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New Delhi: A NRI woman residing in the Canadian town of Toronto has recently opened up about the subtle racism that she faces as an Indian in the foreign land. In a Reddit post, the anonymous woman said that such instances happened several times in the city.
The woman reiterated the minute things that added to her everyday frustration. From IDs being double-checked in concerts, and assumptions of prices at nail salons to receiving unwanted attitudes at expensive restaurants, everything made her feel like an outsider. The post received mixed reactions. A recent spa visit prompted the user to share her experience online.
The woman narrated how she felt insulted at the spa when a white woman asked whether she learned such fluent English being an Indian. The spa woman was stunned to discover that the NRI had been conversing in English all her life. The NRI mentioned that the response was not "aggressive" but rather "ignorant" of her. "I often feel exhausted" after such encounters," the anonymous user wrote.
The NRI further mentioned, that the white woman said that she is not like the other Indians, as she is fair-skinned. Expressing her frustration, she asked her fellow users about their ways of dealing with such unwanted situations.
Few netizens empathised with her experience, while others termed the behavior as "ignorance" rather than racism. n user commented that such incidents are really common in foreign countries and that it is better to ignore such behavior rather than take it as a personal insult.
Another wrote, "The average American knows nothing about India except for what is shown on TV, which is often stereotypical. Hence the amazement at our English prowess."
A user asked to mock the foreigners saying that the Indians are unable to assess their language and that if the whites try to explain, one can enjoy "digging them in their racist hole".
A fourth added, "I've lived in a Western country my entire life. A few people are just ignorant or haven't had as much exposure to other cultures due to the areas they've been brought up in. You have to learn when someone is ignorant, but curious as opposed to racist. Most people I've come across are just ignorant, due to no fault of their own, just due to the fact of where they were brought up and the society they've been around. Educating those people is the best way, they'll appreciate it."
