#False Narrative in India | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

misalpav · 5 months

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I think in light of recent events, it should come to attention for a lot more people that the western education system needs MASSIVE upheaval especially in the social sciences. "World history", as taught in the United States (because that's where I live and is the system I know best, but from what I've seen, most of the west is like this) is just a ruse at best to focus on Eurocentric history for 7 months and spend the 8th and 9th touching on literally everywhere else. Before anyone says it, no it's not because European history is more relevant to America because the parts of European history that are relevant to the USA are touched on extensively through the almost 3-4 years of US specific history classes I had. Meanwhile, real conflict that actually does affect our daily life because of internet and social media like Israel/Palestine, Russia/Ukraine, China/Taiwan, etc. were never mentioned and we were left shocked as those events transpired and rushed to learn about those histories.

I'm an Indian and a Hindu, so on that front I will also go ahead and say to America: what the absolute fuck? You had absolutely no qualms while teaching the practice of jauhar but couldn't mention that it was an act of desperation by women to salvage their dignity from the Muslim terrorists that wouldn't have wasted a second to r*pe or capture them. You went ahead and taught how Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal because he was upset his wife died but failed to mention the countless native people he killed and temples he desecrated. But you could never mention the native Hindu temples in India that stump modern architects? You could mention Aurangzeb and the Delhi Sultanate but not Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj or Rani Rudramadevi because, according to you, the only important things that happened in India were the Muslim and British imperialists right? Then you wonder why, as a society, we struggle with hinduphobia and terrorist groups like the D*tbusters were given the confidence to exist but I don't actually think it's that surprising considering the narrative taught to children as early as middle and high school. Obviously, this narrative also expands to the countless other minorities that have their histories skewed like this, enabling continued bigotry. I think it's absolutely horrendous how the president of Harvard was able to say "it depends on the context" when it came to punishing antisemitism and still stay as faculty at the university with her high 6 figure salary. That kind of bullshit so high up in our educational structures is exactly what keeps fucking us over.

No, I'm not saying you need to go into the details for everything in the world either because that would be impossible, but what I am saying is history can and should be more equitable. In the United States, you can and should teach American history in detail and I have no issues with that (except for how "American history" itself is being watered down by politics and censorship but that's a whole other conversation), but I think 3 centuries after America got independence from the British, the fact that Henry VIII created a church j so he could divorce his first wife is just so unnecessary when people can't even distinguish the fact that Jesus was a Jew and Judaism is one of the oldest surviving religions and then use false information to hurl insults at the Jew community.

Obviously, a lot of what I said was addressed to America, but that definitely does not give the rest of the West a free pass.

#tw: death #tw: i/p #tw: hinduphobia #tw: r*pe #tw: colonialism #hinduphobia #antisemitism #hindublr #desiblr #usa politics #american politics #american education system #hinduism #judaism #jumblr

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determinate-negation · 7 months

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Have you seen this article zionists are spreading around? https://archive.ph/2023.10.28-222013/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/10/decolonization-narrative-dangerous-and-false/675799/

You can tell these people don’t engage with the ideas they’re supposed to disagree with. Basically Israel isn’t a settler-colonial state because it was normal for Europeans to partition states. It goes on about how leftists think Israelis are white too. My favourite part is when they list a bunch of people from migrant backgrounds (Kamala Harris included) in the UK/US and say this: no one would describe them as “settlers.” Yet Israeli families resident in Israel for a century are designated as “settler-colonists." Pretty telling that they bring up migrants as a comparison instead of, y’know, European settlers. Who are still called settlers after hundreds of years here.

i started reading this but its so long and annoying i had to stop lmao. but yeah you can tell they dont really understand what theory of settler colonialism they are trying to disprove. also the partition of india which they mention resulted in mass death and rape and displacement, it was a horrific thing resulting from british colonialism like guess what i also think that was bad. i also think the united states shouldnt exist. the only real reason that american settlers stand out less sharply than israeli settlers as settlers in terms of military violence and active conflict with indigenous society and stuff is because the united states has had much longer to kill the indigenous population and build its parasitic settler society. the stage of settler colonialism we are trying to prevent. youll also notice theres not a single mention of the economic aspects of settler colonialism. pure ideology

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never-was-has-been · 3 months

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Question from Quora: "When Democrats talk about 'democracy', they really mean socialism, don't they? If so, why do they appear not to know that socialism isn't democratic?"

My answer: Social Democracy is not pure socialism. Rather, it is fairly reminiscent of FDR’s era where Capitalism was somewhat balanced with social policies, business regulations and tax rates on Corporations & wealthy individuals were much higher than in today’s 21st century economy.

Many of the rubes and uninformed voters of today who have been given the false ideology of “trickle down” economics and “Free Market”(no such thing) Globalism as being to their benefit, do not know history well enough to see through that nonsense when they read it or hear it.

US Universities and many business oriented colleges churned out 1000’s of MBA graduates who went directly to Wall Street and consistently defended runaway capitalism and huge tax cuts during the Reagan administration, while also using an anti-union narrative that Reagan boosted during his 2nd term.

Plus..and this is a significant shift…Several “blue chip” corporations off shored to Brazil, India, China and the Philippines, 100’s of 1000’s of US jobs in the Tech industry over the two 1990–2000 decades that put American middle class laborers Out of Work.. Then they blamed unions for off shoring when very few (if any) companies that went overseas were unionized in the first place!

