A US YouTuber has sparked online outrage by sharing a video where he took part in a festival in a village in Karnataka, where participants throw cow dung at each other as part of a Diwali celebration. The video, which has accumulated five million views, faced backlash from social media users who criticized Tyler Oliveira for seemingly mocking a cultural tradition and overlooking its religious importance.
As the online backlash intensified, the 25-year-old alleged that his video was being censored and targeted for mass reporting by Indian viewers. In response to the criticism, he defended his actions by stating, “It isn’t racist to film a poop-throwing festival.”
The video, uploaded on October 23, was filmed in Gumatapura village during the Gorehabba festival. According to local beliefs, the festival pays homage to the village’s deity, Beereshwara Swamy, who is said to have emerged from cow dung, with residents symbolically throwing cow dung at each other as part of the celebration.
The brief footage captures Oliveira donned in a hazmat suit and protective gear, navigating through a crowd of festival attendees covered in cow dung. “Spare me, so much s**t,” he can be heard saying as he traverses the muddy ground before being hit twice by sizable clumps of dung. Subsequently, he quickly retreats from the area, exclaiming, “I gotta get out of here.”
In a subsequent video titled “I Survived India’s Poop-Throwing Festival,” Oliveira is seen walking on a road, barefoot and with his hazmat suit stained with cow dung, while drinking water from a bottle.
However, Oliveira faced significant criticism on social media, with many users accusing him of disrespecting cultural traditions and insinuating racial bias in his coverage of the festival.
Numerous comments condemned Oliveira’s actions, with one user tweeting, “Good – you focus on creating AI poop videos while Indians file patents, distinguish themselves in academia, open cutting edge startups and become multi millionaires.” Another remarked, “Why do you have to come to India and then record a video of a cow dung festival by going in the middle of the event and then cry like a loser! You shitty fellow. You can record poop in Western countries, plenty on streets of California.”
Amid the backlash, some users speculated that Oliveira’s video might have been artificially generated. Oliveira refuted these claims, asserting the authenticity of his experience and hinting at forthcoming content showcasing his journey spanning thousands of miles and dollars spent.
Furthermore, Oliveira highlighted instances where his videos faced censorship on the platform. In a separate response to the criticism, the YouTuber implied that some individuals believed Pakistanis had funded his trip to the festival.
The incident sparked a debate online, with various users expressing disappointment in Oliveira’s approach and intentions during the festival coverage.