The hugely popular YouTube channel ‘Real Engineering’ has come under fire from a section of the internet for displaying an incomplete map of India in a recent video praising the country’s space programme.
What is Real Engineering?
Real Engineering is a YouTube channel run by Texas-based Irish YouTuber Brian McManus. With 4.8 million subscribers and over 250 videos published till date, the channel has a huge following worldwide. The channel is dedicated to exploring the intricacies of engineering and technology and delves into topics ranging from aerospace innovations and renewable energy solutions to military technologies and more.
Why the controversy?
On May 17, Real Engineering published a YouTube video titled “The Unlikely Rise of the Indian Space Program.” It was a video praising India’s space programme and ISRO, and as such should have delighted Indians. However, a few seconds into the video, Real Engineering displayed an incorrect map of India.
The incorrect map led to massive backlash from Indians, following which Brian McManus shared a curt message saying he would not make the mistake of praising Indians again.
The backlash
{{/usCountry}}The incorrect map led to massive backlash from Indians, following which Brian McManus shared a curt message saying he would not make the mistake of praising Indians again.
The backlash
{{/usCountry}}The comments section of the YouTube video was immediately flooded with Indians enraged by the map. “Please use the correct map of India..dislike for now,” read one comment. “Sir, with due respect, you missed Siachen Glacier in the Indian map at 0:25 and beyond. Siachen Glacier is controlled by India. Please use the correct map of India. The areas called PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) and Aksai Chin (currently with China) are integral parts of Republic of India,” another person wrote.
This is just an example of the hundreds of such critical comments that flooded the video. Many of the comments turned abusive.
YouTuber hits back
The man behind Real Engineering, Brian McManus, shared a message in the comments section that has now been edited or taken down. However, screenshots of his message are still being circulated on social media.
In the comment, McManus addressed the controversy generated by this video and said he used an internationally-recognized map of India.
“I'm incredibly disappointed with the comments from Indians on my recent video. That video took us 2 months to make, and cost us 10s of thousands of dollars. All because I wanted to praise a country's perseverance and scientific achievement.
“The map used is the internationally recognized map of India. It is not the responsibility of a YouTuber to enforce your border disputes. I will not make the mistake of praising India again. Mission accomplished guys,” read the comment from Real Engineering.