[inilbowly]

So are you also something else besides Indian?

[casinobonyanes]

EiCib is right. There's a stereotype that Indians smell bad. Maybe it's unfair, maybe it's not.

Maybe it's based on your cuisine being gassy, or your skin color, or your people having a tendency of being seen as dirty, or a combination of all of them... but "Indians smell like shit" is a very common perception, true or false.

When the subject of an Indian person comes up, and there's a long enough discussion, something to do with "curry farts" is likely to be interjected into the conversation.

[Appeselve]

Here in NYC people tend to mistake you for a lot of stuff. Believe me, I have been mistaken for Hispanic and Middle Eastern quite a lot. I have heard people make curry jokes right in front of my face, a person who knows me points to me when they are making those jokes and then they realize I am Indian.

In NYC you can't look at a person and just say who they are, I can't even go up to a White guy and start speaking in English without knowing him because he could be a White Latino for all I know.

What stores have you exactly been going to and what Indians have you been associating with? If it is lower class then heck, I have seen White women walk on the other side of the street whenever they see a Black guy walking in their direction.

Well you were right, I'm not from NYC and I regard that city as an undesirable place.

Stores like Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Banana Republic and other mid to high end stores. I don't associate with Indians, it's just something I noticed when at these stores waiting for a fitting room people have refused to go in after an Indian because of the smell. Armani Exchange kept a can of air freshener that they sprayed vigorously after an Indian exited the fitting room to avoid customer complaints.

I have nothing against Indians, this is just what I observe.

---------- Post added 2011-01-02 at 15:40 ----------

EiCib is right. There's a stereotype that Indians smell bad. Maybe it's unfair, maybe it's not.

Maybe it's based on your cuisine being gassy, or your skin color, or your people having a tendency of being seen as dirty, or a combination of all of them... but "Indians smell like shit" is a very common perception, true or false.

When the subject of an Indian person comes up, and there's a long enough discussion, something to do with "curry farts" is likely to be interjected into the conversation.

It's definitely the general cuisine and specifically the use of curry. I've made curry dishes before and my sweat and body odor in general will resemble it. If that's most of your diet 24/7 I'm sure it'll leave a mark. It doesn't bother me much, though. Two Frenchmen on a flight were worse.

[BalaGire]

One or two idiots are pretty easy to ignore, but when a majority hate you then it gets tougher to ignore them.

All the horror stories I hear about Indians being treated like third class citizens even in a country like America (aka Alfieb's story of New Jersey) really makes me wonder, why don't the Chinese or Koreans ever have to put up with any racism now a days? Why us?

Some Indians are treated like third class citizens even in their own country, India, so I don't get why are you so surprised about it. First, fix your mess back home and then try to change the rest of the world.

[hjyAMqqT]

I didn't hear the Indian smell stereotype AT ALL when I was down south. Here in NYC and up North it tends to be a huge discussion, mainly it is true for those who are fresh off the boat and honestly after having hung out with some Indians like that, I can see why.

As for problems back home, lol, most people who come to the US have seen problems like that "back home", especially those who come from third world countries. Why should an individual be asked to fix those?

Last I checked a lot of Latin American, South American, and East Asian countries were not pro-Dark Skin either (maybe South American and Latin American countries are more lenient but not East Asian).

[Crazykz]

Not this again.

Southerners are known for being polite. It's called Southern Hospitality.

For the most part, they live in harmony with their black, Native American, and Hispanic neighbors. Do you think they'd make a big fuss over the occasional dothead? Black women are also known to be smelly, but you probably wouldn't hear it from a southerner unless he's a devout racist.

[borasolit]

Not this again.

Southerners are known for being polite. It's called Southern Hospitality.

For the most part, they live in harmony with their black, Native American, and Hispanic neighbors. Do you think they'd make a big fuss over the occasional dothead? Black women are also known to be smelly, but you probably wouldn't hear it from a southerner unless he's a devout racist.

O_O!

Wow

[QYD8eQ8F]

What? They are. I'm not saying it's true, I'm saying that's common perception... just as Puerto Ricans are said to bathe in cologne and Italians are said to spend too much time on their hair.

[Quiniacab]

Also euros are smelly, the less smelly ones are the asiatics.

---------- Post added 2011-01-02 at 16:56 ----------

What? They are. I'm not saying it's true, I'm saying that's common perception... just as Puerto Ricans are said to bathe in cologne and Italians are said to spend too much time on their hair.

That is a fact in some of us.

