A British tourist has called out the racist stereotypes about India. In an Instagram post, Richard La Ruina, a former author, visiting India for the second time, said it was 'sad to see' the kind of content that was being propagated online. In an Instagram post, he highlighted how creators with vested interests intentionally film backward areas to portray the country as dirty and poor.
La Ruina detailed that social media posts often ignore the true beauty of India, its world-class hospitality and the warmth of its people, which made it different from other areas in the world.
"It is sad to see that pretty much *every single* post on social media, and every single video on YouTube about India is something negative and I'd say usually racist too," said La Ruina.
"Basically people go to a poor country with 1.5 billion people and try to find all the worst stuff and then it usually gets millions of views. Lame," he added.
La Ruina said people believed these narratives as well because the entirety of India received about half the number of tourists that visit "just one kind-of-boring Japanese city, Osaka".
The tourist highlighted that even though most of the world was the same these days, and he knew what to expect, India remained different and surprising.
"I assume that we could have asked to go to slums or to the “worst and most unhygienic Indian street food” to make some content, but instead we went to all these lovely places," he said.
"Everyone was very very nice, service was the best we've experienced in the world (they have a “guest is god” culture), air quality was fine during the time we were there, and everywhere was totally safe."
Check The Post Here:
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Social Media Reactions
As the post gained traction, social media users lauded La Ruina for showcasing the positive side of India.
"Amazing perspective. Hope you enjoyed your stay in India," said one user, while another added: "Richard, I totally agree with you, this year will be my second visit to India."
A third commented: "If you have not been to India, you cannot call yourself well traveled. It would be similar to saying I am well traveled but I have never been to Europe."
A fourth said: "Hope you enjoyed your visit. Funnily, even though I am Indian, I actually haven't travelled much or been curious about things much. But seeing and reading your post, now I am curious to travel and try good places here someday."
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