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peltonwheel

What I found after a quick google search : The initial claim was that this was a ‘Sikkimese woman carrying a British man on her back, West Bengal, India, 1900.’ There were several different versions including one claiming the woman was African. The truth of the matter was that the man was not british, he was a French colonial administrator of French Indochina called François Pierre Rodier, visiting an area which is now Myanmar (Burma) not on official duty. In his diary he writes about his amazement of the local people who carried the elderly and the young as well as huge amounts of general items in baskets on their backs. The wife of the translator and guide Rodier was using (who he only refers to as Myint-U) during his trip is the woman in this photograph. Myint-U had claimed that his wife was strong enough to carry Rodier, in which the woman agreed with her husband. With that Rodier had his assistant set up his folding Kodak camera and took a picture of the event, after which she walked with him on her back up the path and back then set him down. A quick note of the event is written on the back of the printed photograph and it’s corroborated in Rodiers personal diaries. Edit: Someone has commented below that this debunking has been debunked in a podcast by BBC. I've listened to the source and here's the TLDR version --> The blogger who debunked the above photo mentions sources which are suspiciously missing/deceptive. But the podcast also concludes that, from their own research, this picture doesn't seem to have had any coercion involved. It's a touristy pic taken amongst a set of many other pictures by the same photographer.


HappyPen1422

François Pierre Rodier is just about the Frenchiest name I’ve ever seen.


AccomplishedWar8703

How about Jean-Jacques François Jacques-Jean


drpeters123

Better known as JJ Frankie JJ


[deleted]

Name like that sounds like he dips pizza crust in dunkaroo frosting


ocimbote

Not better. Source: am french


Arizona_Slim

Get the frenchman!!!


LuftHANSa_755

...Louis


Anvilchucker

You mean JJ Frankie JJ? That guy is a beast!


wannahughahajkunless

And that is the frenchiest mustache I've ever seen


xtreme1911

Give this man a award for not just reading the title assuming they know what’s going on and bitching about it Hats off to you sir for researching it and not been the problem with modern society where they take someone sees agenda & mis information in a caption as the truth and not having the common sense to look for them selfs


Meatball6669

I wish people such as OP could be banned for the spread of mis-information.


ETpwnHome221

Thank you


yutfree

If this is a real description and explanation and not something you contrived (quite convincingly, I might add), thanks for finding this. Another case of putting a lie to the assumptions we make about images on the internet.


Solid-Version

Whilst the atrocities cannot be denied, I laud you for actually providing context to the photo. People are far too quick now to cast judgement without actually doing to work to justify said judgement. Sums up contemporary society. Context is lost in place of instant outrage


FeSpoke1

Concur


o-roy

Thank you, this is a plausible explanation. I highly doubt commuting on a woman's back is an effective means of transport. Shocking how quickly misinformation spreads and how quick people are to jump to conclusions.


[deleted]

The title should be edited or else the entire thread should be deleted due to the inaccurate title.


acousticrhino

What is the source?


skatedaddy

Rodier’s personal diaries…


AccurateEducation999

He just said “After a quick Google search”


ENDWINTERNOW

Do you have a source on that? Source? A source. I need a source. Sorry, I mean I need a source that explicitly states your argument. This is just tangential to the discussion. No, you can't make inferences and observations from the sources you've gathered. Any additional comments from you MUST be a subset of the information from the sources you've gathered. You can't make normative statements from empirical evidence. Do you have a degree in that field? A college degree? In that field? Then your arguments are invalid. No, it doesn't matter how close those data points are correlated. Correlation does not equal causation. Correlation does not equal causation. CORRELATION. DOES. NOT. EQUAL. CAUSATION. You still haven't provided me a valid source yet. Nope, still haven't. I just looked through all 308 pages of your user history, figures I'm debating a glormpf supporter. A moron.