Americans ‘drank those sewage polices’ as if it were a ‘honey’ sustenance of the whole US economy…when in reality, it poisoned the US balance of social democracy and the pro-corporate anti-social policies Congress passed as multiple financial laws that the American people had no knowledge of and no clue how it affected main street & suburban American working people.

#Quora post in October 2022 #social democracy

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therukurals · 1 month

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The reclamation of such images appears to be Patel’s goal—one he shares with numerous Hindu leaders who have continued to battle Hindu nationalism. But the use of Hindu imagery as a call to violence, reminiscent of the Hindutva project, is central to Kid’s mission, resulting in narrative dissonance. In comparison, the movie’s villains only use Hinduism as a façade for violence and financial gain, rather than as a sincere fixture of their fanaticism. They represent Hindutva only in the abstract, echoing its power structures without its ideology. Kid, meanwhile, perhaps inadvertently, embodies it in both belief and action. In a key flashback, Rana—acting on Shakti’s orders—clears out Kid’s forest-adjacent village so the land can be used for industrial growth. This bears a striking resemblance to the Indian government’s recent attempts to evict thousands of Muslims along India’s Eastern border and millions of indigenous people from tribal lands. The BJP’s political opponents believe these land seizures are an attempt to transfer tribal resources to corporate allies, not unlike Shakti’s plan for Kid’s village. However, the metaphor is muddled. Rather than framing Kid’s community as an oppressed caste, religion, or tribe, the only visible culturally specific moment involves the villagers enjoying a marionette re-telling of the Ramayana, which is interrupted by incendiary violence. In the movie’s purview, Hinduism is under attack from something non-Hindu, or falsely Hindu, rather than from dangerous factions of Hinduism itself. This grants Kid permission to weaponize it freely, sans conflict or spiritual reckoning—a thematic tension the movie never reconciles.

#monkey man #saw this in a letterboxd review and i feel like helps articulate the films politics #i still stand that this is most left a diaspora south asian creative in the mainstream has been recently #particularly in its critique of indian and hindutva nationalism which...unfortunately is not saying alot. its a fairly low bar #like the contemporaries of medias that hype around its shallow representational politics like nhie bridgerton etcc come to mind #i also am going through a struggle currently wrt my hateration i guess lol too and #like sometimes films dont need to be a major political thesis and im okay with that but #also at the same time if that is what you are attempting to do #i cant help but be critical #idk just ramblings tbh #i think also part of my frustration and challenge with this films politics #is also tied my frustration with the politics of my indian diaspora peers

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wildwren · 8 days

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i am also a michaela stirling truther— the more i think about it, the more i want it. i’ll definitely be a little disappointed if the rumors turn out to be false. don’t get me wrong, masali baduza is stunning and as a bisexual i already feel like a winner either way… but my god, she and Francesca would make such a gorgeous couple 😭

and i know people keep saying that gender bending Michael would erase important plot points but honestly i can think of several ways off the top of my head that they could maintain the integrity of the story even with Michaela as the lead instead of Michael.

and honestly, not that i have any reason to believe they’re actually going to genderbend Sophie, but they could easily rework Benedict’s story in a similar way— it irritates me that people are insisting there is no way they could make it work.

the book purists insisting xyz could not possibly happen because “that’s not how the story goes!” are making little sense to me. the show has already made many changes to the stories, large and small, and i don’t think “but the book story won’t work that way!” is a valid argument at this point. the writers have shown themselves very willing and even eager to uproot expectations and tell the story in a new way.

TOTALLY. i was previously on the "we should not expect queer rep from bridgerton they are clearly not very invested in it" train until jess brownell explicitly confirmed that a queer romance is coming and now im being a full ass clown about it. yea....when i think about masali baduza as michaela i actually need to lie down, it would end me. but also send an angel to protect her if that's actually true because some of the fandom....uh.....absolutely cannot handle that even remotely, and they WILL make it her problem.

but yes, i agree, there are many ways in which michael feels like a prime option for gender-bending. obviously when he was wicked has fans, but i think in general they're a little less rabid than some of the kanthony, polin, benophie, and philoise fans who would be specifically up in arms about major character changes to "their" ship. when he was wicked is later in the series, more disconnected, francesca's less present in the general narrative, etc.

also, because francesca has a widowhood storyline, it feels....how do i say this....deeply boring for bridgerton the show to introduce a man like john stirling, only to kill him off to make room for another random man. it would be exceedingly more interesting to have a queer element to the story, not least of all because it would add more tension to the "we cant be together because you're my dead husband's cousin" vibes.

also, women in the 19th century could inherit property. sometimes the property itself was not entailed and therefore not necessarily inherited by the male title holder. if francesca is living in the house....and michaela inherits the house....well, that's a pretty great set-up for a queer happy ending, which is, according to julia quinn, apparently impossible in a world where gay marriage isn't legal.

also, ALSOOOOO....a lesbian rake. i rest my case.

either way, im interested to see how they interpret when he was wicked's relationship to colonialism (if they do so), given that the show has now shown the Stirlings, or at least john stirling, to be Black. Kate's home and backstory in India has had some relevance to her characterization, and I'm curious to see if they take a similar tack with the stirlings (and how well they manage to execute it).

okay i think those are all of my michaela thoughts thank you so much for giving me an excuse to rant about them. truthers gotta stick together (until our hearts are inevitably dashed by cold hard reality)

#michaela stirling #i guess thats a decently safe tag #asks #thank you for sharing your thoughts!!!!!#bridgerton spoilers

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mariacallous · 16 days

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In 2017, Pratik Sinha and Mohammed Zubair cofounded the fact-checking website AltNews in India. Almost immediately, the pair were targeted with persistent and vicious attacks from the far-right news website OpIndia. Many of the attacks claimed that Zubair was a Rohingya Muslim who illegally migrated to India and that his cousin was a rapist. In several headlines, the site described Zubair as an “Islamist” spreading fake news.

