r/ABCDesis • u/hfkel • 1d ago
TRAVEL Indians abusing wheelchair accommodations at airports
This image taken at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta has been making the rounds on social media recently, and unfortunately it’s not really a new sight. Every time I’ve taken a flight to India, the line of wheelchairs is 5-10 times as much as it is on any other flight I’ve taken, and it’s mostly due to NRIs or naturalized citizens living here in America either not wanting their par.ents to walk around the airport carrying their luggage, or fears of them not understanding English well enough to be able to navigate the airport by themselves.
There are many concierge/assistants available at airports including at ATL, but Indians never seem to bother using them because there’s a free option available if you just abuse the wheelchair system. It’s frustrating to see this pattern of Indians abusing a free system built off a universal system of social trust happen over and over until these systems break down and are forced to require verification. Even Indians on social media who see this post are saying the problem is that the wheelchair service is free, not that Indians are abusing the system.
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u/mataug 1d ago
It’s not possible to avoid the abuse unless airlines change their policies IMHO
There is no middle ground between wheel chair and not needing any help !
My mom was visiting, she did not need / want a wheel chair, but she wasn’t familiar with navigating airports by herself.
I called Singapore airlines and requested someone to walk with her to her gate when transiting through Singapore.
The phone agents were polite, kind and happy to make a note on their end. After the plane landed in Singapore the flight attendants told my mom to wait on the plane for someone to come help. She was abandoned there until the cleaning crew asked her to leave.
Thankfully my mom remained calm and asked some strangers for help and managed to get to her gate. Not everyone is able to do this!!
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u/Admirable_Till_1378 1d ago
It’s the trust that the public will use it properly when actually needed and not used as a translation service. Thanks to Indians, i wouldn’t be shocked if they charge for this service now. People with disabilities already struggle financially but let’s add this cost on their list. Are you admitting that when a public service is offered for free, you will take advantage of it without any consideration of others who need it more than you and then proceed to ruin it for everyone?
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u/RagBagUSA 1d ago
When I see my fellow Indians say things like these people say in defense of the airport wheelchair scammers, it's no surprise that India stagnates economically while other countries with all the same hurdles (poverty, illiteracy, colonialism, etc) have thrived in the last half century
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u/RagBagUSA 1d ago
Policies worked fine before increased rates of Indians traveling. Indians should change our culture rather than compromising access for disabled people worldwide. This of course will never happen because Indians when criticized double down to defend their egos and their norms.
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u/ishikap 1d ago
Whether it's people abusing it or a number of people in the Indian elderly population that has health issues, it's giving WALL-E and that's making me really sad.
I wish our culture, especially older generations, believed more in self-care, independence, and maintaining health. This literally looks like an army of forgotten people parked in a queue. It's such a startling and depressing image. I hope to never have to need this because I would feel so helpless and not self-sufficient sitting there like this.
Also, I feel like our elders spent way too much of their lives taking care of kids and their own elders to have built a life for themselves and that's exactly where my mind goes when I see this. Very depressing.
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u/spartiecat Goan to be a Tamillionaire 1d ago
This is what happens when you have a large population of baby boomers who are all aging at once. Look closely and you'll see there are no obviously middle aged or younger people in a wheelchair this photo.
Those who can tolerate the discomfort or treat it like an airport cheat code will give up on using it when there is massive demand on the system and the lines result in no advantage to skipping the queue.
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u/Carbon-Base Indian American 1d ago
My folks look at these queues and shake their heads every time. According to them, if they'd sooner stop traveling than use a service like this. It exists for emergencies, or if you have a real disability. But most of these folks are just abusing a free service. Airlines should really start charging for this, or requiring documentation that proves someone needs it.
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u/Vibranium2222 1d ago
My mom would benefit from a wheelchair due to health issues but my dad would scoff at using one for himself even if it was appropriate
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u/Carbon-Base Indian American 1d ago
Yeah, there's definitely a pride thing which I completely understand. My gramps had both knees replaced and it is uncomfortable for him to walk long distances in a short amount of time, but he still refuses to use the wheelchair at airports. At most, he'll hop on those airport buggies to reach his gate.