[jarsbars]

Also euros are smelly, the less smelly ones are the asiatics.

Only Frenchmen are usually stereotyped as smelly, in America at least.

While Asians tend not to have overtly offensive body odor I've heard them being referred to as smelly too especially if they're from Asian. Must be the diet. A friend of mine works in retail and says they smell like fish head soup.

[AlexanderPalamayr]

That is a fact in some of us.

The old Puerto Rican shower!

Who needs a bathtub anyway?

[Xbcofega]

I also refer from body odor(when they sweat)Africans are the ones who sweat the most, Euros on the middle and asians the less who sweat,

[Quigoxito]

Only Frenchmen are usually stereotyped as smelly, in America at least.

While Asians tend not to have overtly offensive body odor I've heard them being referred to as smelly too especially if they're from Asian. Must be the diet. A friend of mine works in retail and says they smell like fish head soup.

Most Orientals don't smell too badly... but I loathe walking through Chinatown at night because the smell of rotting fish in their trash that fills the streets is unbearable.

[thierabess]

The old Puerto Rican shower!

Who needs a bathtub anyway?

Is not for bathing purposes, is that we like to smell good(just for vanity)and that is not my case.

[NerbuitW]

Only Frenchmen are usually stereotyped as smelly, in America at least.

While Asians tend not to have overtly offensive body odor I've heard them being referred to as smelly too especially if they're from Asian. Must be the diet. A friend of mine works in retail and says they smell like fish head soup.

In DR we have a stereotype of Spaniards and Frenchmen being smelly, also Haitians are on the top of the list when it comes to bad odor.

[wantedLOX]

The french smell bad 'cuz they bathe once a week: black people smell funky all the time.

Last I checked a lot of Latin American, South American, and East Asian countries were not pro-Dark Skin either (maybe South American and Latin American countries are more lenient but not East Asian). Usually white-skinned latin americans enjoy higher social status than other groups: there's a common perception to think that that dark skinned citizens are low-class people who have shitty jobs and commit the most crime: I think there some true in that. Finding a white boy in the barrios of Caracas is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

At least that's the case here in Venezuela.

[zibTefapparia]

My aunt who lives in the UK cannot say the same about her kids, she says a lot of the people there keep their distance from the Indians and Indians are considered to be the lowest of the low there.

Speaking as a White British person, presumably the source of this racism your relatives endure, I can say there are groups of people who are despised more and respected far less than Indians. Generally Indians are quite well liked, especially Sikhs, they work hard, they run businesses, they don't produce feral children who commit crimes left right and centre. They have been a positive influence on our society overall.

There is anti-Asian sentiment in the UK, and sometimes I find myself feeling it. As an example an area not far from me was near 100% White when my mother was growing up in the 1960s and 1970s and now it's probably 80% Asian, it's an affluent area and not a stereotypical ghetto but there is a feeling that they have 'colonised' it (in fairness they offered good prices for the houses and people sold). This is the kind of racism Indians suffer, it's more based on a kind of jealousy and resentment than a belief that they are scroungers or parasites (as people believe about Somalis and Afghanis etc) nor that they are intent on undermining our society (as people believe about Muslims in general).

---------- Post added 2011-01-02 at 21:16 ----------

The french smell bad 'cuz they bathe once a week: black people smell funky all the time.



Usually white-skinned latin americans enjoy higher social status than other groups: there's a common perception to think that that dark skinned citizens are low-class people who have shitty jobs and commit the most crime: I think there some true in that. Finding a white boy in the barrios of Caracas is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

At least that's the case here in Venezuela.

Cause and effect though. It could be that through the system of hypodescent anyoen with any Black in them ends up in the shitty part of town and is thus more prone to committing crimes etc

Don't get me wrong though, I believe there is a reason why it was White Europeans who colonised and industrialised the world and not the world doing it to us.

[NETvoyne]

I prefer Asian neighbors with some distance, if cannot be Turkish. They're more reliable at least.

[deandrecooke]

Don't get me wrong though, I believe there is a reason why it was White Europeans who colonised and industrialised the world and not the world doing it to us.

What about Asia, only you colonized some nations, but not all of them(China,Japan, Korea), also I think the Asians could have done that to the Euro(at least they had a possibility)

[medifastwoman]

Well

Zabersus: Helpful posts, I heard the same about a lot of other countries in that part of the world.

Alfieb: You don't seem that bad of a guy but how much of this stuff do you actually say in real life?

Jr1: I actually find UK to be one of the more tolerant countries of the world.