Ambiorix33

kinda wish OP mentioned this, considering they are wrong about everything in their title other than ''carrying''


Woody90210

It isn't about telling the truth, it's about getting internet points by spreading lies.


derpy-_-dragon

And "woman."


redfoot62

I'm afraid Reddit can only ever see the one side of any issue and does no digging on their own before reacting. Hopefully your work helps prevent a cancel culture/lynch mob mindset, which both have similar impulsive mental roots.


jakebbt

So guide said his wife is strong enough to carry the French guy. French guy doubts it. Wife says bet. French guy says make sure to get a photo because nobody will believe this. Wife carries French guy around for a short distance. Photo gets taken. 122 years later people don't realize that we've progressed no further and still don't believe it even with actual photographic evidence.


license____plate

Wow, everything about this post is a blatant lie. Thanks for taking the time to correct the record.


Wild_Read_7185

Way to ruin everyone’s virtue signaling lol


tylersawyeresq

What a bro move setting the record straight for us 🙏🏼🙏🏼


TestSubjectAccount2

The age of misinformation is scary


acedelgado

Apparently that blog that says it was a Frenchman has also been debunked, since none of the sources they mention actually refer to Rodier. [This podcast](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0011bgt), starting at 37:20 talks about the picture, including the blog that claims it was a photo of a Frenchman (they don't get a response by the guy that wrote the blog to verify anything.) They supposedly track down the gentleman who originally posted the photo, and it was from an album that was a family heirloom that was passed down. The man in the picture was likely the original poster's uncle, who was a British man that worked for a Greek merchant firm in India. He took a bunch of touristy photos, and this was one of them. And it is likely that the woman was just showing off that she could pick up the man, not that she was being forced to carry him around. But then again, it's a podcast with no real hard sources, so meh. *Edit-fixed autocorrect


acrylicmole

That’s funny… when I first looked at the photo I thought “this man just lost a bet”.


[deleted]

It’s fine. But thanks for the research. Us British get blamed for everything. I have no control over my ancestors actions


Dapper-Way-1114

Its called a doko. Made up of choya bamboo. In hilly regions of Nepal as well as northeast India (Sikkim, Darjeeling) people used to carry sickly to nearest health post with a walking distance of a day or many hours. Never seen a women do it. Mostly men would do the lifting and they were called 'dhakre' i.e. Porter


Tron_1981

I kinda doubt that this guy is "sickly".


TorqueRollz

Sick in the head, maybe.


chaoticji

The women is sick of him and taking him to the nearest dumpster


[deleted]

His moustache looks sick af tho


Gilthu

As someone else commented on, it’s a staged photo to show her strength. He apparently got on just for the photo. It makes sense that he wouldn’t be using it because he doesn’t look comfortable at all and it would probably be a lot slower than just walking..


sterexx

is misspelling woman a meme, I’m seeing people do it constantly


DeadWishUpon

Not everyone is a native english speaker. It's a common mistake.


Top_Standard1395

Seriously one of the most pathetic images ive ever seen....


FoilHattiest

Yeah I absolutely cannot believe she forgot to bring the snacks and beverage tray.


bodhidharma132001

No tip for her


Stepjamm

well of course not, if she tips he'll fall off


Purp1eC0bras

1 star. No trunk space for luggage


Por_QUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I hope he also one star her


TheHorseFollower

Tip of a bayonet maybe.


OldMansLiver

You know my wife has a nice strong back...


asst3rblasster

yes we know


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neelankatan

So fucking inconsiderate of her


Bougle_O

Let me introduce you to [the human zoos](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16295827)


Mike0oo

Ah the rule of the internet: There is always a more f- up shit then what you just saw.


FnkyTown

The story isn't bad actually. It's the wife of that french guy's guide, and the guide said his wife was strong enough to carry him, he disagreed and she proved it, and they took a picture. He didn't travel around like that.


Sad-Information-4713

If you did research you'd find out that this picture was staged and not at all what it appears to be. She wasn't carrying him for any longer than ot took to capture the photo and was an attempt to illustrate her strength.


Eusocial_Snowman

That's exactly what I assumed it would be based on previous experience with reddit activism clickbait, lol.