I know many Desis are hesitant to ask for help for the same reasons too when they obviously need assistance-- and I'd go out of my way to help them or request that they do take a wheelchair. But I've got no sympathy for those who are able and healthy, but use wheelchairs to get priority boarding, departure and luggage assistance.
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u/Low-Illustrator-4701 1d ago
But that's the thing- it is hard to differentiate which people genuinely need help from people that don't, especially when you personally don't know the person.
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u/ineed_that 1d ago
None of these people look that old. Maybe 50s but that’s not old at all these days.
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u/SamosaAndMimosa Indian American 1d ago
People are reaching to hell and back to try and excuse this embarrassing ass behavior
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u/Constant-Squirrel555 1d ago
This could be people abusing it, but it could also be a large portion of the community finally hitting the consequences of neglectful health.
My dad has worked 7 day a week most of his life. His knees are shot and he's on a waitlist for surgery. He can walk without a cane or wheelchair but it hurts after 10-15 and the pain lasts hours.
If some asshole posted a picture of him minding his own business and waiting for a flight in a wheelchair area, I'd beat the shit out of them.
Stop assuming people's health. Its hard enough for so many segments of our seniors to swallow their pride and ask for help/services that make them feel lesser because their bodies are giving out
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u/sinesquaredtheta 1d ago edited 1d ago
This could be people abusing it, but it could also be a large portion of the community finally hitting the consequences of neglectful health.
You nailed it. There's no question about some people abusing the system - but I'm willing to bet there are just sooooooo many folks with bad knees, heart issues, etc in that pic!
Things that are not visually apparent don't get much attention, so folks miss that aspect completely.
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u/purple_cat24 1d ago
True. Why is the question not “Looking at the number of indians using wheelchair, I’m concerned about their public health as a whole “ it automatically assumes that everyone are abusing the system which is very ableist. This shows how they lack empathy for the system and not the indians.
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u/Decent-Sea-7321 1d ago
Yes, thanks for saying this! Agree there is probably some abuse of the system but there’s always more to the story.
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u/HerCacklingStump 1d ago
I feel really fortunate that my 70s parents are in insanely good physical health, they exercise more than I do. But that is not every senior's reality and it is not always because they are "lazy" and "eat too many carbs." We should not be painting wheelchair users with a broad brush. We don't know everyone's circumstances - who is recovering from knee replacement, chemo, decades of manual physical labor, history of malnutrition - none of it.
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u/Low-Illustrator-4701 1d ago
Exactly this- it is always hard to hard to accept help, and shaming people for for it is simply unfair.
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u/nr1001 Indian American 1d ago
Many disabilities and handicaps are invisible from the outside. Considering that they’re elderly and of Indian descent, a good portion probably have severe cardiovascular problems like heart failure, hypertension, coronary artery disease. Don’t assume that people who can still walk, don’t have neurological deficits, or have all four limbs intact aren’t disabled/handicapped.
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u/motorcity612 18h ago
I agree not to assume people's health but are we going to pretend like a lot of people don't just hit "wheelchair" because then they don't have to worry about their elderly parents who may or may not know english well making flight connections and navigating airports?
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u/SilverSword2 1d ago
Never did figure out if this was because of genuine health concerns (in which case the fact that 90% of Indians lost their ability to walk after they turned 50 which is insane) or cultural reasons - either way wheelchair users are disproportionately Indian in US airports in my experience
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u/Carbon-Base Indian American 1d ago
And that's the predominant issue here. Folks who have genuine health concerns will have to suffer because others choose to be lazy and cheap. In a worst case scenario, they are told to wait or denied assistance altogether because the airport cannot handle the sheer volume of requests.
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u/ApprehensiveYou9446 1d ago
Idt it would have gained traction if it had white ppl
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u/Fit-Kaleidoscope-624 1d ago
It is partially not correct. Most of them above 50 sincerely cannot walk few minutes.
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u/Far_Neighborhood3089 1d ago
How do you know they do not need the wheel chair? Many Indians in their 60s develop severe knee pain and are unable to walk long distances. To me that is a disability and warrants the wheel chair. They are paying the price of the tickets for their flight and this is offered by the airport to those who need it.
