New Delhi: Dhruv Rathee in his viral video on the “brainwashing of Indians”, which has close to 12 million views, has put out a four-set methodology through which dark social media or the WhatsApp universe is weaponised and, over time, used to twist narratives.
He first talks about the “WhatsApp Mafia” and how nobody has stopped it, so it has now “become a monster”. This WhatsApp mafia he says “targets Hindus”. The example of Hitler brainwashing “German Aryans”, using Jews and Zia ul Haq using Hindus, Christians, Shia Muslims as bugbears to brainwash Sunni Muslims.
Rathee is a widely followed and admired YouTube video-maker whose earlier videos on dictatorship have crossed well over 50 million views.
He says “chronology samajhiye”
The first ‘department’ he says is “pride”. There is no hate initially, but to ensnare people, it is eulogisation. To speak of exaggerated claims of culture, history etc.
Department number two he says is “victimisation and self-pity” on how, for centuries, “they” have ruled over us and thwarted our potential greatness and identity. Rathee says this is the breaking point, after which, department number three or “you are in danger” is an easy leap towards, of scaring the cohort. This is where misinformation is used, exaggerated and sharpened. Muslims and Christians are demonised further, then opposition parties are drawn in and the other made larger by throwing in billionaire Soros, Pakistan, China and more to scare people further, as of them being at risk.
After having created enough scare, says Rathee, comes in department number four, which is the Modi cult of personality. The saviour cult is created at this stage, as part of a big systematic campaign of departments 1, 2 and 3. “Modi ji” as answer to “who will save us”, by almost referring to him as an avatar.
He says that people are deliberately pushed down “an emotional rollercoaster” as happened in Germany in the 1930s, not via WhatsApp then but via other media, films, radio and cinema.
Rathee has elaborated on how founders of Hindutva, Savarkar and Golwalkar were known admirers of Hitler and Nazi Germany.
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Rathee says Indians must vote, save democracy and remember Gandhi, Bose, Bhagat Singh and Dr. Ambedkar as they gear up to defeat lies.
He has urged all those watching him to become a part of truth-telling via, what he has termed, ‘Mission 100’ and circulate messages to expose the brainwashing, for eventually dismantling ‘WhatsApp University,’ saying 1.5 crore motivated and people committed to save India far outweigh paid IT cells.
Earlier this year, The World Economic Forum report had said, the risk of false information was the highest in India. There have been several academic studies, other analyses and reports on how misinformation has many sources, but the biggest challenge it poses to Indian democracy is how misinformation is “baked into” the campaign of the ruling party, which dominates the narrative.
Rathee in a special interview with Karan Thapar on April 12 for The Wire, spoke about himself, his childhood and upbringing, his training as a mechanical engineer at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and also what motivates him to make videos and the extent of preparation and effort put into each of them. He also to spoke about political issues such as his view of Modi and whether India is becoming a dictatorship. Rathee said that his message to the Indian people is brief and simple: “Vote karne jayen to sarkar ko nikal phenke (When you go to vote, throw out the government).”
Rathee said that he has faith that his 2.5 crore audience will heed his request for each person to share his video with another 100 people who, in turn, will respond to his message to vote out the Modi government.
