“If you don’t read the news, you’re uninformed. If you read the news, you’re misinformed.” – anonymous (quote attributed to Denzel Washington and Mark Twain)

I address minorities in the title because when it comes to the majority, the media isn’t even trying to hide their hostility. Is it really that hard to wrap your head around the fact that media lies?

Let us not delude ourselves, all is not perfect in this country. The world is a grim, nasty place and incidents of intolerance and communalism do happen (perpetrated by all sides, mind you). I say this not to hate on India, but more as an acceptance of reality and an acknowledgement of our faults as a society. I am not downplaying these incidents and definitely not belittling the suffering of the victims. But here’s what you need to understand.

The truth: We are a fairly civilized country and the majority of the population are nice, normal people like you and me. They have a conscience and condemn these incidents like any decent human being would. You would know that if you spent less time reading fake news on the internet, and more time actually talking to people around you.

What media wants you to believe: “We are ruled by an evil, fascist, brahmanical tyranny!” Unfortunately for them, such incidents don’t happen often enough to support their theory. If there is a dip in the number of such incidents, any civilized, peace-loving person would see that as good news. But not these people. For them, it’s bad for business. “No incidents of communal tension? No problem, let’s make something up! The gears in our factory of hate and divisiveness need to keep turning!”

Notable recent examples:

1. “I got a semen-filled balloon thrown at me by a group of boys. Hindu festivals are an excuse to harass women!” Seriously? Like… seriously!?? Wasn’t the story exposed to be fake later on?

2. The communal twist given to the Kathua case. The masses have been so thoroughly brainwashed and so completely mentally enslaved, they instantly believed it without question when a headline said: “Hindu nationalists come out in support of rapists.” Media will cry crocodile tears over the little girl, but when it comes to pushing their narrative, they will happily throw a thousand girls like her under the bus.

3. Mind-numbingly stupid articles like “Rasam is a symbol of brahmanical tyranny” and “Bharatanatyam as an Object of Majoritarian Cultural Nationalism.” *facepalm* What next? Bananas! How about them bananas? Bananas are oppressive! Bananas are a phallic symbol of Hindutva male patriarchal oppression which is sexist, misogynist, capitalist, industrialist, photosynthesis, big words… blah blah blah… more big words…

Clearly, these fake stories are circulated with one intent – to scare the living daylights out of minorities! Anyone who dares question these narratives, even in a polite inquisitive manner, is subjected to a volley of insults and abuses – Bhakt! Paid troll! Sanghi! Sexist! Hindutva terrorist! Sensible minorities who are smart enough to see through this are called “Uncle Toms” – all bullying tactics. The same way how western SJWs call people how disagree with them “Nazis” and “Fascists” and “literally Hitler.” Indian liberals are basically just cheap copies of their western counterparts. Bunch of low-IQ wannabes trying too hard to fit in and be as cool as wypipo (slang used to refer white people) by using like words “woke” and “check your privilege” and the latest mental illness to hit the scene – “I am gender non-conforming.” Google it, it is BEYOND ridiculous.

Heights of wannabeism were displayed recently when a group of kids from Mumbai participated in #MarchForLives – a problem that doesn’t even remotely affect India since gun laws in India are way more stringent than in the US.

I know some of you are rolling your eyes while reading my rants here. Exactly. Glad you understand. Now, how about showing the same cynicism to everything you read on the internet!?

A few years ago in Bangalore, police arrested a man who was throwing nails on the busy Hosur road. Turns out he was a puncture shop owner and this was his idea of “business development.” The unholy nexus of politicians and paid media is like that puncture shop guy – create a problem, then sell the solution. Ever occurred to you that certain groups are backward because politicians want them to be backward? They want them to be permanently oppressed and permanent victims? You see, you can’t sell yourself as a problem-solver if there is no problem.

That’s the fundamental difference between liberals and conservatives. Leftist governments want to make a big show about helping minorities by giving free handouts, appearing magnanimous while spending other people’s money (spoiler alert: it’s your taxpayer money!)

Whereas right-leaning folk are asking – after more than 70 years of independence, why are people still backward and need government handouts? There has to be a better solution. (spoiler alert: that solution is capitalism!)

But some people love playing the victim card. In my line of business, I was approached by a guy who said something like, “Look at them, denying us opportunities because we are Muslim.” My response: “Um… no, it’s because you’re supremely incompetent. Doesn’t matter what religion you are, I don’t blame those people for rejecting you. Sorry, I refuse to participate in the Oppression Olympics. I want ‘equal opportunity’ not ‘special treatment.’”

Here’s the truth about religious differences in India – nobody cares! Fanatics exist, but the average Indian is not too invested in religion, the topic is seldom raised in personal and professional interactions. People follow religion to varying degrees, but the vast majority don’t have their lives revolving around it. At the end of the day, we are all human and have the same human problems – health, job, money, instalments, relationship problems, etc. But despite our differences, we’ve found a way to get along. Let me put it this way – today in India, you see a group of people sitting at a table having a good time eating, drinking, talking, laughing – you won’t be able to tell who’s from what religion. Nobody really cares, we get along fine. But understand that this peace and harmony is not unconditional. We exist like this because we understand and respect each other’s boundaries. The guy sitting across the table doesn’t mind me eating stuff that his religion forbids – so long as I don’t stick my fork in his plate. In a multi-cultural society, we have to be sensitive, behave responsibly and not make inflammatory, ill-informed and irresponsible statements, just to get a few more eyeballs on our page. Don’t burn the nation for a few more likes and retweets on your social media.

In the end, dear reader, I ask you this question. What side are you on? There is the side that brainwashes you with fake news and teaches you to be hateful and divisive. And there is the side that says: let’s stop focusing on our differences, and instead, focus on the things that bind us together. Ignore the fake news narrative. Instead, talk to real people, have an open mind, listen to the other side – you will discover that the world is not as bad as the media tells you it is. Be aware of evil in the world, but don’t let it define you as a person.

“Manage your exposure to the horrors of the world. Do not over-expose yourself to the point where you get messed up. Do not cheese-grate your soul into vengeful scraps by constantly rubbing it against the worst aspects of the world.” – Stefan Molyneux

Biased partisan media fills you with hate and fear. And angry, scared people are easier to control and manipulate. Stop reading fake news! Snap out of it, Neo, take the red pill! Or you’ll never find out how deep this rabbit-hole goes.