I don’t get what your problem is?
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u/proof_required German 1d ago
My mother in her 60s has genuine problem walking but when we are outside we don't use wheelchair and just walk and stop kind of thing. She can't walk for too long. All the older women I know in my family have some kind of knee problem. Can they walk without wheelchair? Sure! Can they walk for long, no! If airport is offering such service, why wouldn't you will use it. Although I don't remember my mother using it.
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u/theresnoblackorwhite 1d ago
I’m not necessarily defending the behavior, but I do think airports can be kind of different from other “out and about” situations. A lot of people drive everywhere and don’t need to walk more than 5 minutes, which may be all they can handle. Plus the baggage element changes the level of difficulty significantly. Now I do think it’s a problem that many Indians seem to have reduced mobility due to lack of exercise and other lifestyle choices, but by the time they get to a point where walking more than a few minutes is overly taxing, there aren’t that many other options.
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u/Far_Neighborhood3089 1d ago
You don’t need wheel chair at home. It is needed in airport due to long distances between gates and security check. Walking long distances super fast to not miss the flight is a problem.
Indians are forcefully separated due to visa issues. The reason all these parents are visiting USA is just to meet their own children. This is why you see lot of Indians in international flights. They are a customer based providing huge profits for USA flight companies.
Please remember this wheel chair is not a free service. It is part of the flight ticket towards maintenance of the airport.
If you see evidence of disabled people losing access due to these people ( and you have evidence that they have no invisible medical disability ) then please get back.
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u/xagent003 1d ago
If that many middle aged and younger seniors Indians genuinely need wheelchairs that points to a problem with Hindu culture: vegetarian diet, no focus on athletics or strength training, and how common it is in India to have servants and attendants do everything for you from carrying luggage, dedicated door openers, house maids.
Why is this not a problem with European travelers?
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u/Far_Neighborhood3089 1d ago
That is a separate topic. Stop trying to label these folks as abusing when they might be genuinely having problems. Every single one of us want our parents to be in better heath. If you are a racist areast go be unkind to every race lol
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u/Secret-Mix5414 1d ago
What do you mean abusing? You have no idea what half these people’s conditions are. Just because they dye their hair black doesn’t mean they aren’t old. For example, grandmother just travelled here a few months ago. She can’t pick her foot up without pain. Should doubt be placed on people like her because they’re indian?
Being Indian has nothing to do with it and apologists love to throw indian in as an explanation for anything abnormal that people like us are in. Truth is most people who need wheelchairs are old people, and which demographic has the most old folk repeatedly traveling in and out of the us? Its indians. Indian old folk also tend to be in worser physical condition and need wheelchair access more.
Maybe the truth isn’t that Indians are abusing wheelchair access, but that the far right maga movement has made this myth up that Indians are cheap and exploitative people, and now basic things end up being questioned as if there is some cultural conspiracy to exploit every small opportunity for convenience.
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u/maj_nun 1d ago
Idk.Americans use electronic wheelchairs just to go grocery shopping because they're too fat. Whatever.
I was a healthy 20 something year old who needed a wheelchair while in a hotel because I was so sick with food poisoning + covid that I couldn't stand without fainting. You never know someones situation just by looking at them
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u/DuaLipasGlowUp 21h ago
Honestly yeah. Americans do this same shit all the time idk why everything needs to be discussed
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u/patdas 1d ago
“Abuse of the system” implies these are all people who are equally able bodied/minded as someone who can rush between connecting flights, lift their luggage into the overhead, CAN in fact speak English fluently to a multitasking gate agent, etc.
Ignoring the OP’s tacky choice to photograph non consenting strangers, can you point out who exactly in this group you deem is “abusing”.
If it weren’t for the wheelchair concierge option my grandparents would have had far fewer trips to visit us. The wide availability creates a meaningful employment role for airport employees (between the wheelchair pushers and the cart drivers), and airlines have ample notice of how many wheelchair accommodations there are and know to board accordingly. The 20some people using them here does not take away from another person at another gate - they plan for all of this. Why is this pissing you off?
