Don't Know, Do Care

We like to imagine that the media is at its best when democracy is at its worst. That journalists become fearless, newspapers hold power accountable, and propaganda is easily spotted for what it is. History suggests that's not quite the case. In the first episode of a two-part series, we look at how the global media covered Benito Mussolini's rise to power, and it's far stranger than most people realise. Long before he became synonymous with fascism, dictatorship, and World War II, Mussolini was being described by major newspapers as a moderniser, a visionary, and the man who had restored "order" to Italy. Why were journalists so willing to overlook political violence? Why did so many newspapers celebrate fascism as a practical solution to socialism? And why did business interests seem to matter more than democratic values? Along the way, we explore how Mussolini's background as a journalist helped him understand, and eventually control, the press, creating an environment where censorship often wasn't even necessary because self-censorship did the job just fine. As always, this episode blends comedy commentary, offbeat learning, and quirky insights into one of those seemingly random topics that turns out to have unsettling parallels with the present. It's lighthearted education only because we occasionally make jokes to cope with the fact that history has a worrying habit of repeating itself. Because dictators don't usually rise despite good press. Sometimes, they rise with it. Important links: 1. How Journalists Covered the Rise of Mussolini and Hitler - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-journalists-covered-rise-mussolini-hitler-180961407/ 2. MUSSOLINI, HOPE OF YOUTH, ITALY'S 'MAN OF TOMORROW - https://www.nytimes.com/1922/11/05/archives/mussolini-hope-of-youth-italys-man-of-tomorrow-hard-work-his-creed.html 3. MUSSOLINI AT WORK - https://www.nytimes.com/1922/11/12/archives/mussolini-at-work.html 4. Mussolini's fascists praised in 220 British newspaper reports - https://roguenation.org/mussolini-fascism-british-press/ 5. The marketing of Mussolini : American magazines and Mussolini, 1922-1935 - https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2231&context=masters-theses 6. Italo-Ethiopian War - https://www.britannica.com/event/Italo-Ethiopian-War-1935-1936 7. Marzia Casolari-Hindutva Tie-up with Fascism in 1930s-Economic & Political Weekly - https://www.academia.edu/29191228/Marzia_Casolari_Hindutva_Tie_up_with_Fascism_in_1930s_Economic_and_Political_Weekly 8. RSS's militant structure is modelled on Mussolini's Blackshirts: Italian scholar of Hindutva - https://ullekhnp.com/2023/09/11/rsss-militant-structure-is-modelled-on-mussolinis-blackshirts-marzia-casolari/ Don't Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who'd rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all.  Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don't know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week. Don't Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!

In this episode, we travel (metaphorically) to Curaçao, a country so small that many football fans had never even heard of it before the World Cup draw. Most people recognise the name because of the bright blue cocktail liqueur. Almost nobody expected it to become one of the smallest nations ever to play on football's biggest stage. But this isn't just a football story. It's a story about colonialism, migration, identity, and what happens when a country understands its own strengths instead of obsessing over its weaknesses. We explore Curaçao's fascinating history, from its Indigenous roots and Dutch colonial past to its role in the transatlantic slave trade, before diving into how this tiny island quietly built one of the smartest football projects in the world. Add footballing legends like Patrick Kluivert, Guus Hiddink, and Dick Advocaat to the mix, and what looked like an impossible dream slowly started looking inevitable. Of course, we couldn't tell this story without eventually talking about India. With a population nearly 10,000 times larger than Curaçao's, why are we still waiting for our World Cup debut? Is it really about talent or is it about institutions, planning, and the ability to build systems that actually nurture it? As always, this episode blends comedy commentary, offbeat learning, and quirky insights into one of those wonderfully random topics that ends up saying far more about society than sport. It's lighthearted education that starts with an obscure Caribbean island and ends with a much bigger conversation about why some nations consistently punch above their weight while others keep talking about "potential." Because sometimes the biggest lesson in football doesn't come from Brazil, Germany, or Argentina, but instead, it comes from an island smaller than many Indian neighbourhoods. Important links: World Cup 2026: All you need to know about Dick Advocaat's Curacao - the tournament's smallest ever nation - https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/13545528/world-cup-2026-curacao-caribbean-nations-historic-first-appearance?utm_source=chatgpt.com Curaçao at the FIFA World Cup: Team profile and history - https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/curacao-team-profile-history?utm_source=chatgpt.com The rapid rise of Curacao in Concacaf - https://www.concacaf.com/news/the-rapid-rise-of-curacao-in-concacaf?utm_source=chatgpt.com Curaçao - https://www.britannica.com/place/Curacao Don't Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who'd rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all.  Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don't know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week. Don't Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!