A black woman in New York faced hundreds of racist comments online after her behavior on a subway sparked a heated reaction.
A passenger on the subway filmed the woman as she appeared to be harassing the man sitting next to her. The person who shared the video online assumed that the woman was Haitian, writing over the footage, “Gentrification Vs Old School Haitian.”
In the video, the woman began aggressively telling the man sitting next to her to move. She repeated the request twice before he eventually moved to another chair. The woman then closed her eyes and appeared to attempt to fall asleep.
In another part of the video, the woman placed her legs on top of the chair she had made the man leave. Her legs appeared to be close to the man, who continued looking at his phone. During this part of the footage, she kept talking to no one in particular before closing her eyes once again.
The woman also stuck out her tongue at one point for an unclear reason. Toward the end of the video, she brought her legs down and began speaking to other passengers, telling them, “at the end of the day.” She then stopped talking and closed her eyes once again.
The video drew hundreds of racist comments from viewers who focused on the woman’s behavior and her perceived Haitian background. While some criticized her for allegedly disrupting other passengers and making the man move seats, others used the footage to make racist remarks about the black woman. The reactions also appeared to overlook the possibility that her unusual behavior could have been connected to a mental health struggle, with some commenters instead using what they saw in the video to justify targeting her race and ethnicity.
Racist Reactions Toward New York Woman’s Behavior
After the video was shared online, many viewers left racist comments about her behavior and perceived Haitian background. “It’s always them,” one person wrote, appearing to make a negative reference to black people. Another commenter said, “Nasty animals.” Someone else called out the remark as racist, replying, “Sir that’s so racist.”
More viewers continued leaving racist and offensive comments targeting the woman. One person wrote, “Would never willingly sit next to that thing!!!” Another commenter said, “I know how Haiti is . She should be more greatful. This is why America is only taking in all the trash from other countries.”
The reactions showed how criticism of someone’s behavior can cross into racism, particularly when commenters target a person’s race or ethnicity rather than addressing their actions. The incident also demonstrated that people can disagree with someone’s behavior without resorting to offensive remarks about their background.