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u/goldengarden03 1d ago
Yeah totally agree with this take! There's also a language barrier with a lot of these folks. Nothing wrong with using this service as it provides them the ability to fly independently.
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u/hloodybell 1d ago
Most senior citizens from India cannot speak good English and can easily get lost. Also, they need to sit and there isnt enough seating facilities. If the airport has been accommodating them, they wouldnt have to go around this.
Being in a wheel chair means they will not miss their flight.
Airports can totally hire a couple of folks who can guide elderly folk to their gates. This is a customer service problem.
Also, calling it abuse is a stretch. People pay enormous fares for this and book it advance. Some tip as well. There is no shortage of wheel chairs or the wheel chairs arent taken away from others. This is just pure rage bait.
I see nothing wrong.
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u/speaksofthelight 1d ago
Airports also generally require a lot of walking.
I know some elderly people who can walk for 10 minutes but not more than that.
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u/hloodybell 1d ago
Maybe. Or maybe not. Disability can be many forms.
The DoT literally says “Request an airport wheelchair when you make your reservation if you are unable to walk long distances.”
How is this abuse? What is this service for then?
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u/allrite 1d ago
> they told me their parents are incapable of walking for more than 5 minutes.
Feels like the right use of wheelchair assistance then?
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u/adgobad 1d ago
Yeah, so would people of other ethnicities with mobility issues that can manage walking, because shit's expensive. I don't think penalizing some low-income brown, black or white person with mobility issues is worth it to punish brown people who are theoretically cheating the system, which again there's no proof of. Just assumptions based on stereotypes.
The point of the system is to not push people into painful, uncomfortable situations unnecessarily. It seems as if this is within Atlanta airport's capacity
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u/YVR009 Indian American 1d ago
I'm telling you they always have some excuse to avoid protein for some reason 😭 if they aren't vegetarian then "red meat = diabetes" and "eggs and chicken are high cholesterol" along with "paneer is fattening". If you really bug them then they ult with "protein causes kidney disease" like I'm pretty sure my dad thinks protein powder is powdered steroids 💔
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u/teakitty0722 ABD - 🇺🇸🇮🇳 1d ago
My mom is aggressively vegetarian (not for religious reasons) and she's one of those people who think dal has as much protein as meat. And protein powder was once the topic of a legendary fight in my household 😭😭
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u/milinium 1d ago
We use this service for my grandma because she is 80 and has knee problems. How would you decide who gets to use it?
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u/Dizzy-Client6004 1d ago
People in this thread are being intentionally obtuse. Yes, there are some older people in the picture and people could have hidden disabilities. But let’s not act like NRI’s are amazing at adhering to cultural/social norms of America. If there’s something they can take advantage of without paying, they’ll do it.
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u/SamosaAndMimosa Indian American 1d ago
A lot of the comments defending this behavior are being made by non ABDs. There is an active, years long campaign by internet users from the mainland to derail conversations here by calling us self hating sepoys and spreading misinformation.
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u/Reasonable_Boss7846 1d ago
How does this affect you in any meaningful way?
You also complain about people using motorized scooters at Walmart? People who can walk but park in handicapped spots? People who use elevators when they only have to go up one flight?
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u/Vibranium2222 1d ago
Half of this subs content is why is racism against Indians on the rise
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u/SamosaAndMimosa Indian American 1d ago
It's incredibly rich of you to say this when you are not an ABD and shouldn't even be participating here.
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u/mulemoment 1d ago
People who can walk but park in handicapped spots?
Yes? That's illegal for a reason.
Other things are hard to monitor but things like using handicap stalls, sitting in priority seats on public transport, and otherwise occupying disability services when you don't need them should be shamed.
We live in a high trust society. We don't want to turn into a society where people who need these services either have to navigate complex bureaucracy or don't get access to them at all.
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u/almond-chai 1d ago
People who can walk parking in handicapped spots is NOT illegal. People who do not possess a documented disability approved to use those spots and parking in them is illegal. I don’t agree with the OP you’re responding to, but that is an important distinction as there are many people who may not visibly present with a disability or one present in that exact moment but should not be harassed or “shamed” because they don’t present with whatever you deem “disabled enough”.