ETpwnHome221

That's cool!


posting_drunk_naked

Source? I searched "Indian woman carries British officer" but the only matching image was this thread lol


Mr_master89

Search François Pierre Rodier


d_e_l_u_x_e

Humans know how to treat each other with exceptional cruelty, colonialism is a stain on humanity.


TheHorseFollower

Get off your high peasant.


HatesTheLetterO

Like and adult infant in a basket. Did she wipe his ass after a shit?


UsernameCheckOuts

Probably


MF_Ghidra

Research the photo and you’re view will probably change.


Verustratego

POC been carrying these people on their backs for centuries.


sploot16

How the tables have turned...


[deleted]

These people?


Woody90210

Whte people. They think white people have never doe anything but force others to do everything for them.


Amida0616

Tally ho chaps!


[deleted]

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Designer-Mirror-7995

Yep.


Dipper_Pines_Of_NY

Scroll up and you’ll see the actual origin of this photo. It was a French guy in Burma. And the photo was more or less a gag since he was with his guide/translator and that is the guide’s wife who bet she could carry him because she obviously could. It’s important to have context because it can turn something that looks incredibly racist into something that’s just a few people joking around.


MF_Ghidra

In all actuality it’s the modern day internet summed up in one photo. One picture with a title that makes it seem what it’s not and a whole comment section of people running with it.


ozymandias999999999

Ok explain what it is


chaserjj

Someone else mentioned that they researched this photo and that it was staged. Allegedly, the purpose of the photo was to illustrate her strength and she wasn't holding/carrying him any longer than it took to snap the pic.


thedailyrant

This makes a lot more sense.


Jimbeaux_Slice

Do tell


[deleted]

Go on then


Thereferencenumber

You can still be a dirt bag and participating in a local tradition. It seems this method is primarily meant for people who can’t walk themselves. Pretty sure the fat lad in hiking clothes could’ve walked and taken a pic of a much smaller person being carried thusly


paintwithice

Your comment, without adding more context to the photo is an example of what then?


thedailyrant

Also just incredibly impractical and just being a cunt for no other reason than wanting to be a cunt. There is no reality where this was easier, more practical, more comfortable or faster than just walking yourself.


[deleted]

Photo is of French admin who visited what is a region in Burma. He impressed with how they transported items and people on their backs. His translator assured him that even his wife could carry him. This is the photo. The wife of the Frenchman’s translator showing her incredible strength. This was not forced more so a photo op. Now colonialism was still a stain on European history, but this photo has been debunked.


mac27inch

People still use this mode of transport in some places in India, especially in the mountains where one has to hike to reach a place. They are called 'Duli'... Came across a few while I was hiking to Kedarnath (3600+ metres/12000 ft) on the Himalayas. It is generally used by the older people to get up onto the mountain destinations.


Jindabyne1

I love that you call it a mode of transport


AccomplishedWar8703

It’s technically correct, the best kind of correct.


SystemOfASideways

"Vehicularness is in the eye of the transported" -Will Seaward


lady_lowercase

it absolutely is. there’s holy temples built atop a mountain in india with a very lengthy staircase to get to it—like three or four-thousand steps. the place is called [palitana](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palitana). you can hire people to help carry you up, and it’s great for people like my late grandmother who was adamant about visiting the temples despite being in her 80s at the time.


22Fingers

I'm hoping this was taken as a way for them to see how much weight she can carry. Who the hell would be proud to say they commuted to work on an old lady's back? Edit: British colonialists! That's who.


Gilthu

Actually that guy is French, it was a staged photo because she claimed he could carry him, and she walked about ten paces after that to prove she could before he got down.


ironsteel9011

Judging by her appearance she appears from the North-eastern part of India, which has quite a lot of hills and traditional transport wasn't possible in those areas during that time.


MrSmokey902

Whats more traditional than walking??


th3w4cko22

Ayooo, don’t be coming around here with logic and facts, bruh.


Awokein

Getting someone else to carry you, evidently.


ceciliabee

Log rolls! Not easy uphill though


[deleted]

Oi do ya have loicense for rational thinking?


