Unfair.

As I was writing my TOK essay, I stumbled upon the following link in a blog forum:
http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/filthy-india-photos-chinese-netizen-reactions.html

If you read the link you will see the following words in a string “filthy india photos.” I was a little curious to see what was in the link as comments on the forum were:

• “Check out these revolting photos of the subhuman conditions that Indians are perfectly content living in. Not even an animal in the wild would tolerate such squalor. Remember this set of photos the next time you encounter some snooty Indian doctor/dentist/computer programmer/etc. who acts like they’re better than the whites whose countries they immigrate to.”
• “ That’s the most foul thing I’ve ever seen before in my life. I always knew Indians were a filthy, disgusting breed, but I didn’t know they swam and bathed with dead bodies. That was a real eye-opener. Europeans, even in ancient times would have NEVER swam in a river filled with rotting corpses — Let alone used it to drink from and brush their teeth in.”
• But in other religions there is no caste system. India has a repulsive system of government, and its citizens accept this as something divine. If I go to Germany and impose a caste system and say that poor people should live their entire lives poor ,as you think will be the country? Obviously it is also a racial issue, greetings. PD: I’m saying this based on answers that hindus says about their country
• And this one person who thought he/ she was being nice: “I get your point, but I don’t buy it. If that were the case, and it were just religion, there would be some white culture somewhere that lived like that. Not to mention, Pakistan is Muslim — not Hindu — and it is just as filthy as India. Maybe filthier. It’s not a coincidence that low IQ nations like India and Pakistan are filthy.Even the modern Chinese, as low class as they are, are disgusted by those photos. Look at the comments.”

I wasn’t mad… Yet.

I clicked on the link and I came upon these pictures:

There were many more pictures, more than half of them pointing out the amounts of corpses on the Ganges (it’s actually Ganga) River. But these pictures weren’t filthy… The first two pictures they are in mid-construction of remodeling/ building at temple. One of the pictures were a couple of ladies washing their clothes…

As I was looking at these pictures, I was livid. Not only were they rudely describing and degrading one of India’s holiest rivers, but they never once focused on the good aspects of India. How is that even fair, to only focus on the bad aspects of a perfectly good country? I’ve been in India, and not just their airports. I have traveled through much of South India and lived with family for the whole summer. I love it. There is so much authenticity, and culture that I can never compare to a single place. Yes, it’s a third world country. Yes, the quality of living is better in America. Yes, there are so many flies that by the time I leave, I have at least four bug bites on each leg. But, the people and culture there can not be found anywhere else. There are roadside food stalls, so that as you walk home you can pick something up to eat. There is a constant flow of noise, so you never feel like you are alone. With that said, here are some beautiful pictures, that actually exist (I would know. I’ve been to these places):

I am not saying that the first set of images are lies. Heck yeah, India can be nasty and gross; places that smell horrible, and places that you can’t take in a fresh breath of air due to the pollution. Every couple blocks you’ll see a spray-painted sign that says “Please do not urinate on the walls”. It’s not every couple blocks, but you get the idea. India isn’t perfect. But what country is? The United States has it’s fair share of slums, drug-dealers, illegal traffickers, and discrimination; yet no one goes around and publishes these things in mass numbers.

When I searched up “india” on Google, the first two results took me to websites that talked about India. The third article was news on a recent rape case, and following that was an article on how India was wasting it’s time, and an article by the Atlantic called “Garbage Everywhere.” I searched up “the united states of America,” all I got were articles and articles on the United States of America. One of the articles by the Atlantic on the United States of America was titled “the United States of America.” Not one article on the first page was about the current political debates or the recent gun issues.

So, yes I am Indian. You got me. I am a super biased, Indian nationalist who thinks India is the best. But, no.

The problem that I have is not just India. India isn’t the only third-world country that is put under such a negative light. Much of Africa and the Middle East are regarded in the same view. I haven’t been to either Africa or any of hte countries in the Middle East, but I know that they each have their own positives and negatives. Not everything in Africa is about raging cases of disease, and not everything in the Middle East is about ISIS.

My point? The media should begin to neutralize what is said about other thirld-world countries. People should learn to be more culturally aware. As much as there is bad in India, Africa, or the Middle East, there is that much good.