India just ruined Microsoft Excel’s rating on the App Store because they hate Surf Excel. Clearly, the two are different products altogether, but it seems stupidity has no name.
The Indian public didn’t read a lot of things right lately. Be it from the fake Balakot airstrike, to a beautiful ad on interfaith harmony for Holi, and now names on the App Store.
Excel, Excel hota hai, chahay asli ho ya jaali.
Like any millennial, when Indian nationalists got mad at Surf Excel for promoting interfaith harmony on Hindu holiday Holi, they thought we’ll get you back at the App Store.
Surf Excel vs Microsoft Excel
The thing is Surf Excel is a washing detergent manufacturer. Meanwhile, the world’s most famous app for spreadsheets, Microsoft Excel took the beating for the name (they got the wrong guy here). Hindu nationalist keyboard warriors started to review-bomb Microsoft Excel instead.
Now despite the aggressive campaign, the number of such reviews are low. The ridiculous thing is these people are starting to believe their own lies. One review actually read:
“I used to like this app, until they partnered with Surf and made such a disgusting anti religious ad. Now where ever I read the word Excel I can only think of anti Hindu propaganda. Shame on you for doing this.”
It is clear these people read the entire situation wrong (didn’t read it at all probably), as there is no partnership between Microsoft and Surf.
Why the Hate for Surf Excel?
Even the hate towards Surf Excel’s ad is uncalled for. The ad promotes religious harmony, how can that be read negatively? Based on the reviews, logic and rationality are clearly missing.
“boykot sarf excel. hindu birodh hai. pakisthan me ja kar business kar.” (Boycott Surf Excel. It is anti-Hindu. Take your business to Pakistan.) Another, coming in late in the day, writes, “Ye hindu virodhi hai,” meaning “this is anti-Hindu.”
Some of these reviews weren’t even funny but straight up threatening.
“You traitors, if we put our minds to it you’ll have to close your Surf Excel business and flee. You don’t know Sangh workers. Jai Gaumata”.
History Repeats Itself
This isn’t the first time Indians took their conflict to the App sSore. Or even the first time they review-bombed the wrong app.
Back in 2017, a leaked report revealed that Snapchat CEO Evan Speigel thought that ‘the company shouldn’t plan to expand into India as the country was “too poor”’.
Indians were furious at Speigel obviously. However, it was an Indian e-commerce company Snapdeal which got the worst of it. Whether they didn’t realize they got the wrong man or that there’s a difference between the two apps, an Indian company suffered.
via HuffingtonPost
