An Indian traveller was recently called out for allegedly skipping a baggage-drop queue at Vienna airport, sparking a debate online over queue etiquette, civic sense and stereotypes about Indians abroad.
The incident was shared by X user Arjun, who claimed that he witnessed the traveller find a gap in the queue and make his way towards the front. “At Vienna airport, there was an Indian dude who decided to jump the entire baggage-drop queue by finding a gap and making his way straight to the front,” Arjun wrote in his post.
He said that people standing in the queue immediately asked the traveller to return to his place. The traveller, however, continued arguing, saying he was already standing there, until one person lost patience and told him to “go the f*** back”.
Arjun said that he was present when the incident unfolded and criticised the behaviour. “This is exactly the kind of repeated behaviour that creates stereotypes about an entire country. No civic sense and respect for the people standing in line, and then the audacity to argue when called out,” he wrote.
Calling the incident “absolutely horrible behaviour”, he added that Indians who behave this way abroad are “actively contributing to the biases and stereotypes the rest of us then have to deal with.”
{{/usCountry}}Calling the incident “absolutely horrible behaviour”, he added that Indians who behave this way abroad are “actively contributing to the biases and stereotypes the rest of us then have to deal with.”
{{/usCountry}}(Also Read: Woman calls out fellow Indian passengers for littering at Canadian airport: ‘Don’t ruin India’s reputation’)
What did social media say?
The post drew mixed reactions online, with some agreeing with Arjun while others said queue-jumping is not limited to Indians.
Reacting to the post, one user wrote, “I've seen people of many nationalities do something similar on many occasions. Doesn't make it right for anyone, but it also does not mean it is specific to any one national origin.”
“It would have ended there and then. But you posting it for more people to just diss on Indians is what is making it bigger for no reason. There's idiots everywhere, I have seen numerous people of different origins doing it, but never thought about posting it,” commented another.
However, one user wrote, “Honestly this is how most indians behave in India too - always trying to sneak in - whether it's traffic , queue etc . This guy's behaviour is what average indians do.”
“I witnessed similar behaviour as well in Warsaw. They tried to piggy back on me when I was ahead in the queue. When I protested they just jumped further. They were wealthy and educated but behaved like they had achieved something through their street smarts,” said another.
“Standard Indian thing is to fight back when called out for wrongful behaviour. They either need to learn to act or lie. But they start acting rude much like how they behave in india and hope to get away with it,” wrote one user.