Pranav--Week 5: The Codifcaiton of Hate Towards Indians.
It seems that every time I go on TikTok or other social media nowadays, I always see hateful videos directed towards individuals of Indian descent. Whether it be a disgusting depiction of Indian street food. Most of the time, these videos are blatant misinformation or recorded in the slums of India, where individuals are too poverty-stricken to invest in hygiene products. Videos like these spread common stereotypes directed toward Indians, such as rumors that they do not bathe. These stereotypes embed themselves into American society as well. More often than not, American Indians are automatically viewed as unhygienic, even when there is no basis for such assumptions. What may begin as a seemingly harmless joke online can turn into a stereotype that affects how an entire community is perceived and treated. Behind every viral video is a real culture and millions of people who should not have to defend their identity against stereotypes they had no part in creating. But this problem goes far beyond a few insensitive TikToks. Every few social media posts, there is one where an Indian individual is being exploited or made fun of just to get a couple of laughs out of a few insensitive viewers. These videos often mock things such as the individual's accent, which they have no control over.As society becomes more accustomed to stereotyping Indian Americans, they begin to question their own American identity and fall into spreading stereotypes against themselves. You would not believe how many Indian Americans I see mocking our own culture and beliefs just so they can be viewed as “funny” to people on the internet.
This begs the question:
What happens when a joke is repeated so many times that people begin to mistake it for reality?
Reading through your reflection, it’s wild how easily a random TikTok sketch bleeds into real-world prejudice. You nailed the scariest part: when a harmful stereotype gets repeated enough times, people actually start mistaking it for reality.
ReplyDeleteThat pressure hits hardest when you watch people from the community start tearing down their own culture just to grab a cheap laugh online. It’s a heavy cycle, and your blog calls it out brilliantly.
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ReplyDeletePrejudice is something that has become so prevalent, so incandescent, so powerful due to the vocality of a minority that has nothing better to do that spread hatred, and cause that detestable, painful idea that is turning things like poverty, bias, and psychological shame ingrained into second-generation culture into “content.” Shame should never be a part of your own culture. The part about seeing young people throw their own culture under the bus hit like a truck at the start of an isekai, absolutely heart-stopping. Thank you for the post, it made my introspection far more enjoyable today.
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