This wasn’t far off from OpIndia’s other coverage: In addition to routinely attacking journalists and news sites critical of the government, OpIndia spreads conspiracies and, at times, outright disinformation, particularly about the country’s minority Muslim population. Founded in 2014, OpIndia is regularly name-checked by leading lawmakers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the site admits it is funded in part by ads run by the BJP. As hundreds of millions of Indians vote in elections across the country, critics fear that OpIndia’s election-related disinformation and overt support of the Modi government could further undermine trust in the democratic process. Already, the website has echoed Modi’s widely criticized description of the Muslim vote as “vote jihad.”

Yet despite this, US tech companies, which have rules against hate speech and disinformation, continue to platform OpIndia and, in some cases, allow it to continue to make money through advertising. OpIndia has a robust presence on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Additionally, a new report, shared exclusively with WIRED, has found that Google’s ad platform is being used to partially fund OpIndia’s operation.

“In an increasingly polarized space, they create a vicious narrative against you,” Sinha tells WIRED. “All of this is narrative building. Their job is to defame anyone who's critical of the government, and that's what they do.”

Despite repeated efforts by activists to defund the site—and the fact that publications that have partnered with a Google-supported election fact-checking initiative, Shakti, have fact-checked OpIndia’s articles and found it routinely publishes fake news—OpIndia continues to operate thanks in part to ads that Google’s ad exchange platform places next to its content. In 2019, Poynter’s International Fact Checking Network, which accredits publications as trustworthy arbiters of information, rejected OpIndia’s application.

“Google’s own publisher policies prohibit the monetization of content that incites hatred, incitement of racism, promoting discrimination of an individual or group,” says Sarah Kay Wiley, director of policy and partnerships at Check My Ads, a nonprofit digital advertising watchdog organization and author of the new report. “Google also says that they don't monetize or work with publishers that make claims that are false and could significantly undermine trust in an election or democratic process.”

Ad exchanges allow publishers to sell ad space and advertisers to buy it through an entirely automated process that happens in the split seconds before a website loads. Ad sellers and buyers set limits for price and spending, with Google taking a cut of all transactions. Because of the automated nature of the process, advertisers likely don’t realize that their products are showing up next to hateful and misleading content.

Other ad exchanges such as Magnite have discontinued working with OpIndia. If Google were to stop working with OpIndia, says Wiley, that “would definitely have a material impact.”

On Facebook, OpIndia runs pages in English and Hindi, with 310,000 followers and 431,000 followers in each language, respectively. Both pages list their administrator as Aadhyaasi Media and Content Services Private Limited, which owns OpIndia.

On its Hindi page, OpIndia has shared stories promoting the “love jihad” conspiracy theory, which asserts that Muslim men are trying to marry, seduce, or kidnap Hindus in order to force them to convert and create a demographic shift in Hindu-majority India, and has promoted false claims, including that a new inheritance law would reallocate wealth from Hindus to Muslims. Meta spokesperson Erin McPike did not comment on whether this content violated Meta’s policies, nor on whether Meta takes into account the violations of the Hindi page when assessing the English page.

These narratives then get picked up and spread on other platforms, like X and Telegram, says Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan, an analyst with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. “In some of these places there’s even more explicit calls for violence against Muslims or for the removal of Muslims,” he says. The site has international appeal as well: WIRED was able to find OpIndia articles shared in non-Indian, right-wing channels on Telegram, including a pro-Kremlin channel with over 1.3 million subscribers and numerous conspiracy channels with hundreds of thousands of followers.

The site is also highly active on the social media platform X with the official OpIndia account, which has 688,000 subscribers. OpIndia appears to pay for X Premium, giving it a blue checkmark, but did not respond to whether it subscribes to the service. WIRED has identified at least half a dozen OpIndia writers, columnists, and editors, including editor in chief Nupur Sharma, who has more than 680,000 followers, who appear to be subscribed to X Premium.

Sharma did not respond to a question about OpIndia monetizing its content via X Premium, and the company itself also failed to respond.

“It’s a hyper-partisan, right-wing outlet that set themselves up by saying that mainstream news media in India have a liberal bias, very similar to what American right-wing outlets say about professional journalism in America,” says Kalyani Chadha, an associate professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University who published an in-depth report in 2020 on India’s right-wing media ecosystem that included OpIndia. “They bill themselves as a news outlet, but there's not a lot of original reporting. A lot of it is commentary and opinion.”

In addition to Sinha and Zubair, OpIndia has regularly targeted journalists and outlets it sees as “far left.” In one piece, the site’s staff listed the Indian journalists and publications supposedly associated with billionaire George Soros, who has long been the target of conspiracies from the global far right. In another, they attacked veteran journalist Ravish Kumar, falsely accusing him of harboring sympathies for the perpetrators of a 2019 rape case. OpIndia has also spent years attacking Raqib Hameed Naik, an Indian journalist and the founder of India Hate Lab, which documents instances of hate speech and conspiracies that target India’s minority communities. This, he says, was made all the harder by government officials sharing the articles.

