Racism online: Spanish forum erupts over video of Indian tourists in Thailand
A video of two Indian tourists on a Thai beach sparks a wave of racist comments on a Spanish forum, from curry-smell jibes to links with dirt and socialism.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The sorry spectacle of digital xenophobia
A video of two Indian tourists strolling along a Thai beach has triggered a cascade of racist comments on a Spanish forum. The reactions, mixing contempt for body odour, comparisons with primates and accusations of defecating on the beach, are no isolated incident: they reflect a current of thought that dehumanises certain tourists on the basis of cultural stereotypes.
The most extreme comments link the Indian visitors to dirt and socialism, in a curious political drift that confuses prejudice with ideology. The implicit question — "do they defecate on the beach because they are socialists, or does socialism make them defecate?" — shows just how far racism can hide behind absurd humour. Meanwhile, another user warns: "I hope they don't take it into their heads to come to Spain in droves".
What the data doesn't say is that Thailand receives millions of tourists from India and other neighbouring countries every year, and coexistence is usually peaceful. The forum's reaction, however, reveals a latent unease with the diversity of global tourism. The question that remains is whether these outbreaks of digital xenophobia are pure noise or a symptom of something deeper in Spanish society.
Related discussions on the forum
A video of two Indian tourists strolling along a Thai beach has triggered a cascade of racist comments on a Spanish forum. The reactions, mixing contempt for body odour, comparisons with primates and accusations of defecating on the beach, are no isolated incident: they reflect a current of thought that dehumanises certain tourists on the basis of cultural stereotypes.
The most extreme comments link the Indian visitors to dirt and socialism, in a curious political drift that confuses prejudice with ideology. The implicit question — "do they defecate on the beach because they are socialists, or does socialism make them defecate?" — shows just how far racism can hide behind absurd humour. Meanwhile, another user warns: "I hope they don't take it into their heads to come to Spain in droves".
What the data doesn't say is that Thailand receives millions of tourists from India and other neighbouring countries every year, and coexistence is usually peaceful. The forum's reaction, however, reveals a latent unease with the diversity of global tourism. The question that remains is whether these outbreaks of digital xenophobia are pure noise or a symptom of something deeper in Spanish society.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (12 replies).
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