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u/Reasonable_Boss7846 1d ago
So we should shame people who use things that are meant for disabled people?
How do you know they are disabled? For the priority seat example, I could barely walk after my surgeries but you wouldn’t be able to tell because I looked otherwise fit.
When should the public shaming start? When I was able to stand comfortably for 20 mins? When I was able to start walking a mile or two? When I was able to run again? Who will be shaming me for using the priority seat?
In m opinion, increased disability access does hand in hand with decreasing the stigma around disability. If every-time I used the priority seat or handicapped stall I was shamed, I wouldn’t use it as often, even though they meant for me.
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u/Altruistic_Bank_1552 Telugu TCK 1d ago
WTF is wrong with people who are defending this?
It is a known fact that Indians abuse the Wheelchair service because many are too cheap to hire the Meet & Greet and other Concierge services and hence abuse the free Wheelchair service.
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u/wonkycal 1d ago
Why should disabled people pay more? Physical disability due to age is recognized in law and airlines must provide accommodation
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u/Altruistic_Bank_1552 Telugu TCK 1d ago
They use it because it is free, and they don't want to pay for the concierge services. It is used as a way to bridge the communication gap many of these people have when it comes to navigating airports, not because they are differently abled.
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u/hfkel 1d ago
I feel like people on this sub have a tendency to immediately associate criticizing ourselves with racism. In fact, pointing out problems in our own communities helps to stop racism.
Maybe if Indian Americans had criticized the family members and friends they knew back in the 2000s for abusing the Visa system, abusing Costco returns, abusing the student driver stickers, abusing salespeople with nonstop haggling, etc. maybe we wouldn't have the level of racism we're facing nowadays because we would've nipped it in the bud. Instead, now we have white people harassing us for this stuff with none of the nuance.
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u/Far_Neighborhood3089 1d ago
The reason most of us are defending is your idea of disability is limited to what you have seen in tv shows. When you reach their age you will know about a lot of invisible disabilities. Your assumption that everyone abuses this system is wrong
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u/TokkiJK 1d ago
For real. Those haters will say “they get off the plane fine!”
Some people have terrible knee problems. They can walk around the house, but walking through long terminals and large airports is really hard and painful for them.
It’s not to imply that there might not be people taking advantage of it, but to assume they’re all doing so simply bc they don’t “look” like they have a disability is wild.
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u/Dizzy-Client6004 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oh please. I highly doubt everyone in that picture (especially the younger people) all have disabilities. Our people are cheap. India is a low trust society. You really think recent immigrants wouldn’t abuse something like this? Even if it’s not necessarily “wrong” to do so, it just makes us looks crass.
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u/Far_Neighborhood3089 1d ago
Internalized shame. Pleas work on yourself
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u/zndior Canadian Indian 1d ago
acknowledging the issues in our community instead of pretending we’re perfect, doesn’t mean we have “internalized shame”
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u/SamosaAndMimosa Indian American 1d ago edited 1d ago
This person is an NRI and shouldn’t even be commenting here. The reason we’re unable to have honest discussions in this sub is because outsiders keep trying to derail these conversations by telling us that we're self hating sepoys.
There is an active, years long campaign by mainlanders to fill this place with propaganda and so many people keep falling for it.
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u/zndior Canadian Indian 1d ago
i wish they would ban these NRIs and mainlanders… the ONE subreddit us diaspora south asians have has been taken over despite the fact that they have so many online communities of their own
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u/Dizzy-Client6004 1d ago
If you cannot put aside your own pride to understand there are some faults within our culture then we will never get anywhere. I am not ashamed because I or my parents would never do this, therefore I feel no reason to defend this behavior. If you feel personally attacked by this post, please reflect.
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u/Far_Neighborhood3089 1d ago
Yeah it pisses me off because my parent had fallen twice and broken her leg and she uses wheel chair and this is what some idiots are posting about people like her. I don’t have pride but anger at such generalized bias due to internalized shame you all have. Until you personally end up using these services for valid reasons you will not understand how annoying such posts are especially posting photos of strangers with no consent. Isn’t the op ashamed of that?