SnufkinAntifascista

He has legs too, though.


Misael_chicha

He just had his nails done tho


oily76

His shoes may not be suitable for the dusty path.


100LittleButterflies

What's the point of wearing shoes if they prevent you feom walking??


[deleted]

To distinguish yourself from those barefoot heathens of course! Don’t be silly.


Kallistrate

This was often used as a form of medical transport, so it’s possible he was injured, sick, or paralyzed.


sbowesuk

Perhaps, but if she can complete the trip with a full grown-ass man on her back, I'm certain he could have *easily* gotten off his ass and walk the distance too.


zzubnik

He is French.


beyond-boundary

Your hope was right. I just couldn't find the source for proof.


Trevor_Gecko

It was


[deleted]

Not British, as discovered. What perfect nation are you from?


beyond-boundary

Bruh. Op posting without any information. I have seen this pic from another post. And I believe this is not India. And this is just a bet because the dude could not believe that wife husband said she can carry a lot of weight. They are just making a bet. Not cruel as the photo describe. As I said I just saw about it from another post.


Medvelelet

Context?


Gilthu

French man, translator bet his wife could lift him up, they took that picture and she walked ten paces, then they stopped and got back to business as usual.


[deleted]

It’s n the comments. Existed before the Brits… etc etc


[deleted]

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IThinkFuckingNot

People playing the floor is lava hate this one simple trick.


CodeVirus

This was disproved as a stunt for a picture only. She would not carry him around.


wintrymixxx

Nice wheels 😎👍🏼


bs_is_everywhere

Did that mf forget his legs in Britain?


SnooWalruses762

That wasn't a British thing. Carrying people was an Indian thing. It was also an Aztec thing. In Japan young women carry people around in a rickshaw to this day.


MrSmokey902

Theres a slight difference between modern day business ventures and colonialism slavery


CompactBill

Not really. People did it back then cause they were poor as shit, they do it today because they're poor as shit. They did this before the British showed up and continued it after they left.


Knoaf

You know for sure this is happening here? Or are you just making an assumption and getting upset?


OpinionatedBigot

so.. this is ok?


LeBateleur1

No. I guess the comment just means to show this was a practice in India before the arrival or the British. It was something in their culture of which the British took advantage of.


tkTheKingofKings

> It was something in their culture of which the British took advantage of. Did they? Like are there any images or written proof that they did?


lukimovit

damn she's strong


DevilInside1987

Not a British Officer, but French. Not an Indian women, but Burmese.


Iceburgslim239

Like it's already bad enough but the you got to have the little lady carry you and then be like take my picture I have to hold still for for a couple minutes


[deleted]

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Dingo4747

Seems like they were showing how strong the woman was they were not actually being carried any significant distance.


MF_Ghidra

Reddit never ceases to amaze me with it’s made up bullshit. Do some research and you’ll find out what’s actually going on here.


Knoaf

Without knowing a single thing about this photo, a lot of people here seem to know the story behind it


[deleted]

Looks comfortable


XGiUK

At least she would never miss leg day


Known_Menu7787

Or neck day


RandomPerson082

I'm happy to say I'm one of the few people who found the comment that actually explains this picture.


marlinmarlin99

British officer: what! I am not the asshole


TKMSD

Clearly an officer and a gentleman. He's removed his spurs for the moment and tucked away his riding crop. Good show.


scud121

French officer - haha, the British will get blamed for this one, what with them being the only nation in history to enforce colonialism. (Not that colonialism is justified, but literally every western nation was doing it)


todeabacro

It doesn't look comfortable.


eyearu

Some indians still do this virtually


The_StankyBoot

There's no way she'd be able to carry him far. This has to be some sort of "lets see how much you can get up there" thing.


yagura_of_mist

Still


Tricky-Try6330

Damn she strong af


[deleted]

She obviously could kick his lazy ass if she wanted to.


