A 29-year-old Reddit user from India has posted a heartfelt account of his experience with racism in New Zealand. The man moved to New Zealand two years ago, hoping to get a “fresh start.” In the post, he described his disillusioning experience with the country’s social fabric. When he went to New Zealand, he imagined the social fabric of the country would be welcoming. However, the multicultural society in the new country turned out to be a challenge to his identity and sense of belonging.

In the post, he wrote, “I had this ideal image of NZ being welcoming and multicultural, but my experience has been far from that, unfortunately.” While he acknowledged that there are “good people here,” he noted that his encounters with racism had been more frequent than he had expected, ranging from verbal harassment to a sense of exclusion in social settings and the workplace.

He described the different types of discrimination he faced during his time in New Zealand. He said he had faced “random strangers yelling stuff at me on the street,” as well as “weird looks or rude comments at work” due to his accent and appearance. In social interactions, he felt a sense of alienation and observed how people would “talk over me or exclude me from conversations.” The most painful moments were the blatant expressions of prejudice, as some people in New Zealand even told him to “go back to where I came from.”

He added that despite the problems he faced, he actively tried to integrate himself into the new country’s culture by learning Kiwi slang and understanding local customs. He wrote, “I’m trying my best to integrate.” He emphasised that he is committed to making New Zealand his home. Yet, he confessed, “there are moments when it gets exhausting.” He also reflected on his life in India and added, “I never felt like an outsider growing up in India, but here, even after two years, I feel like I don’t fully belong.”

In the end, he sought advice from others who might have experienced similar struggles. He wrote, “I guess I’m just looking for some advice or solidarity.” He hoped to hear from people on how they coped with “the feeling of being an outsider or dealing with racism, especially when it hits so unexpectedly.”

Replying to his post, a flight attendant wrote that subtle racism is everywhere, which she experienced while living in the UAE as well. “Make your circle. Focus on work. Once you get slightly financially well-off, you will feel the difference. With time, you will also get better at dealing with situations like these,” she advised.

Another user, Balram, wrote, “Faced the same overt and covert racism in Berlin. Left the place and came back home after a year.”

The experience of the Indian man on Reddit highlighted the tough reality that some immigrants face after moving to a new country. Despite his efforts to fit in, he encountered racism which left him feeling drained, and he felt like he did not truly belong in New Zealand. His experience shows how Indians face racism after moving to other countries, which often present themselves as welcoming and multicultural.

Indians often face racism while in foreign countries and on social media. In July this year, the official handle of the American TV show demonised Indians as ‘street-shitting ragheads’. In a tweet posted on the micro-blogging platform, the American TV series referred to Indians as ‘mother fuckers’ and ‘street-shitting ragheads.’ The caption wrote – ‘Motherfucking fucking–Street-shitting raghead Indian fucks.’ The official X handle of ‘The Sopranos’ tried to pass off the derogatory remark as ‘real dialogue’ from the TV series. However, one user was quick to point out that such remarks were not part of the show. An X user (@SaiyanWhoKills) stated that the character featured in the screenshot did not say anything about Indians. He had also uploaded a short video clip of the scene to substantiate his point.

In August 2023, an apology was sought from the Department of Education in Australia’s Sydney after a teacher was found guilty of hurling racist remarks against Indians. James Anderson, a teacher at Cronulla High School, was accused by an Indian-origin former student of describing Indians as “Uber drivers and Deliveroo people” during a business studies lecture in 2021.