According to a report by the Global Times citing the Australian News Network on the 13th, a recent New York Times article about Amazon tribes becoming “addicted to Internet pornography” after gaining access to the Internet has attracted attention. On June 9, Enok Marumbo, the leader of the tribe, spoke out to refute the rumors and denounced false reports, saying that "white people and some non-original people always want to make decisions for us."
Starlink antenna in the Marubo tribal village (Source: Global Times)
reported that some young people just want to spend the entire afternoon playing with their mobile phones. They are no longer interested in life skills such as hunting and fishing, or traditional crafts such as painting and beading. The report also said that young people are addicted to pornographic videos, violent games, and even develop into misconduct, which has caused serious differences in the views of the Internet within the clan.
After the report was released, more than 100 news media around the world have carried or rewritten it. One gossip news network directly published explicit headlines such as "Connecting to "Star Chain", tribes are addicted to watching movies", causing the Marubo tribe to be responsible for foreign affairs. Union staff received many comments on social media, many of which were mocking their tribe.
Subsequently, the introducer of "Starlink" technology and the leader of the Marubo tribe, Enok Marubo, released a video on social media, denounced the "New York Times" article and those "irresponsible handling" and random titles reports as "fake news." He criticized the report's perspective as "condescending," saying "white people and some non-original people always want to make decisions for us."
Under the pressure of public opinion, the "New York Times" published a "clarification report" on the 11th. The article mentioned that "the Marubo people are not addicted to pornography, and there is no local sign to indicate this", and at the same time "passed the blame" to Ma. An elder named Alfredo within the Lubo tribe said that it was this person who complained to reporters that "minors were circulating pornographic content in the chat group."
According to the media, Alfredo has not only been badmouthing Internet technology, but is also the "dead enemy" of tribal leader Ennock. The New York Times also said: "Those misleading headlines are just part of the Internet economy, and Internet users are familiar with this routine. However, Marubo people will definitely be confused and angry."
Marubo People transported the Starlink antenna to the village through multiple boat rides and miles of hiking (Source: Global Times)
On June 12, Musk, the owner of the “Starlink” technology and the American billionaire, posted on the social platform x (Original Twitter) criticized the New York Times, saying that the newspaper was "lack of etiquette" and "very unkind" to the Marubo tribe.
Data shows that for hundreds of years, the Marubo people have lived in public shacks distributed hundreds of miles along the Itui River and deep in the Amazon rainforest, living almost isolated from the outside world. Some villages even require It takes a week to arrive.
In 2022, Musk’s Starlink entered Brazil, and then this tribe with 2,000 members became one of the hundreds of tribes that were suddenly connected to satellite Internet services in September 2023.
Jimu News Comprehensive Global Times, vista Kantianxia
(Source: Jimu News)
