‘Antisocial’ Indians ‘shamelessly’ cut lines: Woman's claim sparks debate, netizens slam generalisation

“Indian families behave very antisocial out in public,” a woman claimed in a viral social media post as she commented on their “shameless” tactics to cut through lines or secure a good spot in public places like airports.

Christiane F sparked a heated debate on social media with her “common knowledge” claim about the Indians, as netizens slammed her “ridiculous generalisation”.

“Indian families behave very antisocial out in public. For example, if you’ve got a good spot they want, they come sit inappropriately close to you, knowing it will make you leave. I’ve also noticed that they like to shamelessly cut in line (airport, museum, etc.),” her viral X post read.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen anybody else discuss this. Is this sort of common knowledge that they do this? I see it all the time,” she added.

Check Christiane F's post here:

Here's how netizens reacted:

Christiane's post quickly gained traction as her comment section flooded with varied opinions. While some social media users slammed her over personal bias, others shared similar experiences.

“This is such a ridiculous generalisation. Every culture has people who might behave badly in public, but making it about an entire nationality is just wrong,” a user said.

“That is the most racist comment I’ve heard regarding Indians. It has been my experience, that they’ve been the most polite people I’ve ever engaged with. I have found them to be kind, generous, and excessively thoughtful,” another user said.

“No, they didn't know it would make you leave. They hoped you would be neighborly and would readily have shared their picnic with you. You were the antisocial one. You don't have to be,” an Indian user said sarcastically.

“They do not have a courtesy culture, everything is push and shove there,” a user commented.

“This isn’t antisocial - it’s hyper-pragmatic, low-trust behaviour. In collectivist cultures, rules are flexible, and personal gain > social order. Cutting in line or crowding isn’t rudeness; it’s an implicit game of who yields first. High-trust societies play by norms; low-trust societies play for advantage,” said another user.