“The goal is to amplify this disinformation, and you have BJP leaders sharing this, so people think it’s authentic,” says Naik. “In the long term, this kind of builds the case against a critic, a journalist, that this person is bad, because there is reporting against them.”

When WIRED contacted OpIndia for comment, Sharma responded to our emailed questions by posting her responses on X.

When asked about hate speech and disinformation on her site, Sharma wrote: “Our critics are mostly Islamists, Jihadis, Terrorists, Leftists and their sympathizers—like yourself. We don't particularly care about any of them.” She then added that “Islamophobia does not exist” and pointed to an OpIndia article that outlines her position. Sharma added that it was “none of your concern” when asked if OpIndia was funded by the BJP. Sharma’s post also tagged one of the authors of this story, who then faced a torrent of abuse from Sharma’s followers.

For years, activists and researchers have tried to highlight the problematic content published by OpIndia. A 2020 campaign from UK-based advocacy group Stop Funding Hate led to a number of advertisers removing their ads from the site. Google, however, says the content published on the site does not appear to breach its own rules.

"All sites in our network, including Opindia, must adhere to our publisher policies, which explicitly prohibit ads from appearing alongside content promoting hate speech, violence, or demonstrably false claims that could undermine trust or participation in an election,” Google spokesperson Michael Aciman says. “Publishers are also subject to regular reviews, and we actively block or remove ads from any violating content."

Despite this, users can find ads for Temu or the Palm Beach Post next to many OpIndia articles promoting conspiracies and Islamophobia, placed with the help of ad-exchange platforms like Google’s Ad Manager, which is the market leader.

Facebook, meanwhile, says Wiley, is more of a “walled garden.” Once a publisher meets the company’s criteria for monetization, including having more than 1,000 followers, it can earn money from ads that run on the page.

While researchers that spoke to WIRED were unable to tell exactly how much the site has made from Google Ads and Facebook monetization, they said it’s likely that OpIndia is not solely reliant on the ad exchange for its revenue. It appears that, as with many news outlets in India, part of that funding comes in the form of more traditional advertising from a major client: the government.

“A large section of India's mainstream press depends on the government ads for their survival,” says Prashanth Bhat, professor of media studies at the University of Houston. “That revenue is critical for the mainstream media survival in a hypercompetitive media environment like in India. We have about 400 round-the-clock television news channels in India in different languages, and we have over 10,000 registered newspapers. For them to survive, they definitely need government patronage.”

Sharma confirmed that OpIndia is reliant in part on ads from the government. “Literally every media house gets advertising from various political parties,” said Sharma. “In fact, a part of your salary could also be funded by such parties and/or their sympathizers. Do get down from your high horse.”

The BJP has, however, also sought to help OpIndia in other ways. In 2019, the BJP reached out to Meta directly, asking the company to allow OpIndia to monetize on Facebook. Meta spokesperson McPike told WIRED that OpIndia’s English page is still able to monetize but that monetization on its Hindi page is currently not allowed “due to violations of our policies.”

“In order to monetize on Facebook, Pages must comply with our community standards, our partner monetization policies, and our content monetization policies,” McPike says.

Google did not respond to questions from WIRED about whether it had ever received a similar request from the Indian government. Google’s Aciman says, “As we do with all publishers, we’ve taken prior page-level enforcement action on this site when we’ve found policy violations. We will of course continue to enforce our policies on violating content across our publisher network.”

X did not respond to questions about whether OpIndia and its staff are able to monetize through X Premium or whether the company has ever received requests from the government to restore content from OpIndia or its staff. The company has complied with several takedown requests from the Indian government to ban accounts or tweets critical of the government.

But Wiley says that without transparency on the part of tech companies as to how they’re deciding which organizations are able to earn money through ads—and how much—outlets like OpIndia will continue to fall through the cracks.

“The business model of the internet at the end of the day is advertising, and what we're seeing over and over again is, that business model is broken,” she says. “Advertisers don't know where their money is going. And the biggest issue is that a lot of that is being funneled to mis- and disinformation online.”

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coochiequeens · 1 year

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“India has one of the highest rates of honor killing and dowry deaths, where newlywed brides are tortured, burnt, sometimes even murdered on the basis of sex. For a man with caste and class privilege living so far removed from the everyday realities of Indian women, Alok Vaid-Menon sure has audacity to call himself a ‘bride,'” she (Vaishnavi Sundar) said.

An American trans activist who identifies as ‘transfeminine’ was recently featured by the Indian publication Brides Today on their digital cover, prompting criticism on social media. Alok Vaid-Menon, 31, who uses “they/them” pronouns, was interviewed and photographed for the magazine wearing clothing resembling traditional attire for women.

Vaid-Menon’s April 19 appearance in the magazine was presented as a commentary on same-sex marriage, which is currently being debated at India’s highest court.

During the full interview, Vaid-Menon was asked his thoughts on topics such as marriage and love, stating “love is about expansion, not constriction. Permission, not prohibition… I want to be a living love poem. Every day I ask myself, ‘How can I love harder?’ Love breaks through binaries—man and woman, us and them, you and me… Love doesn’t live in should, it lives in what is.”

Yet despite the platitudes, Vaid-Menon has caused concern for a past statement in which he referred to “little girls” as being “kinky” and claimed to have himself once been “a cute little girl.”

In approximately 2016, when Vaid-Menon was using the moniker Dark Matter to promote himself as a performance artist and poet, he published a disturbing statement on his views of young girls’ presumed sexuality.