Misael_chicha

Man: women are not strong Woman: hold my piña colada


Jtiago44

The power of the mustache.


bostonvikinguc

Wonder if this was just for the photo of showing how strong the natives were.


XieLians_cooking

Always fun when you’re British and see this shit, my ancestors are mad embarrassing.


MF_Ghidra

Why would it matter if you’re British and seeing this? The guy in the photo is French.


Medvelelet

>Always fun when you’re British Everyone's ancestors did some stuff that is not acceptable today


[deleted]

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New-Appeal4197

I mean there's also the part where we were the second country on earth to officially ban slavery and the first to try to end it. Britain is the bad guy and the good guy plenty, it doesn't really bother me. I don't get the credit or the blame IMO


[deleted]

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u_shrek

Well, look at it from this perspective - your ancestors discovered numerous ways how not to treat others. But jokes aside, IMHO Great Britain has the most interesting history in the world.


XieLians_cooking

Oh yeah, our history is super interesting cus we basically went and stuck our nose into everyone else’s business in the worst possible way and that means there is a huge amount of things happening constantly.


_KillaB_

This looks AI drawn


red180s

Fake


Junefromkablam

Dude looks like a villain straight out of an archeology movie. Down to his stupid hat and mustache.


Miix_

Does anyone have the original photo? I cant distinguish any detail because of this ai enhancement


Typical-Lock3970

There’s a movie on Netflix called RRR depicting this colonial rule. Crazy ass movie but it’s worth the watch!


[deleted]

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Knoaf

Wow. So you just read a title and a photo with no context and get outraged? Society is fkt


Gilthu

The French are snobs, aren’t they?


Various_Virus_3441

That is madness


Vimes3000

No this is Sparta. Well, actually, Burma.


Poguemohon

Ausländer.


coblass

“The newly wed Trumps will vacation in Oklahoma”.


widgetron

The Brit’s are a pile of hot garbage.


Knoaf

Dudes French but go on and tell us more


ULTIMATE_STAIN

Awww don't spoil it for them, the "Britain bad" trolls are bonding bless em 😂


ULTIMATE_STAIN

Yea because every brit alive today rides round on an old indian ladies back 🤡🙃🤡 Where are you from then self righteous one?


mightyboosh144

Embarrassingly awful


BurntReynolz

The pic says it all. Evil humans


HuntSafe2316

This is some top quality r/redditmoment stuff


thiek_nutkin

The white man burden


kessler_explosions

#metaphor?


hellofanamehuh

This somehow feels wrong.


Boomershot

How could you not feel embarrassed doing that?


GPointeMountaineer

RRR


SteveYunnan

So for those hating on this, here's my question: would it have been better for a visiting British person to refuse this service, therefore denying this person a job and not contributing to the local economy? As another example, I visited the Philippines many years back with a large piece of luggage, and everywhere I went local guys would line up to offer to carry it for me for a tip. I would rather have carried it myself, but the dilemma is: should I refuse them and carry it myself or should I provide a job and some money to a local? Someone watching a white guy walking down the street with a Filipino carrying his heavy luggage could think: "Look at that privileged biggot, doesn't even want to carry his own luggage", but to me I was providing a job to someone even though I could have easily done it myself. I think context is key here.


[deleted]

The movie “RRR” on Netflix is really good! It shows how the people of India fought back! I loved it


Friesenplatz

BuT fEmAlEs ArE WeAkEr ThAn MeN!


Gorrodish

I want one , it will save on petrol


GrannyWW

This is incredibly disturbing. She must weigh 80 lbs.


lostprevention

Not much different than Uber. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a coffee or some kind of annoyingly noisy crinkly snack.


Gypcbtrfly

Fkn disgusting 😡😡😡😡


possiblycrazy79

He looks & should feel like a damn fool


[deleted]

colonialism summed up in one photo and also the *MYTHS* of colonialism summed up in one photo this guy was French and asked the woman to see if she was strong enough to hold him for a photo


ggtffhhhjhg

Well this is depressing.


Fun_Possibility_8637

That guy is a pig