eBay France rename feedback star after "Nazi" complaint
20/02/2009 at 01:14
eBay France has renamed its yellow feedback star after a complaint that it resembled a Nazi symbol.
French eBay user Dominique Bellamy told the company that the star resembled that which Jews were made to wear on their clothing under the Nazi regime. The star has now been renamed première étoile (first star) on eBay.fr, though it remains “yellow star” on English-language sites.
eBay told the French press agency AFP that “no definitive change has been decided yet”. They might like to take into account that the symbol which Jews were forced to wear was the six-pointed star of David, whereas the eBay star has five points.
Moreover, if yellow stars really are generally offensive, one might imagine that one of eBay’s Jewish employees (or one of their non-Jewish employees, or another eBay member, come to that) would have noticed it before now.
ebuyerfb says
3:00 am on 20/02/2009
ok.
I got my “first star” almost seven years ago. It took how many years and how many millions of users to generate this complaint?
board_surfer says
9:04 am on 20/02/2009
I think this is a great idea!
they should rename all the stars
yellow = noobstar
blue = pornstar {what else!}
turquoise = gaystar
purple = American herostar
Red = blushing star
Green = hangover star
the silver shooters would of course be Mega stars.
northumbrian says
9:17 am on 20/02/2009
all the stars insult me
their infantile
Sue Bailey says
9:38 am on 20/02/2009
I like the idea of the blue star being the porn star, tho green is obviously bogey, and silver shooters are sweaty stars:
http://www.tamebay.com/2008/11/new-shooting-stars-for-people-with-lots-and-lots-of-feedback.html
http://ebayinkblog.com/2008/11/13/congratulations-to-jack-sheng/
Dan Wilson says
12:06 pm on 20/02/2009
Presumably the European Union flag will be next?
Rich Brady says
3:02 pm on 20/02/2009
What is the World coming too? If only eBay were as quick to change some it’s policies or bugs with so few complaints (I’m assuming it can’t by many people that have made the connection, 8 perhaps?).
Some people have got too much time on their hands and more fool eBay France for even giving it a second thought.
Tony says
4:21 pm on 20/02/2009
The world has gone mad. where will it ever end?
Henrietta says
5:50 pm on 20/02/2009
When will it end? Doomsday
Richard says
7:42 am on 21/02/2009
Dominique Bellamy is just trying to set the stage for a lawsuit. eBay should just ignore the complaint. If eBay caves in then Mr. Dominique Bellamy will see that as an admission of guilt and a multi-million dollar lawsuit will soon follow for “emotional distress”
chinesesilk.ecrater says
7:56 am on 21/02/2009
“They might like to take into account that the symbol which Jews were forced to wear was the six-pointed star of David, whereas the eBay star has five points.”
For once ebay has a good point. And that Dominique Bellamy is an idiot. Sell/buy more, your star color will change and you won’t be “upset” anymore. Bottom line.
Sue Bailey says
10:28 am on February 21st, 2009
For once ebay has a good point.
Ouch. Bad Pun of the Week Award for you
ebuyerfb says
12:05 pm on 21/02/2009
I wonder how they feel about the sun. It is a yellow star with no points. Trust me, you don’t want to see that one change colors.
Ed (BuildaSkill) says
4:27 am on 23/02/2009
@ #9 – Richard
Dominique is usually the feminine form of the male name Dominic (sometimes spelled Dominiq in French speaking countries I believe)
However the family name Bellamy is the Anglicised form of the medieval spelling Belle-ami (or good friend) and I wonder if the French name Dominique has married to an Anglo and thus has the mixed name formats.
Staying with the medieval link – under historic heraldry rules, yellow was a representative substitute for the colour gold (and white for silver). It was / is prohibited to have yellow and gold, or silver and white, on an official (registered and approved) coat of arms – a historical detail that Hollywood continuously gets wrong. Also, orange is prohibited on a registered coat of arms, purple is permitted only on Royal Arms.
The eBay stars therefore are also wrong. The yellow star, heraldically is a gold star. The white/grey star is a silver star. Yet they use a different shading for silver and gold PowerSellers – OK, I know that’s nitpicking, but if Ms Bellamy wants to make a “thing” of the yellow star, then she needs to learn such heraldic principles and how to argue them.
If Bellamy is her married name, (and in saying this I’m sure I’m just voicing what’s on the back of many people’s minds) I wonder what her maiden name was? Could it be that she is of Jewish origin, and this incident is simply more mischief and raking over of old coals from a certain organisation that refuses to let the holocaust’s smoke settle, and its victims to rest in peace?
Whilst I will never support claims that the holocaust never happened, nor any who espouse such claims, and it is worthwhile ensuring awareness of it to prevent it re-occurring, is it right that 3 generations after it occurred, it continues to influence the tiniest details of our daily lives? Germany appears to have done everything possible to ensure continued remembrance of, and apologies to, the victims and their descendents – why must the rest of the world repeatedly be punished for new actions and events that have no relation to the original events, and no intention to re-create or celebrate them?
What the original post reveals (to me) is that Ms Bellamy needs to spend more time in history or religious studies education, and learn the factual details of the geometry of the two stars, or buy higher magnification reading glasses.
(sorry for the rant – this is the sort of topic that riles me)
Ed
chinesesilk.ecrater says
7:29 am on 23/02/2009
“Ouch. Bad Pun of the Week Award for you”
Yes but no because ebay got it right this time: the jew star is 6 pointed not 5 and the feebay star has no green color inside whatsoever.
I, personally, never thought about jews when seeing that yellow star.
But who cares, there are more important things to think about, for example leaving greedbay for alt sites.
Sue Bailey says
9:07 am on 23/02/2009
@Ed: Dominique Bellamy is male.