UPDATED: City of Anna launches new, confusing, somewhat-offensive webpage

Updated 12:46 p.m., January 29, 2007

by Chad Jones

The City of Anna has recently launched its official city government website, and boy is it a head-scratcher.

A screenshot capture of the phrase (it has since been removed and replaced with the less-exciting "Under Construction.")

The new page—not to be confused with the older, unofficial and politically-correct City of Anna Online Guide—has a crisp-blue layout, a search bar, an events calendar, an ethnically-inappropriate phrase, and links to pay your utility bills.

Wait. What?

Oh, that's right. When you visit the homepage, you'll notice two language selection icons—one American flag and one Mexican flag—in the top right corner.

Select the Mexican flag, and instead of a Spanish translation of the Mayor's welcoming message, you are suddenly greeted with the perplexing phrase "Ya donta speaka Italiano."—which makes no sense on several, varied levels.

Since it's the weekend, City of Anna officials can't be reached for comment. Stay tuned for further updates, because there ought to be muy muchos.

UPDATE: This morning I spoke with Barbara, the Project Manager of the city website, who appeared just as surprised and confused about the phrase, though she didn't seem to find it all that funny. She vowed to contact the website administrator, some fellow at Econsortian.com.

Meanwhile, my attempt to reach the guy has been foiled, as the "Contact Us" function of the site is apparently down at this time.

The search continues. Follow-up forthcoming.

UPDATE x2

Al Zwanenburg, President of Econsortian, says that "Basil," the employee who had added the text in question, had done so merely as a 'place-holder' text, and that the City of Anna should have noticed the error before approving the finalized webpage.

Additionally, it seems that Basil no longer works for the company (for reasons not connected with this story). However, Zwanenburg says that, had he himself been aware of Basil posting the phrase in question when he did, he "wouldn't have even issued him a warning."

"I gotta tell ya," Zwanenburg continued. "I don't see anything inappropriate in this. I find it just as offensive as putting 'my eyes are green' or 'my hair is brown.'"

Zwanenburg goes on to say that Basil, who hailed from Russia, most likely mistook the Mexican flag for the Italian flag (because they are, after all, pretty similar) while working on the site and therefore posted the irreverent little phrase, thinking little of it.

"And let me tell you, I am first generation Dutch," Zwanenburg said. "I got my American citizenship when I was 21. I came across the ocean on a boat. So I, and my company, would never condone racist or overtly-prejudiced material on our websites. Even so, I'm having trouble understanding why people would find this offensive, and why I'm even getting hateful phone calls and hateful e-mails."

"Maybe I'm just not so sensitive," Zwanenburg says, chuckling. "My wife does tell me that sometimes."