Due to the privileged class’s glorified outlook on the poor’s substandard living situations, “poverty porn” has become a legitimate phrase. Despite the fact that there is nothing romantic about a lack of resources, we have frequently encountered people doing so.
This time, it was Anand Mahindra, the chairman of Mahindra Group, who was chastised for allegedly celebrating poverty in a tweet. Mahindra shared a photo of a couple riding a bike with a load of chairs and mats packed and stuffed over their two-wheeler in the post.
Initially, the photograph was viewed as a jugaad (improvisation) and commended for the person’s resourcefulness.
Now, many social media users pointed out how, due to a lack of options, low-income people are pushed to adopt risky alternatives. Instead of celebrating the actions taken as a result of helplessness, netizens argue that the circumstance demands an investigation into why a person is unable to use relevant products or services to complete their work.
Here’s how Twitter users are reacting to Anand Mahindra’s tweet.
This isn’t the first time Anand Mahindra has celebrated poverty in his tweets, as the last tweet implies. Here are some of his previous posts.
Cinema has already contributed enough to poverty glorification, we don’t need a daily dosage of it on social media.