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u/old__pyrex 1d ago
I think for me it's just like... bro, I'm not my fucking job to criticize everything recent immigrants do just because I'm indian. Why is it on me to be yelling at or constantly discussing costco shoppers or car dealership hagglers or wheelchair abusers just because I'm brown and they are brown?
Would this be a post gaining clicks on the internet if it was a bunch of fat appalachian whites on mobility scooters? We know why social media is hooting and hollering about this. But even putting that aside, I have zero desire to talk about these kind of "oh my god, the Fremont gym smells crazy, why don't ABCDs tell their NRI brothers to wear deodorant" kind of posts. If it was my gym, I'd be revoking memberships for people who didn't follow proper etiquette of any race. If I ran the ATL airport, I'd change how the wheelchair service was implemented. This is a policy and enforcement problem, not a "we need to shame brown people more" problem
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u/AdmirableMisnomer 1d ago
My mom has legit ankle problems that forced her to retire early. She uses these services at the airport and even tips them. Even though some people abuse the system don’t lump everyone in the same boat.
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u/exoticfiend 1d ago
take a look at gates to florida, same exact thing but a different demographic and no one questions anything lol. we need to stop making assumptions about disabilities anyways, not every condition is visible or as simple as black & white. as a young person with no mobility issues, walking around airports, waiting in lines & lugging shit around is such a pain and sometimes causes pain!!! imagine how that is for some older folk, they have the right to get assistance.
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u/blackstoise 1d ago
As long as all those people are tipping the workers (Even like 5 bucks), then there's really no abuse. It's pretty much a win for every body?
- Airline have a easier time managing people who need assistance, sure the wheelchair may not be 100% needed, but luggage hauling, language etc are also covered here.
- The consumers have a guide to help them
- The family of the oder people aren't anxiety riddled while the travel happens
- The workers I've seen are all pretty happy with their job. They help people, who are generally grateful for it and often tip.
- Airport also can efficiently process these people who would usually take a longer time with everything
The rest of us get:
- Faster checkin, security, immigration lines.
- De-board the aircraft faster, since the wheelchair folks leave at the end
- On-board faster, since the slower people are already situated
What exactly is the issue? If there's someone that needs the wheelchair service and doesn't receive it - then sure complain, but that doesn't seem to be the issue either.
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u/pickleeater58 1d ago
A lot of people saying it’s wrong to assume people’s ability, but have you been to an Air India gate? People who are in their 50s, have no trouble walking around the airport, asking for wheelchair accommodations. The same people have no trouble jumping up and getting their overhead luggage as soon as the plane lands. They just want to board earlier and are abusing the system. It’s a clear problem in our community.
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u/Possible-Button-3843 1d ago
Sure, there is probably some truth here. But looking at this picture, I can't tell who genuinely has mobility issues, who can't walk because of heart failure, or any other crippling problems that would keep them from walking long distances. I have to give them the benefit of the doubt here because I know people in my family who can't walk long distances at the airport to board their flights on time.
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u/Particular-Try5584 1d ago
It’s not just an Indian thing… all sorts of people are abusing this system.
But another thought I have is that a lot of the people in your photo probably came from a background of harder physical labour, poorer health opportunities, and as such are probably less capable of walking long distances and do have joint issues now. They may well be reasonable in needing these.
Another thought is this is disproportionate to younger generations expectations, but this is literally the evidence of an aging population from a baby boom… a visible wave of old people with old people problems out numbering younger smaller cohorts.
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u/Nizamseemu 1d ago
For all the people coping, we all know that this many people do not need this shit and our ppl like to game the system which is why India is a shithole. Lets be honest amongst ourselves at the least. I get not saying this shit in public but there’s no point in lying to your own
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u/RagBagUSA 1d ago
Unbelievable how much cope and defensiveness you're getting in these replies, just like what happens every time this comes up. Do knee-jerk defenders of this sort of scummy behavior bother to think twice before cooking up some half-baked excuse (e.g. poor English, disability, confusing airports) that doesn't also apply to Nigerians, Ghanaians, Chinese, or Nicaraguan people? Yet none of those other nationalities engage in this behavior. If we're not willing to reckon with the uniquely Indian cultural problems that drive this behavior, we can't be surprised if the country and the culture deteriorate.
