Johannesburg - Apple’s apparent bias against Palestinians is in a similar wavelength as YouTube removing the number of dislikes on videos, nullifying the dislike button on their platform.
Like Palestinians to Apple’s voice assistant, Siri, these dislikes don't exist.
While South Africa is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases as the Omicron variant is driving a sharp increase in new infections, on the dark side of the internet, a TikToker’s video shows that Apple doesn’t recognise Palestine’s existence.
For instance, Siri couldn't be bothered with telling time, nor weather in the state.
“Siri, what time is it in Palestine?” Mayanoraa, a TikTok user on her @mindfultraveller account with 40k followers asked in a video.
“I have no idea what time it is there,” Siri answered.
The disdain in Apple’s programming, in their coding, their racist algorithm to just say “there”. As if sounding the word Palestine would gag the machine’s throat. Like the phone would have to take a deep breath to avoid getting vomit into its lungs.
Siri can’t utter the word “Palestine” as if her diaphragm will contract in a few short pulses.
As if her stomach will squeeze to create pressure. As if her vocal cords will close, sealing the airway. But Siri can't breathe.
So why is she acting like she is about to throw up?
When you vomit, the lung chambers are safe, nothing enters or leaves.
Siri acts as if whenever she says Palestine, her diaphragm heaves.
Apple users can’t confirm the existence of the State of Palestine from how they have been deceived.
People in Mayanoraa’s comments section, myself included, tried it out on their phones and found that Android’s Bixby, Amazon’s Alexa and Huawei’s Celia were all able to answer questions about the time and weather in Palestine.
Israel and some other countries, including the United States, don't recognise Palestine as an independent state. Neither does Apple.
In the TikTok video, Mayanoraa also asked Siri for the time in Israel, to which the voice assistant replied, “In Jerusalem, Israel, it’s 13:20”.
Appalled users in the comments called for the boycotting of Apple for siding with Israel, which is accused of committing human rights violations and illegally occupying Palestinian land.
On one hand, the reason Apple’s apparent bias against Palestinians is similar to YouTube removing the number of dislikes on videos, nullifying the dislike button on their platform, is that the rest of the world knows that both YouTube dislikes and Palestine exist.
On the other hand, they are both intentionally being shoved into oblivion; like the rights of Blacks in apartheid South Africa, like difficulty breathing while a police officer's knee is wedged to your neck in America.
They get that close when shooting you for wearing a hoodie or selling CD’s has become old news – rest in peace to Trayvon Martin and Alton Sterling.
It is also the woman, child, LGBTIAQ+, they/them, who feels the wrath when our primal instincts have grown too strong.
How we dismantle, attempt to disintegrate and discard their mothers and sisters body parts. We keep them in fridges and our future lovers discover them, or brag on Podcast and chill that we have smashed the women we raped.