YouTuber Benjamin Rich Faces Backlash For Calling India "The Most Frustrating Place To Travel" (Image-Youtube/bald and bankrupt)
YouTuber Benjamin Rich known for his contents under bald and bankrupt, have been receiving criticism for calling India the “most frustrating place to travel.”
In his recent video, posted yesterday, September 19, titled “I visited India so you don’t have to” has been gaining traction especially among Indians, but not for a good reason. Mr. Rich in his latest vlog offers a glimpse of his journey in the nation’s capital Delhi and Kolkata. And calls India “Join me in the most frustrating place to travel in the world.”
But his travel doesn’t turn out to be a great journey and the influencer has also added his comment over the journey. His vlog begins with a rickshaw ride to Delhi Paharganj. He introduces Delhi as the capital city, before sarcastically commenting about the changes in the city since his last visit. “Surely there must be some improvements in the last six years. Judging by the traffic, not too many,” he said in the video.
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The YouTuber also left a warning note in the description which read, “Warning: Do not attempt to do this trip yourself unless you are a professional traveler.” In the video, the traveler commented and highlighted the issues in the country such as the constant honking, waterlogged streets, unhygienic environment, traffic and especially being scammed while travelling in auto rickshaws. But his comments over the visible reality of the country and his choice of words offended many Indian viewers. They have been calling out the YouTuber for showing only the worst parts of the country.
One user commented, “Him going to the absolute worst areas, deliberately trying to show the worst things possible to proclaim India a failed state. That doesn’t seem right, especially compared to his old videos about India itself.”
Another viewer also pointed out, “Foreign content creators know India is an easy way to earn money, either by praising or rage-baiting. Unsubscribe and let him disappear.”On the other hand, some Indian users also accepted those points highlighted by Mr. Rich and called it a “bitter pill to swallow. and accepting the problems are the 1st step to overcome it.” Even though he was back-lashed for showing only the worst part of the country, some users accepted the fact that he commented over what he experienced.
As this video and especially the thumbnail became a point of discussion, viewers also started questioning the government and their measures. On this regard one user wrote, “Present Ruling Party(bjp) in India is busy doing national “Vanity” projects like Moon landing, Biggest statutes, Biggest Stadium, Biggest Office in the world etc etc while 80% of our Graduates are sitting Jobless. That’s why Pollution, hygiene, sanitation system, Roads are Not our primary concerns.”
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“We Indians don’t want to accept that we have a lot of problems that need to be addressed: Population, Pollution, Poverty, Privacy, Personal rights, Hygiene, Sanitation, Noise, Civic sense, Infrastructure, Safety, Corruption a few among them. We need to address these issues without pointing fingers at others. I hope we can change these issues by taking self responsibility over time,” read a comment.
Responding to the ongoing debate and criticism, the YouTuber cleared his intention and said, “Hello Indian viewers! I see a lot of comments below that I had some kind of agenda against India in the video but not at all. I just showed what I saw as I do in every country.” And he again highlighted how the exciting journey turns out to be disgusting as he mentioned the improper infrastructure over monsoon rains, noise pollution, unhygienic environment, increased number of beggars of the country.
He also added, “Anyway no hate towards the people of India who as always I found fun and friendly. If anyone has any questions I’ll be happy to answer some in this thread.”
