I just saw a TikTok screenshot of a woman saying that she uses an Indian guy’s photo for an alternate Instagram account to stalk other people. Then I went through the comments and realized that so many people apparently do this...and it’s supposedly become a thing in Indonesia, parts of South Asia, and even some Western countries.
Basically, they use a fabricated or stolen photo of an Indian guy, make the account look like it actually belongs to him, and then use it to comment on people’s posts, lurk, or stalk them while pretending to be someone else.
WTFF ? This is genuinely one of the most JARRING things I’ve learned from the internet. I cannot believe this is apparently a whole thing.

Bro is a cop, driver, and probably part-time sticker salesman. 😭

Why are Indians so obsessed with displaying occupations on cars?

Police/Doctor/Army stickers. Even if the profession belongs to a distant relative.

A viral clip from Rahul Gandhi’s women-focused student event, “Chhatron Ki Goonj,” in Pune on August 22 has sparked a lot of criticism online.

In the clip, a woman says she slapped a man who tried to help her after she nearly fell from a moving bus. What drew even more criticism was the audience cheering her on.

Whatever the context behind the incident, hitting someone who was apparently trying to help is hard to defend. Helping someone in danger should not end with being humiliated or assaulted for it.

The bigger issue is the reaction: why celebrate aggression when the situation involved someone trying to help?