In recent months, several viral videos showing Indians sitting on airport floors and eating food have sparked debates on social media, with many criticising the behaviour as a sign of poor civic sense. Now, an Indian man living in South Korea has offered a different perspective after spotting Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese travellers doing the same at an airport in Vietnam.
Event Context
In a video shared on Instagram by user ‘Subtle Crazy Korea’, the man filmed passengers seated on the floor while waiting to board their flights. He shared that the clip was recorded at an airport in Vietnam before he boarded a flight to South Korea.
Pointing to groups of Korean and Vietnamese travellers behind him, he said that they were comfortably sitting on the floor, while Japanese passengers waiting for another flight were doing the same in a different area of the airport. He also claimed that some travellers were eating while seated on the floor.
The man argued that similar videos featuring Indians often trigger criticism online, with many people questioning Indians’ civic sense.
“Yaar aise na maine bohot saari videos dekhi hain jisme Indians aise floor pe baithe hain, toh uspe vivaad ho raha hai ki haan bhai dekho Indians mein civic sense nahi hai. Matlab Indians comment kar rahe hain, dekho yaar inhone humari naak katwa di, yeh kar diya, wo kar diya (I’ve seen many videos in which Indians are sitting on the floor and there is a controversy about it. Even Indians comment saying they’ve brought shame to the country and that Indians don’t have civic sense),” he said in the video.
He went on to argue that airports can become crowded and passengers may not always find empty seats. “Yeh yaar airport hai, nahi hai jagah baithne ko, toh baith gaye. Aur khane ko bhook lag gayi, kha rahe hain. Koi inko judge nahi kar raha ki bhai inke andar civic sense nahi hai (This is an airport. If there isn’t a place to sit, people sit on the floor. If they’re hungry, they eat. That doesn’t mean they lack civic sense),” he said, adding that no one appeared to be judging the Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese travellers for doing the same.
The man further pointed to a Korean passenger sitting on the floor while working on his laptop. “I swear, if there was an Indian guy in his place, there would have been a controversy,” he said, adding that social media had created a narrative that unfairly targets Indians. He also claimed that such content influences many young Indians into feeling embarrassed about their nationality.
(Also Read: ‘This is Europe?’: Indian woman questions ‘civic sense’ after spotting litter in Amsterdam)
The video has since gone viral, prompting mixed reactions online.
One user wrote, “Kuch toh log kahenge, During my visit to Hongkong everyone was sitting & resting at the airport at night because the flight schedule was in the morning, you cannot stand the whole night sitting on the floor doesn’t lower standard, its matter of choice. wo karein toh kya baat hai, down to earth hain, aur hum karein to civic sense nahee., ab kya kahein, apni apni soch hai.”
“It is all about skin color. If you are white, Indians apply different rules, but if you are brown or black, you are judged as having no civic sense,” commented another.
“Very well said… Actually Indians hi apne khud k dushman hai,” wrote a third user.
“Are you defending Indians’ civic sense based on THIS????” asked another.
Team Analysis
“Bhai littering to nhi kr rhe, baith ke paratha etc to nhi khol rhe ki saath ke logo ko pareshani ho. Indians are attacked not because they do something different, they are attacked because they don’t think that their actions are affecting others, that’s what civics sense is being considerate of others,” commented one user.