In the statement, Vaid-Menon rejects the notion that little girls need to be protected from “gender/sexual deviance,” and instead claims that “little girls, like the rest of us, are complicated people.”

Vaid-Menon was writing about legislation that had been introduced in the state of North Carolina that year establishing that public restrooms remain single-sex accommodations. House Bill 2, the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, was intended to protect women and children from being exposed to men while in a state of undress.

Vaid-Menon responded to the bill being signed into law by claiming that single-sex spaces were being upheld under a false narrative of protecting “innocent little girls” from “freaky” transgender people.

“There are no fairy tales and princesses here. Little girls are also queer, trans, kinky, deviant, kind, mean, beautiful, ugly, tremendous, and peculiar. Your kids aren’t as straight and narrow as you think they are,” Vaid-Menon wrote.

He went on to claim that he viewed the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist as being about “a little girl … exploring her sexuality (masturbation and so on) and her own demons/meanness.”

In 2021, quotes from the post began circulating on Twitter and prompting outrage, but users found themselves getting suspended for referencing or reacting to the text.

Conservative political pundit Lauren Witzke was suspended from Twitter for hate speech after retweeting a graphic showing Vaid-Menon’s quote, to which she commented that the views he expressed were “demonic.” Witzke was reinstated on the platform almost two years later, after Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought Twitter and offered “amnesty” on many previous suspensions.

The views expressed in Vaid-Menon’s Facebook post were criticized by the now-deceased lesbian activist YouTuber Magdalen Berns in a video she titled “Non-Binary Bullsh*t.” Berns concluded that in her opinion, his comments on girlhood made him “sound a bit like a pedo,” and remarked that “even his fans” disapproved, causing him to eventually delete the post.

The following year, in 2017, Vaid-Menon and fellow non-binary activist Jacob Tobia were profiled by Vice in an article titled “Why Can’t My Famous Gender Nonconforming Friends Get Laid.” The article was subject to widespread mockery for highlighting Vaid-Menon’s lack of success in dating, and included comments indicating that Vaid-Menon and Tobia had considered taking female hormones in order to date heterosexual men in an attempt to expand their dating pool.

Vaid-Menon has been a strong proponent for “neutralizing” women’s issues in order to make them “gender inclusive.” He has previously written about the importance of using gender neutral language when discussing abortion, pregnancy, or sex-based violence, also denouncing the term “women’s rights” as not being sufficiently welcoming to gender non-conforming people.

In 2020, Vaid-Menon was featured by menstrual hygiene company This is L and the Phluid Project – a “gender free” clothing and lifestyle brand based in New York – in a promotional video featuring individuals of varying “gender identities” to spread the message that periods are not specific to females. Vaid-Menon had endorsed this belief previously when, in 2019, he shared an articlefrom Seventeen magazine, a publication aimed at girls and young women, titled “What Trans & Non-Binary Menstruators Should Know About Periods.”

Women’s rights campaigner and filmmaker Vaishnavi Sundar blasted Vaid-Menon’s activism as “dangerous” while calling attention to the plight of women and girls in India.

In 2020, screenings of a documentary Sundar had produced titled “But What Was She Wearing?” were cancelled in response to previous tweets she had made opposing men in women’s spaces. Her film sought to address the sexual harassment and sexual violence that women in the nation experience, juxtaposing the contrast between what laws on paper purport and the on-the-ground reality.

“India is an extremely caste-riddled society. Indian women across all castes experience profound violence at the hands of men. A large majority still live under acute poverty, devoid of basic sanitation, education, safety, or legal recourse,” Sundar told Reduxx.

“To import gender identity ideology as some form of progressive ticket to freedom is not just obscene, it is dangerous. In a country that still kills the female newborns and blames young girls for being raped, gender identity is the last thing we want shoved down on us while we haven’t even saved ourselves from the existing misogyny,” Sundar added.

“The only group of people profiting from this ideology are the corporations, medical and pharmaceutical industries. Men like Alok Vaid-Menon are promoters of said industries under the veneer of being progressive and inclusive.”

#India #Brides Today #Alok Vaid-Menon #Trans identified males sexualizing girls and girlhood #Womb envy #Vaishnavi Sundar Spoke the truth

