"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." - Carlin

Kind of explains india of today. Across religions, across classes what unites us is stupidity. Can't blame WhatsApp, it's just a medium. No country has reacted to COVID like us

It was stupidity behind holding the Tablighi ijtema, not malice. Same with heckling and sometimes beating health workers. As with uncritically believing the most outlandish bigotry against Muslims. Or some pseudoscientific nonsense like about diyas/thalis. We are a stupid country

People blame WhatsApp like they blame TV channels for 'turning people into bigots'. Sure, mediums magnify these things. But the willingness to believe the most ridiculous things, that's just on people, and has existed long before WhatsApp. Social media just brings out out.

Just saw a report from kannauj of some Muslims stoning a policeman who had come to stop them from holding Friday prayers. And what can you say. Only that those people are not evil. The best defence against bigotry right now, frankly, is to say we are just stupid, like you are.