionary defines ‘b*tch’ as a word that describes the act of complaining in an exaggerated manner. Also, the term refers to a servant who performs degrading duties for others. Moreover, in the dictionary’s fourth definition, people use the word ‘b*tch’ as an exclamation for hardship.
However, the definition did not originate from Siri. Apple cites the New Oxford American Dictionary as its source. All definitions on Siri come from this dictionary, although the reference “black slang” does not appear on the current definition of Oxford’s online site. However, as Ellio Turner, a software dealer, posted on Quora – Siri uses a series of data technologies that enable it to interface with third-party providers of web services. These interactions allow the app to answer questions, carry out search operations and perform actions.
So far, the Oxford University Press has not weighed in on the debate. Finley observes that Siri’s case was not the first instance where people have offended black people using technology. She cites a recent situation where Google had to issue an apology after using the term ‘gorilla’ while referring to tagged photos involving black people.
Clearly, if one thought that it was only people who stereotyped colored people, they were wrong. Apparently, even technology has joined in the fray.