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raghavbinwal · 27 days

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ShadowsOfJustice

This tale unravels in the midst of India, where Girish, a man entangled in a mesh of suspicion, finds himself falsely associated with a militant group. Concerned for his son's safety, Girish's father engineers his escape to London. However, Girish becomes ensnared in a shadowy world of crime amidst the bustling streets of the city. Just when hope seems distant, a catastrophic explosion in Mumbai shatters the very foundation of his existence. Upon his return to his hometown, Girish is thrust into a nightmarish ordeal as authorities label him a terrorist. Extradited to England, Girish, accompanied by his steadfast friend Pavan and two others, endures relentless interrogation. Despite vehemently asserting his innocence, Girish succumbs to coercion and confesses to crimes he did not commit, all to shield his loved ones. As Girish languishes in incarceration, a glimmer of hope emerges when a fellow inmate confesses to the very crime Girish is accused of. Yet, justice remains elusive as authorities choose to ignore the revelation. Amidst the chaos, tragedy strikes with the untimely demise of Girish's father, igniting a fierce determination within Girish to seek truth and redemption. In the midst of Girish's nightmarish ordeal, his only beacon of hope is Mithun, his father's resolute lawyer. Mithun, a seasoned legal expert known for his unwavering commitment to justice, takes on Girish's case with utmost determination and resolve. As the trial progresses, Mithun encounters numerous obstacles and challenges in his quest to save Girish from wrongful conviction. The prosecution, backed by powerful interests, presents a compelling case against Girish, relying on circumstantial evidence and fabricated testimonies to frame him for the terrorist attack in Mumbai. However, Mithun is undeterred by the daunting odds stacked against him. Armed with his sharp legal acumen and unwavering belief in Girish's innocence, he meticulously scrutinizes every piece of evidence presented by the prosecution, uncovering inconsistencies and loopholes that cast doubt on their narrative. Mithun also leverages his extensive network of contacts within the legal community to unearth crucial witnesses and evidence that could exonerate Girish. He delves deep into the shadowy world of crime and corruption, following leads and pursuing avenues of investigation that others dare not tread. As the trial reaches its climax, Mithun unveils a series of dramatic revelations in the courtroom, presenting irrefutable evidence that not only disproves the prosecution's case but also exposes the true perpetrators behind the terrorist attack. His impassioned defense and masterful cross-examinations leave the prosecution scrambling to salvage their crumbling case. In a pivotal moment of the trial, Mithun confronts a key witness whose testimony forms the linchpin of the prosecution's case. Through a series of incisive questions and relentless pressure, he manages to elicit a confession from the witness, revealing the intricate web of lies and deceit orchestrated by those seeking to scapegoat Girish for their own nefarious purposes. As the truth comes to light, the courtroom erupts in disbelief and astonishment. Girish, overcome with emotion, watches as Mithun's unwavering determination and brilliance turn the tide of the trial in his favor. In the end, justice prevails, and Girish is vindicated of all charges, his name cleared of the stigma of terrorism that had threatened to destroy his life. Mithun's heroics in saving Girish serve as a testament to the power of perseverance, integrity, and unwavering belief in the pursuit of truth. His relentless pursuit of justice against all odds not only saves Girish from wrongful conviction but also exposes the flaws and injustices inherent in the legal system, inspiring hope for a better, more just society.

#story

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bohemian-nights · 1 month

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saw some bridgerton fans talking about sophie possibly getting the kate treatment (lack of promo), im sorry why would you even wish that on a sophie who’s most likely a black girl? and who has one of the most important stories to tell? if not the most important? why would you wish that on another woc? i remember when queen charlotte was getting all the promo and there was a lot of antiblackness towards india because they wanted that for kathony/kate. i’m sorry, but when sophie gets a similar promo treatment especially because she’s paired with the most popular bridgerton brother, i hope we don’t see any of that. it sucks that kathony/simone and jonathan didn’t get the promo that they should’ve gotten. i don’t think netflix had enough trust in them as leads especially post covid and going off the first season and it’s huge success, but that hatred for what happened doesn’t need to be projected onto any of the upcoming leads, especially when we’re talking about WOC. i could at least understand where they’re coming from with polin because of the featheringtons and penelope’s screentime during their season, but we don’t need another black actress being bullied because of that. we barely get to see ourselves celebrated behind the scenes and in front of the camera as is, we don’t need any of that mess added on to it.

Yeah their season was screwed over in terms of promo and Shonda clearly has her favorites(ahem Penelope), but they really need to stop wishing that on Sophie’s actress and Benophie’s season.

You can not compare a season that came out just as COVID restrictions started easing up to a season that will air 3+ years post pandemic. Not to mention the fact that Bridgerton has gotten a way bigger since s2 aired.

If QC(which yeah they are still salty about or outright ignore to push an false narrative of racism while shitting on the Blackish actors and Shonda) and this new season are anything to go by, Benophie’s season will not be getting screwed over in terms of promo. People can die made about it, but Benophie will do numbers and get the red carpet treatment.

I say all this, but honestly I just want Masali to be confirmed as Sophie and the confirmation that Benophie’s season is next. I think a lot of people are on edge cause of the uncertainty so they are just saying anything.

#bnasks #bnask #🐝 show asks

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shut-up-rabert · 1 year

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people when…

Someone praises indian governmant for doing some actual good work, trying show how Biden is being paid by Modi :

When it turns out that majority of indexes putting India in bad positions, organisations spreading false narratives against us and newspapers hiding information to spin the stories against us, even the human rights organisations showing only one side and shamelessly hiding other people’s plights are all being funded by the same person, who is openly opposed to conservative governments, has spent money of propaganda against other countries aswell and has toppled right wing governments before:

#hypocricy ki bhi seema hoti hai bhai?#Ab kaha gaya aapka democracy se pyaar #desiblr #george soros

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yllcm · 1 year

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Someday, as a non-Romani white person, I would love to write a Romani character but do it right.

It just feels like all my reading and sources are mainly coming from articles written by WHITE (oftentimes English) historians sociologists.

Below the cut is some thought vomit regarding this and what not...feel free to comment below/reblog with your thoughts+comments+concerns+feedback because I would love to hear other people’s onions particularly from tumblr’s Romani community.

If you guys know of any good Romani-sourced articles, books, documentaries, journals or WHATEVER please let me know because it just feels like I keep getting the white narrative. Particularly, I’m mostly interested in their historic religious practices, folklore, and any truth to the idea that their ancestral religious practices are in any way related to the concept of “mysticism”.

For context, I wanna write a book about magic and urban fantasy stuff and my story revolves around a group of witches (or magic practitioners), humans, and other supernatural entities from different cultures coming together to defeat “a big bad”. They all make up a council sort of like a United Nations of witches/magical beings kind of a thing.

