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Indian man films litter in South Korea, questions why civic sense concerns target only Indians
An Indian man in South Korea shared a clip on littering, sparking debate on why only Indians abroad were questioned about civic sense.
An Indian man in South Korea has sparked discussion online after sharing a video highlighting littering on the streets. The clip, posted on Instagram by the user @subtle_crazykorea, shows rubbish scattered in public areas and questions why civic sense is treated as an issue only when Indians are involved.
(Also read: ‘Civic sense of the elite’: Gurgaon man confronts Mercedes E-Class owner for littering)
In the footage, the man points at litter left behind and remarks, “Civic sense yaha bhi lagu honi chahiye.” He further explains that he has seen numerous videos where Indians abroad are criticised for lacking civic sense, yet in South Korea he observed locals as well as Americans discarding waste. “When Indians are caught littering abroad, it quickly becomes a commentary on our culture. But here I saw Koreans and Americans doing the same and nobody questions their civic sense,” he says.
Take a look here at the clip:
(Viewer discretion advised: The video contains strong language.)
The video was shared with the caption: “Civic sense of Indians in Korea?” and has since gained more than 229k views. It has attracted a wide range of responses, both supportive and critical.
Reactions from users
Many users agreed with the man’s perspective. One commented, “Every country has people who litter, but somehow Indians always get judged more harshly.” Another wrote, “This is true, the stereotype about Indians and cleanliness abroad is unfair.”
Some viewers, however, offered a different take. “But in India the scale of the problem is much bigger, so people associate it with us more,” one said. Another added, “I live in Korea and yes, people throw things here too. It’s not perfect, but it rarely makes the news.”
“Finally someone pointed out the hypocrisy. We are not the only ones,” one wrote, while another remarked, “Civic sense should not be linked to nationality, it’s about individuals.” A user wrote, “Videos like this are needed because they break stereotypes and remind us that no society is flawless.”
