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American YouTuber sparks outrage for treating Indian auto drivers ‘inhumanely’
An American travel blogger has sparked outrage with a video that shows him bargaining with autorickshaw drivers in India and mocking the country.
An American travel blogger has sparked outrage with a video that shows him bargaining with autorickshaw drivers in India and mocking the country. Conner McBee (better known by his online moniker “Small Brained American”), shared a YouTube video that year titled “I went back to India… it still sucks”.
The video shows him criticizing India as dirty, dishonest and noisy as he makes it way from the airport to his hotel. The American traveller said he wanted to “avoid India like the plague” but was forced to visit the country due to a layover.
Bargaining with auto drivers
Although the video was shared one year ago, it recently came into the spotlight again when McBee’s fellow American Stephen Hauser called out his behaviour in a series of Instagram videos.
Hauser slammed the ‘Small Brained American’ for bargaining with underprivileged autorickshaw drivers in India.
McBee’s video shows him trying to bring the price down from ₹300 (quoted by one driver) to ₹20. “It’s so fun bargaining in India,” he said at one point in his video.
“You’re not bargaining. You’re being an a**hole,” Hauser said while reacting to the clip.
An enraged Hauser continued criticizing McBee as he went from one auto driver to another, trying to negotiate the price down. “He doesn’t believe these people are humans. So he can’t fathom paying somebody what they ask, because he doesn’t believe that these people are actual humans trying to make a living and provide for their families.”
Several autorickshaw drivers turned McBee down before one finally agreed to take him to his hotel. The longer YouTube video shows the American traveller walking carefully on the road so as not to step on “human faeces” and complaining about how tough it is to find honest people in India.
Using Indians for content
Once inside his hotel, the US traveller expressed surprise at its cleanliness before pointing out that one of the lights in the room did not work. He then spoke about how did not want to visit India again but had to do so because of a layover.
Reacting to the clip, Hauser called out McBee’s claims. He accused the American blogger of ripping on India for views so he could farm engagement and earn money.
“You didn’t have to come back here for a layover. Layovers you usually don’t even have to leave the airport,” Hauser pointed out. “You’re coming back here to make content. Just be honest”.
McBee’s video then shows him bargaining with an old rickshaw puller, who requested ₹200. An infuriated Hauser, watching the video, noted how the elderly man had worked his whole life for money. “Just pay him the 200! This is what his whole video is, trying to lowball Indians," he said.
Indians join the outrage
After Hauser’s videos calling out the Small Brained American went viral, several Indians and even foreigners joined him in calling out the American blogger.
“Aussie who grew up in India, these are the type of people even I would want out of the country,” said one commenter. “Bargaining 300 to 20? Its diabolical. Even we Indians don't go that low,” another wrote.
“I think defaming India has become one of the major content pieces for most creators. Thanks for calling it out,” a viewer said.
“People need to understand a basic truth: it’s usually the broke, clueless travelers who wander into slum districts on a shoestring budget and then broadcast to the entire internet that India sucks,” read another comment.
