‘Imagine the smell’: Why Cline AI head’s anti-India comment was neither a joke nor neutral

A seemingly innocuous comment about a hackathon's "smell" ignited a firestorm on X, exposing a racist meme targeting Indians and South Asians. Despite the commenter's claims of harmless intent, the phrase carries a long history of demeaning stereotypes. The incident highlights the crucial difference between intent and impact, urging a deeper understanding of how words accumulate meaning and cause harm.