I know there are portrayals of characters who are Romani (such as Marvel's Scarlet Witch although that's probably a terrible example all things considered) but are also magic and have magical powers but, I also believe that writing a witch OC or these kinds of characters that practice "magic" as we see it in movies and TV (or in my case an ubran fantasy book) as Romani are just going to be considered derogatory and only feed into those harmful stereotypes.

I'm currently trying to learn more about Romani culture here and there by doing my own research where I can (which entails a LOT of reading, naturally) but MAINLY pertaining to what their religious practices entail, their folklore, how that feeds into the culture of what it means to be Romani, and how the stereotypes became down to the historical and factual context and so on.

Ironically enough, some sources say that many of the claims of mysticism regarding Romani individuals actually come from false narratives often perpetuated by non-Romani people.

Today, a lot of Romani people, seeing as how many of their ancestors were initially from India, actually follow the Hindu, Muslim, and even Christian religions. Specifically, Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholic, or Muslim (also feel free to correct me if I’m way off base with this or any of this info).

#ive been struggling hard with this on and off #for the last few months #ever since the concept first popped up into my head #the oc dosent even gave to be anything supernatural #ive always just been so fascinated by romani culture #and trying to learn the truth about the romani past the stereotypes #and what they teach us about them here in america #romani #roma #romani people #history #romani representation

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indiaalphawhiskey · 2 years

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Hi India. I'm not really looking for a response but I don't really have anyone to share this with because my irl friends aren't fans of harry/louis/1d. I'm just really really sad and frustrated that this is the situation with Harry right now. And I'm unbelievably annoyed that I have let Olivia get to me so much when in the grande scheme of things she is irrelevant. I know this all has an expiration date but I just hate it.

I ghostwrote this anon.

Hi, love. I know you weren’t looking for a response, and I don’t really have one that’s productive because I feel the same way, but I at least wanted to tell you you’re not alone in feeling frustrated.

The issue with fandom is that the highs and the lows are so intricately intertwined, it’s impossible to separate them, and impossible not to care. There are days when I’m much better at managing my emotions and reactions, and days when the little annoyances really don’t feel so little, and on those days, being told to be pragmatic and/or leave really doesn’t do anything except make me feel small.

So, instead, I propose two other options:

1) disengage (particularly with stunt content) — I’ve learned that, if there’s something I can get lost in, I need to take the out. And for me, those are music and fic. Those two things are the distilled, purest forms of fandom, and when I’m ensconced in them, it’s easier to remember what my heart is the most connected to and why I put up with this shit.

2) see the irony - the funny thing is, if you look hard enough, you’ll spot things in these stunts that actually prove your beliefs, rather than disprove them. (Example: the way Olivia looked out the door to make sure the paps caught the “kiss”, because yeah, that’s super normal.) The thing with false narratives is that it really doesn’t take too much to shatter their veneer, and the crazy irony in them is the harder you try to prove something is real, the less it looks like it is.

The hardest thing about this is, things like this are, unfortunately, the epitome of “no way out but through”. And, sometimes, the only weapon you have against them is your own stubbornness. Never underestimate that though. It’s a heady thing, knowing you’ll be here, far longer than she ever will. 😉

#iaw ask #iaw anonymous #holivia tw #holivia #stunt tw

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annyrhaelizabth · 2 years

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AANG DESERVES BETTER

There are some incredibly stupid takes about Aang on every single social media platform but this has to take the cake. The A:tla fandom over and over again ignore every aspect of Aang's character, his arc, the culture behind Airbenders and literally the entire moral point of his character. this is another one of those incidents.

I've read this entire post and it fills me with unbridled rage. The Airbenders were not stupid, or cowards or fucking ignorant. When the news that the Fire Nation was preparing for an attack, the Airbenders were fully prepared to fight. Monk Gyatso is proof of that. They were also willing to thrust a 12-year-old into war since that’s what you people are ecstatic about.

Aang wasn't selfish, he was SCARED. This is a 12-year-old who was told that the fate of the world rested on him. He was isolated and he ran away because his one support was being taken away from him. He didn’t run away to abandon his duties.

The whole point of Aang not wanting to kill Ozai was the fact that he was the last Airbender. Airbenders value life, for them killing is the absolute last resort. His people weren't just killed, their culture, his people's knowledge, their contributions were destroyed. It was a fucking genocide. Saying that Aang's wish to preserve his people's ideals is selfish after the sheer bullshit propaganda the fire nation was telling the entire world. The whole thing that he put the earth kingdom in danger was so entirely false. He was fucking fighting Ozai, when it was appropriate and when he was trained. It was so important for the arc and the viewers to see Aang choose the Airbenders.

It makes me fucking cry because this boy is so good and he saved the world and stupid racist idiots without an ounce of literary comprehension have destroyed his character. It genuinely makes me cry because his character was so important, and there are rarely characters who are genuinely so good.

Also every single protagonist character in A:tla also understood Aang's point. Yangchen didn't see another way, Aang found one. If he found a simple solution to defeating his people's coloniser after so much suffering it isn't a cop-out, it's karma. because only Aang could've done it you motherfuckers. what is a cop-out is the sheer refusal to even remotely put in any effort in understanding Aang because he isn't "relatable". I don't care, you don't have to relate to a character to understand their viewpoints and ideologies. If you want Aang to become relatable maybe talk to someone who's country actually got colonised or who's people faced genocide.

