I am not a complaining type. And I have kept silent and tried to ignore BS all these years.
But things have crossed limits which is why we were compelled to share this.
I have seen people bash Maharana Pratap show fans and call us crazy because we paid respects to those Rajputs who committed Jauhar and Saka. They said we were glorifying suicides! Like hello! You don't even bother to consider about those times and history? These practices were there because people thought it better to die than get marauded and enslaved by foreign invaders. We used to get threads like why you hate Mughals, why you consider them foreign etc. And even after detailed explanations they would bash us, if not on that forum then elsewhere on this site.
I have seen how they want jodis with a specific queen just because they like an actress better and even say who cares about history, we just want entertainment! History ones often got bashed. I left that forum finally.
There is no dearth of people who bash and mock others who know about mythology and disregard their comments, labelling them as bhajan mandli and whatnot.
I have been called a privileged high class woman just because my parents didn't discriminate against me, and women in my family, including my granny are educated and were working! I mean they say you have no idea of reality of India, as if it is horrible place! Though I am from a middle class family and my relatives have worked in rural areas as well. Whatever explanation I give is laughed at and I am said to be living in self denial or fairy tale world! As if I as a resident do not know about MY OWN COUNTRY but those outsiders do!
In EHT forum we were bashed for our English, accused that Indian women do not use brains, English women know better and then mocked how Indians call unrelated men as bhaiya and treat them like siblings though they are not biologically thus.
I told one basher to please refer to news and even gave links in that #MyChoice video topic but she said she did not have time for this. Yes! You have time to read Youtube comments or check a BW forum but not check hard news and facts about a country?
She commented that world thinks lowly of India and Indian men are getting rejected everywhere, no one likes them or wants to hire them etc., and then said whole world thought of them this way, giving justification that her classmates were of different nationalities in a US university, so yeah US means "whole world"!
Many do not know how to disagree respectfully. Instantly, they will use words like douchebag, blind patriot, no grey cells etc to label you and mock you. This language might be their routine way of talking. It is not ours. How will they react if we behaved same way?
Our parents and families have been mocked and attacked in name of comments on celeb interviews or issue based articles!
Imagine expressing worry for future generations and calling India sad, depressing or having distorted priorities just because there was controversy over a comedy show which many considered abusive and crass!
Being mocked or said to be living in a fairytale world if affairs and so called open marriages are not the norm here in India.
We never called these people names who uphold free sex, glorify booze, nudity, crude language etc. Why they name call us then?
You do not like our beliefs, you do not know about our lives or do not want to know, you do not want to believe our explanations, FINE. So be it. But atleast stop mocking and bullying us or trying to shame us and trash our entire country just because you do not agree with us!
And mods, rarely intervene. Even if they do, they give lame reason like topic is not related to this forum. Why not make it clear that country bashing is NOT going to be accepted?
The high number of bashing posts and EVEN HIGHER number of likes on such posts speaks a lot about mentality of a sizeable section of people here.
Some compare India to Saudi Arabia and once in a thread,one person even said that Saudi was also BETTER than India.
Somehow they find country issue everywhere. Like in Box office threads or TRP threads also they start bashing an entire country and their tastes or intellect if their fav show or film does not do well!
Is it a joke?
Debate, question, seek answers, even critcise and disagree if you like. But atleast stop bashing and don't yelp about our parents and upbringing even!
For me, it has been extreme. Some called me blind patriot. One called me a traitor.😆 It seems no debate can happen without being slammed with an extreme label?
I agree with AllBlacks. This place has become so weird that one wonders why one is even here?
I posted links of threads only as an example. There are MANY MANY MORE such threads and I can give links to each, over the weekend in case one wants more proof.
Those days are long gone when internet was mainly reserve of other countries. We have internet access too and we are not going to silently keep taking shit about our country.
It is about India and Indian content, people should respectfully seek to understand why things are the way they are instead of mocking us. They are more than welcome to criticise and disagree but stop bullying and mocking us to force your beliefs on us.
Everyone living in India is not in denial or giving lame excuses. Please respect the fact that ones actually living here would also know their country and perhaps better than those who never lived here or have long left it!
I follow many western blogs and forums on India and Indian cinema but they are so respectful and genuine. Only this forum is appalling - especially since last 1-2 years or so.
I request all those who commented here to please share your experiences and give links to threads also in case authorities still think this is not a major issue and it demands more proof.
Let's make ourselves heard this time. Enough of tolerating silently or quietly leaving the site.
Anupamaa
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