Quora: A Diagnosis

I must at the outset clarify that the term “Indian Quora” does not refer to an autonomous website, but only to Quora’s Indian authors as a collective.

I suspect the profusion of cringe on Indian Quora is attributable to the predominance of youth on Quora, and writing scholarly answers is not what India’s youth is known for. Given India’s pullulating mass of humanity, a somewhat proportionate presence on Quora could hardly be a matter of surprise. I should hasten to add that I write this purely on grounds of my observation; I have no data to back my claims up.

A newcomer to Indian Quora may discernibly feel intimidated by the presence of so many authors, all with their respective fan-bases. Thus, it is often helpful to present oneself as humbly as possible. “Teen of Quora”, “Son of Quora”, “Newbie” and suchlike adjectives — infantine and ignominious so far as I am concerned — might adorn their profile descriptions. They may punctuate their answers with, “OMG! My first hundred upvotes. Thank you so much guys! Love you all!” Should they be requested for an answer from a prominent Quoran, their joy knows no bounds and they commence their answers detailing how blessed they thereby feel. It is only natural for them to seek attention through answers on topics that appear to interest other Quorans.

But it appears as if new ideas seldom matter to them despite having spent a considerable time on Quora. A bulk of their answers is thus replete with recycled clickbait images, recycled college romcoms that happen to be supremely cringeworthy, recycled emphases on parental love, anonymously answered amorous adventures, contributions to a question on “epic tweets”, and so forth. And perhaps deeming all of us ignoramuses, they include a photo of an earphone or a hotel or anything for that matter while narrating a personal experience, because us ignoramuses could have hardly visualized it if not for the images chosen by their divine grace.

When an author — youngster in particular — feels an overwhelming urge to exhibit to the Quoran world his conscience as a citizen, he pens answers on the morality intrinsic to being a good citizen. What is one’s greatest duty as a citizen besides following the law, not littering around and suchlike commonsensical actions? Indeed, to be united! So, one writes on one’s penchant for, as a Hindu, feasting on biryani with one’s Muslim neighbour or friend on the occasion of Eid, demonstrating that unity between Hindus and Muslims which must be the envy of the world. “This is my India”, writes the impassioned young man, perhaps with a river of tears emanating from his eyes as once did Sarasvati from the Himalayas. While the latter nourished a civilization of wisdom, the former nourishes the pure naïveté of youth. Either so nourished by tears, or drowned otherwise in his sea of idealism, he forgets that his personal experiences could possibly not be extrapolated to the national whole. Or perhaps, there is no idealism involved; it is the genius of marketing oneself, for, appearing conventionally intelligent and conscionable on Quora earns upvotes. Who knows whether the author waxing eloquent on unity is not secretly a bigot?

And in the event that one yet feels a sense of incompleteness in one’s endeavour to so degrade overall quality, one is always free to write concise philosophical commandments. It could be a subjective opinion, but I find this phenomenon obnoxious. The most repugnant instance was an advice to refrain from committing suicide because one must, “live for one’s family; one’s family members sacrifice so much for one’s happiness!” They forget that this is the precise reason that often drives people to commit suicide; they view themselves altogether as a burden on their families and therefore commit suicide. This is not a justification or an endorsement of suicide; it is merely an explanation.

That for which I have never found an explanation is the great following of devotees amassed by such authors who dole out drivel in the garb of deep philosophy. The extent of such indoctrination is disquieting — ludicrous content passes off as intellectual conversation. Indeed, I do not expect the profundity of content that a discussion between Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson would presuppose, but there must be a semblance of sanity at the bare minimum.

With the popularity of Indian politics, Quora’s elegance appears to have been lost further. The answers are now replete with ad hominem trolling, particularly by Modi supporters (given their sizeable presence on Quora) but not too less by those who describe themselves as leftists.

I, as someone who is favourably inclined towards Modi despite my disagreements with some of his policies, find it particularly concerning that a preponderance of his supporters are rather benighted beings. Others naturally feel, “Wow! So many of Modi’s followers are halfwits! What must the demeanour of the leader himself be?” This is not unlike the phenomenon in the U.S. where Trump is also often seen through the lens of the conduct of his supporters. That such people do not realize that they in fact contribute to Modi’s unpalatability, is disquieting to me.

Reddit may have partly been infested with those who use the language of calumny against the proponents of India’s cultural resurgence, but they have particularly apt grievances insofar as such degeneration of Quora is concerned.

This is one amongst three reasons behind my shift to highly formal and often verbose articulation. I do not want to be associated with this group of authors; not remotely. I was prone to writing such answers earlier. Not anymore; I have sought a complete disconnect from my past self. Highly influenced by American television series as they are, they employ similar wordage in their answers, thereby appearing greatly unnatural and cringeworthy.

And do not get me started with the usage of emojis in answers and in comments.

Perhaps I am an elitist, after all.