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Who is Tyler Oliveira? US YouTuber under fire after filming dung-flinging ritual in remote Indian village
American YouTuber Tyler Oliveira shared a teaser clip captioned ‘Inside India’s Poop-Throwing Festival,’ and is now being accused of smearing the country.
An American YouTuber is under fire after filming a dung-flinging ritual in a remote Indian village. 25-year-old Tyler Oliveira shared a teaser clip captioned ‘Inside India’s Poop-Throwing Festival,’ and is now being criticized for allegedly ignoring the significance behind the stunt. The video was filmed at the Gorehabba festival, in which villagers hurl dried cow dung at each other as part of a Hindu tradition following Diwali.
Oliveira shared another post of himself in a hazmat suit and goggles in which he can be seen covered in brown smears. The picture was taken after the event in the remote village of Gumatapura, in Karnataka, southwestern India.
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“Happy Diwali! Yes, I went to India’s poop throwing festival. It was the s—tiest experience of my life. I will never go back. Please pray that I survive,” he wrote.
‘You can record poop in Western countries’
Oliveira is facing backlash in the comment section of the teaser clip, where many accused him of smearing India. Some even accused him of creating the videos using AI. In one post, Oliveira shared a screengrab to show how his “videos capturing India’s poop-throwing festivals are already getting mass reported”.
In the comment section of the teaser clip, one user commented, “Good - you focus on creating AI poop videos while Indians file patents, distinguish themselves in academia, open cutting edge startups and become multi millionaires.” Oliveira replied, “This is 100% real. I can’t wait to show you a 30 minute version of it.”
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“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 shi*** fellow. You can record poop in Western countries, plenty on streets of California. Human poop you can have record in your countries. Make videos,” a user wrote, to which Oliveira replied, “I’ve filmed in many of these cities. Don’t be mad bro.”
Meanwhile, another video shows Oliveira walking down a street, his clothes smeared with dow dung. “I Survived India’s Poop-Throwing Festival…,” the clip is captioned.
Devotees of the Gorehabba festival believe that their God, Beereshwara Swamy, was born in cow excrement. The ritual is considered sacred and purifying.
Who is Tyler Oliveira?
Oliveira, whose X bio reads “Man with a camera asking people questions with a small microphone,” made various challenge videos before beginning to make videos centered on man-on-the-street interviews. He popularly documented drug decriminalization in Canada and the Springfield pet-eating hoax, and has been blasted for spreading misinformation.
Oliveira previously sparked controversy after claiming he fell ill during a visit to India despite eating at five-star hotels. “During my trip to India, I ONLY ate in 5 star hotels and still contracted 4 types of Salmonella,” he wrote on X earlier this year. “The hotel apparently sourced their eggs from a filthy chicken farm right next to a literal mountain of trash. There are serious hygiene issues that must be addressed in India.”
