A California TikToker is sparking a wider conversation after arguing that racist jokes targeting Indians have become so normalized online that many people no longer recognize them as hate. Her video, which has drawn widespread discussion in the comments, urges viewers to stop dismissing the remarks as harmless humor.
The creator said she was prompted to make the video after watching another TikTok that jokingly asked why India doesn’t have a stronger soccer team. While she wasn’t bothered by the joke itself, she said the comment section quickly filled with insults about Indians, including remarks about body odor and other stereotypes. One of the comments reads: “Have to wear deodorant, it’s a FIFA rule!” She said the “main reason this all irks” her is that “Indian hate lacks any empathy.“
An example the California woman uses is that after a plane crash in India, people joked in the comments. She claims comments read: “It probably smelled so bad in there.” In response to these comments, she feels people should speak out. The creator said the comments convinced her people need to start speaking out instead of accepting them as normal. “You don’t need to put up with this stuff anymore,” she said. She also criticized Indian Americans who dismiss the jokes as “light humor,” arguing that doing so only encourages more people to make them.
Many Support the California Woman’s Message
Many viewers thanked the California woman for speaking out about an issue they believe has become too common online. One commenter argued that people who dismiss the jokes as harmless are only making the problem worse.
“Genuinely, all of our attempts will be set back because some idiot decided to say, I’m Indian this is funny.”
The creator agreed, replying that those kinds of comments are “the lowest hanging fruit.”
Others said they were glad someone was finally addressing the issue. “It’s so weird and so normalized,” one viewer wrote. Another added, “I WAS WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO MENTION THIS!“
Several commenters also encouraged the creator to keep using her platform to speak out. “Because of influencers like you, we are finally able to bring this conversation to the forefront,” one person commented. Another wrote, “This is so important, and people just don’t realize it.“
As the discussion continues, many viewers are sharing their own experiences with anti-Indian stereotypes while encouraging others to stop dismissing the comments as harmless jokes, which is the same message the creator hoped to spread when she posted the video.
