A prominent New York Times reporter took to Twitter to belittle the words and intentions of a domestic airline pilot in what appears to be a ‘woke’ effort to defame a country known for its culture and hospitality. In a flight attendant’s report, the captain of the plane shared his interpretation of the city of destination (Varanasi to Kolkata) and the mythological significance of the celebration of Navratri and Dussehra. An NYT reporter who said, ‘there is an undercurrent of religion everywhere onboard’ (India), appeared perturbed by the festive spirit on board the aircraft.
An undercurrent of religion is everywhere here.
IndiGo airline captain gives lecture on the Hindu festival of Navaratri, describes flight path from Varanasi to Kolkata as the city of Shiv to the city of Shakti: "India for me is not just a noun; it's an adjective, a quality."
— emilyschmall (@emilyschmall) October 14, 2021
Reporter complains about IndiGo pilot’s India talk
The reporter – Emily Schmall – chose to crib about the religious occasion instead of appreciating the spirit of people and community. It appears that, while the experience might have been valuable for some of the fellow Indigo passengers aboard the Varanasi to Kolkata flight, a foreign journalist perceived this celebration as being ‘based on religion’ and took offense to the pilot’s observations about what India means to him.
Casual racism & orientalism from an @nytimes journalist. Is it a requirement for an @nytimes job?
Underneath her passive-aggressive words, her tweet's real meaning: "These dirty brown people & their attachment to their strange culture! Why can't they just be Godless?" https://t.co/YFkvBYj4rY— Amish Tripathi (@authoramish) October 15, 2021
Self-proclaimed ‘intellectually defiant’ NYT reporter wrote on Twitter, ‘An undercurrent of religion is everywhere here. IndiGo airline captain gives a lecture on the Hindu festival of Navaratri, describes flight path from Varanasi to Kolkata as the city of Shiv to the city of Shakti: India for me is not just a noun; it’s an adjective, a quality’.
Casual racism & orientalism from an @nytimes journalist. Is it a requirement for an @nytimes job?
Underneath her passive-aggressive words, her tweet's real meaning: "These dirty brown people & their attachment to their strange culture! Why can't they just be Godless?" https://t.co/YFkvBYj4rY— Amish Tripathi (@authoramish) October 15, 2021
Strange that a NewYorkTimes correspondent doesn't know the difference between Sanskriti, Dharma, & Religion
If you started discerning these differences, you will stop seeing Indic civilization through Abrahamic lenses @emilyschmall! https://t.co/DfXnz0NouH— Madhu Purnima Kishwar (@madhukishwar) October 14, 2021
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The netizens reacted quickly
Some others did not agree with the foreign reporter’s point of view, but only a few did. Author Rajiv Malhotra responded, ‘I am glad this NYT journo in India is getting a solid response to her tweet. No more apologizing for our faith just to impress Amrikans’.
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