A Twitter troll has launched a vicious campaign against liberals and journalists
A Twitter account by the handle of @TrollRants is like any of the usual abusive trolls who openly support Trump, cuss everyone with an anti-BJP stance and calls any JNU affiliate a Naxalite and refers to Rohit Vemula as a commie scum. This account has one notable difference: it categorises all those it hates.
Indian social media has not been the same since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. BJP coming into power has managed to polarise people on Twitter like never before. Of course, there are those who choose neither to be on the Left or Right, and continue to not conform to any of the recognised political ideologies or factions.
The power of social media comes from one thing and one thing only: everyone has an equal platform to speak, to make themselves heard. The problem with social media, however, some would argue, is the exact same thing as well.
 |
| Indian social media has not been the same since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. [Photo: Indiatoday.in] |
Rather than becoming a platform for open discourse and individual opinions, it has become a medium for troll mobs to lynch and abuse one another. While the AAP fanboys, and leftist comrades on Twitter are pretty bad themselves, the right-wing social media has a special talent for being vile.
Started by a man called Kunal Mehta, TrollRants is a special kind of toxic creep as he adds people to Twitter lists, which are elaborately phrased. Sample these: "ugly inbred skank", "saala Pakistani", "ingrate illegal immigrant", "culinary neanderthals", "rabies infected mongrels", "not Indian", "paedophile looking creeps", "human form of diseases", and "jehadi concubines" among many more.
And as one would imagine, these lists include not actual names of Pakistanis, or paedophiles, but journalists, liberals, feminists and in general people who have in some way offended the sensibilities of this gentleman.
Bhakt troll level - @TrollRants I'm speechless pic.twitter.com/1X50Rd2Nze
— Tinu Cherian Abraham (@tinucherian) October 17, 2016
Woke up to this. Such love, much wow. :) Everyone needs a man who can give them even half this much time. pic.twitter.com/aYSUJKTCN8
— Wafa Adeel (@wafa_adeel) August 25, 2016
Awww, thank you @TrollRants, I love you too pic.twitter.com/HuLt3dqI20
— Gokul Raghunadh (@coconut_bunch) August 2, 2016
Yay! I have arrived. Feel so honoured to be a citizen of a country where scums like @TrollRants decide what you are. pic.twitter.com/LNKwOEj8X0
— Farid (@ExpertAnalystix) October 20, 2016
#PublicRelations#PublicRelations #Media Bhakt troll level - TrollRantsI'm speechless pic.twitter.com/F585EbDTlu— Public-Relations1s (str…
— Public Relations 1 (@Publi_Relation) October 17, 2016
Why are the Indians like @TrollRants so pissed off? pic.twitter.com/H8VrsTEiA8
— Kashmir (@Qashmier) August 22, 2016
My Day Is Made :) Ranter, Pakistani & Also Illegal Immigrant. Thanks @TrollRants ..But Why Add In 3? 1 Was Enough ;) pic.twitter.com/GkzgdNMtC5
— iAmMusa (@onlyursmusa) July 31, 2016
Chaddi #bhakts @TrollRants at peak of their desperation :D pic.twitter.com/WBlK2iO3cA
— Zoheb Desai (@zohebdesai) July 24, 2016
Move over Buzzfeed. I've made it to another list. pic.twitter.com/utqoSfIRNP
— José Covaco (@HoeZaay) October 31, 2016
Good morning yougaiz. I woke up to this. Wbu? pic.twitter.com/RhzfkX7kjM
— T. (@aaliznat) October 31, 2016
But our good man here seems to be affected by not just journalists who don't fit his narrative, but also by women in general and feminists in particular. A trend of misogyny and hatred for feminism has been more than evident in the patriarchal, toxic-masculinity-infested Far Right.
One of these vile lists is called “unfit to be a mother” which includes journalists Arfa Khanum Sherwani of Rajya Sabh TV, Dhanya Rajendran of The News Minute, Sunetra Choudhury of NDTV, Ariana Huffington and blogger/activist Vidyut Gore-Kale.
 |
| Photo: Screengrab |
 |
| Photo: Screengrab |
Abusive trolls on Twitter come and go, but every once in a while, we meet someone who manages to make an impression on us. @TrollRants is definitely one of them.
We at DailyO hope to get added to all your lists really soon (if we aren't there already).