And I won’t even touch the LOK points because it’s blown out of fucking proportion.

Fuck you and every single person who liked this post.

TLDR – SAYING THE NON-VIOLENT APPROACH OF AIRBENDERS IS IGNORANT IS RACIST (WATCH INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT WHICH WAS ALL ABOUT FUKCING NON VIOLENCE) SAYING AANG WAS SELFISH FOR NOT WANTING TO KILL IS RACIST AND/OR A SIGN OF LOW EFFORT LITERACY. AND THE SHEER HUMILATION OZAI FACED FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE FOR LOSING HIS BENDING IS NOT ONLY NARRATIVELY IMMACULATE BUT ALSO FUCKING HILARIOUS BECAUSE LIKE COME ON.

#aang #avatar the last airbender #a:tla #zuko #anti aang bashing #aang protection squad #avatar aang #aang the last airbender #I'm so fucking tired at this point #colonisation nearly ruined my country #if someone told me that the efforts made by my ancestors were selfish #i would've killed them #also zuko stans need to stop this the most #zuko is an immaculate and amazing character #but not because he was a protagonist but because he had to put effort into not only proving he was good but becoming good #Aang's journey of defeating Ozai without killing him directly parallels zuko journey of defeating his teachings and leaving Ozai for Aang #just read some books watch some good tv shows #get some ounce of literary analysis that does not stem from racist roots #queue this or whatever

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atomxmedia · 14 days

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Tejashwi Yadav Accuses Prashant Kishor of Being a BJP Agent Amid Election Strategy Allegations

In a significant political development, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has accused poll strategist Prashant Kishor of being a “BJP agent.” These allegations come at a crucial time during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with Yadav suggesting that Kishor is being funded by the BJP to influence the election narrative. This accusation adds another layer of complexity to the already charged political atmosphere in Bihar and across India.

Tejashwi Yadav’s Allegations

Tejashwi Yadav, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, made these allegations during a public statement on Friday. He claimed that the BJP, facing potential losses in the ongoing elections, has roped in Prashant Kishor to manipulate the narrative after three to four rounds of voting. Yadav pointed out that Kishor, who now heads his own party, Jan Suraaj, has been deeply involved in Bihar’s political landscape, having previously managed campaigns for various parties and served as the national vice president of Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United).

Connection with Amit Shah and BJP

Yadav further alleged that Prashant Kishor’s close association with the BJP is not new. He mentioned that even his uncle, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, had once stated that Kishor was made the national vice president of JDU at the behest of Amit Shah, the Home Minister. This claim, according to Yadav, has never been denied by either Shah or Kishor. The RJD leader asserted that Kishor has been aligned with the BJP from the beginning, and his involvement with any party tends to lead to its downfall.

Funding and Organizational Allegations

One of the critical points in Yadav’s allegations was the claim that Kishor maintains salaried district presidents, a practice he suggests is not even common within the BJP. He questioned the source of Kishor’s funding, implying that the BJP is backing him financially as part of their electoral strategy. Yadav accused Kishor of manipulating voter data and working with various political entities year after year to serve the BJP’s interests.

Reaction to Viral Fake Screenshot

The controversy was further fueled by a fake screenshot circulating on social media, falsely claiming that Prashant Kishor had been appointed as the BJP’s national spokesperson. This rumor prompted a strong response from Kishor’s Jan Suraaj party, which issued a statement denouncing the fake news. The party also criticized Congress and its leader Jairam Ramesh for allegedly spreading the fake document. This incident highlights the pervasive issue of misinformation and its impact on political discourse.

Political Implications and Background

Tejashwi Yadav’s accusations against Prashant Kishor come at a time when Bihar’s political scene is highly volatile. Kishor, a prominent political strategist, has worked with multiple parties across India, helping them shape their election campaigns. His tenure with Nitish Kumar’s JDU ended acrimoniously in 2020, with Kumar asserting that Kishor’s induction into the party was influenced by Amit Shah.

These allegations by Yadav are likely to intensify the political rivalry between the RJD and the BJP, as well as between Yadav and Kishor. The timing of these accusations, amidst the ongoing elections, suggests a strategic move by Yadav to discredit Kishor and, by extension, the BJP.

Tejashwi Yadav’s Political Strategy

Tejashwi Yadav’s strategy appears to be focused on undermining the credibility of Prashant Kishor, whom he sees as a significant threat due to his influence and strategic acumen. By labeling Kishor as a BJP agent, Yadav aims to cast doubt on Kishor’s impartiality and question his motives. This move could potentially sway public opinion against Kishor and the BJP, especially among undecided voters.

BJP’s Response and Strategy

The BJP has yet to officially respond to these allegations. However, the party’s strategy in Bihar has often involved complex alliances and strategic partnerships. The involvement of Kishor, a seasoned strategist, could be seen as part of a broader plan to secure electoral success in a state where political dynamics are highly fluid.

Conclusion

Tejashwi Yadav’s allegations against Prashant Kishor introduce a new dynamic into the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. By accusing Kishor of being a BJP agent and questioning his funding sources, Yadav aims to discredit both Kishor and the BJP. This development underscores the intense political rivalry in Bihar and highlights the broader challenges of managing political narratives in an era of misinformation.

As the elections progress, the impact of these allegations on voter sentiment and the overall election outcome remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that the battle for Bihar’s political future is as fierce as ever, with every move and counter-move adding to the high-stakes drama of Indian politics.

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