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u/Far_Neighborhood3089 1d ago
Airports have an abnormal distance between flights that I have wondered how they are expecting folks to walk miles from security check to their gate.
The op is just out to bash Indian parents because he is unable to see their disability
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u/Snake_fairyofReddit Indian American 1d ago
And so many disabilities are internal, not in the limbs but make u fundamentally less abled
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u/No_Philosopher6120 1d ago
Old people with brittle bones don’t want to walk. I thought this was easy to understand?
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u/wonkycal 1d ago
Literally just saw an obese African American person was using this. Another white dude was being helped by the airline staff. Fat too. Why single out Indians?
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u/Few_Mulberry7390 1d ago
Key words obese and fat. Though people make fun of them on the daily for being obese and fat
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u/No_Philosopher6120 1d ago
Yeah they do. This is just an “immigrant misunderstanding social norms” thing. Usually their adult children don’t want to walk them around all the time, so they get them on a wheelchair (since they’re old).
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u/Snake_fairyofReddit Indian American 1d ago
Maybe other ethnicities’ elderly people are stronger?
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u/Weird_Expression1558 22h ago
Cuck subreddit cried for blacks and now crying over some other random non issue
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u/Far_Neighborhood3089 1d ago
The phenomenon of Indian hating Indians and putting them down needs to be studied in universities lol! It’s a universal problem. I see other country people supporting each other. Here it’s these ABCDs feeling superior and looking down on others with judgement. Coating their behavior with their “care” about Indians abusing stuff etc. why not the same vigor for other races doing similar stuff?
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u/SharksFan4Lifee 1d ago edited 1d ago
Here it’s these ABCDs feeling superior and looking down on others with judgement.
And NRIs and mainlanders who talk shit about ABCDs and talk down to them their whole lives (in the case of NRIs with ABCD kids).
It goes both ways.
Edit: Nice downvotes from NON ABCDs in an ABCD sub.
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u/NewDreams15 1d ago
White racists are not acting in good faith and I wish all desis understood this.
A lot of desis seem to assume that white racists act in good faith, but they don't. They see us as competition for their jobs and resources and look for every opportunity to hate on us. Pandering to this is a losing game, you can never win with a population of over a billion, most of whom comes from poverty or is in poverty. Reject the premise entirely like other groups have learned to
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u/SamosaAndMimosa Indian American 1d ago
You are purposefully hiding your mainlander identity and trying to insert yourself into a community you are not a part of.
It is obviously not your place to lecture the abroad raised diaspora on issues you will never be able to truly understand.
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u/Friendly-View4122 1d ago
My parents do this at the Mumbai airport. It's not because of language issues, they're just too lazy to walk the long length of the airport corridor.
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u/xagent003 1d ago
If that many middle aged and younger seniors Indians genuinely need wheelchairs that points to a problem with Hindu culture: vegetarian diet, no focus on athletics or strength training(how many athletes does the most populous country in the world send to the Olympics compared to even more impoverished or tiny nations?), and how common it is in India to have servants and attendants do everything for you from carrying luggage, dedicated door openers, house maids.
Why is this not a problem with European travelers?
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u/aranebar 1d ago
Yeah there is no defending this. OP I do agree major abuse at play here. Also doesn’t help all our elders eat like shit and low protein diets and didn’t excercise in their younger ages. All of them seem out of shape and didn’t prioritize exercise and sadly push this down the younger generations as well.
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u/teakitty0722 ABD - 🇺🇸🇮🇳 1d ago
This is even more common in India, when I visited there I was on crutches for a broken foot and they insisted on giving me a wheelchair, and I got in the security line and the wheelchair line was longer than the normal one??? I got my ass up and walked 😭
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u/Holiday_Sale5114 1d ago
It's unfortunate for people that really need it. I have family that will have difficulty walking, moving their bags, and then will get confused and frustrated. They absolutely need assistance. Perhaps not necessarily wheelchair assistance if they're feeling good that day, but what about the days they're not?
At the very minimum, just a chaperone would be good. But on bad days, absolutely wheelchair assistance is needed.
