A video of an awkward exchange is going viral after a woman in Houston asked a resident if she was “homeless,” offering to help. It turns out the woman isn’t homeless, and many viewers have criticized the interaction as racially motivated, despite the good intentions.
The video, which is accompanied by the caption, “I was doing yoga at the park and this lady was taking pictures of me” takes place in a sunny park in Houston. The footage is recorded from the perspective of the yoga practitioner who initially looks incredibly confused and is staring at someone off camera. As the interaction unfolds, things quickly become clearer.
“You said, huh?” asks the bewildered yoga enthusiast to the woman off camera. “Do you have a place to stay? Are you on the streets?” the woman asks, attempting to help. The other woman quickly declines, saying she is not. Quickly realising that her prying questions may come across as rude and inappropriate, the woman changes the subject, saying, “Oh, you’re doing yoga?” and attempts to laugh it off.
Continuing on, the woman who is trying to help adds, “I was like, man, it is so hot. I couldn’t imagine–” though the yoga lady cuts her off, and interjects with, “You were just gonna take a picture of me? Or was you gonna help me?” The woman off camera explains, “Well, I was trying to figure out what to do. I’m going to delete the picture, though. I’m deleting it. Here we go.” Thankfully, the yoga enthusiast at the heart of the video laughs off the awkwardness of the interaction.
Trying to explain herself further, the woman who is attempting to help states, “They are about to put up a homeless shelter around the corner, and we’re trying to get a handle, as a neighborhood, on how many homeless people we have. And it’s like, if you’re homeless, I want to call the city not to do anything bad to you, but just there’s someone who needs help.”
To make things crystal clear, the yoga practitioner replies, “I’m not homeless. But he looks homeless, so you might need to take a picture of him.” as she points off camera. After apologising, and attempting to talk about the weather to make light of the situation, the overly curious woman goes on her way. As the footage comes to a close, the yoga woman looks into the camera and exclaims, “This [expletive], trying to take a picture of me.” with a grin on her face.
With over 85k likes and 6,300 comments on the TikTok video alone, it’s safe to say that the awkward clip has gone viral. Over on Reddit, one user wrote, “Wholly F, MYOB” while another person on TikTok chimed in, writing, “She was bout to post you in a facebook group” Others, however, interpreted the interaction as racially charged, citing the woman’s race. On TikTok, one user penned, “Racist micro aggressions come in many forms” while another added, “‘Are you on the streets’ is crazy😂 black folks can’t even do yoga in peace 🤦🏾♀️these Karen’s are crazy“.
Ultimately, while the woman’s intentions seemed kind, her overly intrusive approach came across as rude and disrespectful. Hopefully, the Houston resident can enjoy her yoga in peace moving forward.
