Pete Zogoulas, an Australian content creator, is getting a lot of hate on social media and in the news for making a sensationalized video in which he says he visited and “survived” for three days in what he called “India’s deadliest slum,” which was actually Mumbai’s Dharavi.
The vlogger, who calls himself “a professional dingus that loves doing crazy things” in his YouTube account, posted parts of his controversial encounter on Instagram and told people to watch a lengthier version on his YouTube channel, which has more than 262,000 subscribers.
The Problematic Challenge
The title of the video, “I Tried Surviving India’s ‘Deadliest Slum’,” set a serious tone right away. It starts with Pete Z’s voiceover announcing his three-day survival challenge. Then, to show how dangerous it is, there is a graphic clip that seems to show a woman being robbed.
An Indian buddy named Ayushi was with Pete Z the whole time he was there. She was described as his “challenge” guide. The clips show the two of them walking through the tight streets of Dharavi, going into a slum dwelling, and looking for a spot to sleep. The entire YouTube video is said to show more interactions with residents, giving viewers a look at their daily lives and business operations.
People on social media are against “poverty tourism.”
Many people have quickly and strongly criticized the film, with some accusing the maker of “poverty tourism,” which is leveraging the poor living conditions of poor communities to make spectacular material and make money (via views and monetization).
Most of the criticism was about the reasons behind this kind of content:
Asking for Views and Money: One person inquired directly, “Just one question, why?” One person had a simple answer: “Just because for views, money.” They exclusively go to places that are destitute.
A worried Indian user said, “I’d suggest you look at the other sides of India too,” about the creator’s focus. Most of your latest videos have been set in the countryside around Mumbai. Since I’m Indian, I think some of your viewers may criticize the whole country based on the one location you’ve highlighted.
Sensationalism Over Substance: Many people said that Pete Zogoulas was intentionally showing India in a bad or negative light to get a global audience that was only interested in shock value, instead of giving a true or respectful picture of the country’s intricacies.
The backlash brings up a long-running discussion about the ethics of foreign content creators visiting underprivileged places and how they should talk about and frame these delicate issues for the globe.