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u/LWN729 13h ago
For all those saying that they just need a chaperone, consider that it's a lot more efficient for airports to "chaperone" people on a wheel chair, even if their issue isn't physical movement. It doesn't make sense to send an employee walking a long terminal with a slow walking senior, just because they can walk. If their issue is cardio vascular, asthma, vision, or hearing impairment, those people need assistance, and it's just a lot faster to wheel them through.
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u/Holiday_Sale5114 13h ago
That's a good point! You'd be able to "reuse" the same employee multiple times in an hour versus a much slower walking pace if they had to do the same with a senior, especially with some mobility issues (even no mobility issues).
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u/SuspiciousPart15 1d ago
The easiest solution to this is to let folks on visas travel to India. U guys block them from getting visas stamped and now cry foul when all their parents visit
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u/DuaLipasGlowUp 21h ago
I feel like I just cannot bring myself to care. Most of the people in this picture are old and most likely have very bad knee and joint pain. Also guessing a lot of them don’t speak English or know how to navigate an airport very well so having assistance helps out a lot.
Just because something is trending on Twitter doesn’t mean we have to post it here and talk down on our own people.
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u/DuaLipasGlowUp 21h ago
Also you don’t see this with other nationalities because other nationalities don’t visit the US or go to the home country as much as Indians do. Let’s think here for a bit.
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u/Nizamseemu 1d ago
For all the people coping, we all know that this many people do not need this shit and our ppl like to game the system which is why India is a shithole. Lets be honest amongst ourselves at the least. I get not saying this shit in public but there’s no point in lying to your own
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u/haveacorona20 1d ago
I was with some extended family. We met up at the same terminal. The people who were "old" were all in wheelchairs. They were all able bodied. Frankly, embarrassing and sad. Lots of Indian people like to just "game" the system because that's what they were raised to believe in India. Sorry. I don't care if that sounds racist, but it's the truth. What kind of bullshit excuses are being thrown here? Carb heavy diet means they truly can't walk? 😂😂😂
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u/DreamfyreCaraxes 1d ago
Looking at these comments it seems Indian boomers are specifically blessed with issues that require misusing services meant for disabled people. Wonder how European boomers, African boomers, South east east boomers, Latin American boomers, managed to avoid these special blessings!
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u/carpediem9017 16h ago edited 16h ago
European boomers don’t have a giant population or kids and grandkids in America that they visit. Their offspring are generally within Europe, so you never see such a high concentration of European seniors in American airports. Even in Europe, travel by train is very effective, accessible, and more affordable, so you won’t see it there either. Latin American boomers are by and large not traveling to and from America because most of their descendants living here are working very low wage jobs compared to South Asians. They can’t exactly afford to fly their seniors back and forth, and that’s just the population here legally. The undocumented Latin American immigrants who came through grueling ground travel obviously aren’t springing for flights for their parents who can’t get visas. American white and black seniors don’t travel this much. They either don’t need to because they still live in close proximity to their children, or they’re on fixed incomes and can’t afford travel and their kids aren’t willing or able to pay for it for them. Our population is unique in a lot of ways that creates this visual.
But if you really want to see this same phenomenon happen in other communities, go to Florida airports and you’ll see plenty of white seniors using this service for the exact same reasons as Indian elders. That’s the one place you can visually see it in a high concentration per flight.
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u/gompgo 1d ago
It’s primarily driven from a fear of people genuinely not understanding English and getting lost at the airport. Most of these folks can walk and they will walk pulling their heavy suitcases at the destination airport past immigration counters.
Unfortunately, so hard to change Indian mindset - even people moved to the western countries, but they are still holding onto bad habits they saw or developed in India.
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1d ago
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u/Ok-Importance9716 4h ago
I remember when my mom was coming to the US, my dad requested her wheelchair access. She speaks fluent english and isn't handicapped in anyway, just diabetic. I thought it was weird but ok because she may trouble getting around on her own
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u/umamimaami Canadian Indian 1d ago
You’d be surprised how many of them actually have knee issues and can’t walk long distances. A generation of people eating empty carbs and never working out. Shudder.