Apollo Kid
Veteran
Hold on to your goddamn seat because driving in traffic is hella scary
As a black man what should I expect in India.
- Thread starter Kilgore Trout
- Start date
MewTwo
Freeing Pokemon From Their Masters Since 1996
If you want to fukk Indian girls so badly then go to Trinidad or Guyana.
I've never been to India nor is it on my radar, but it's a vast multi-ethnic and multicultural country with a rich history to generalize like this. Fortunately, you got some serious/good answers.
I just hope those making jokes won't be offended if someone said Africa is only Ebola, malaria, AIDS or murders
I just hope those making jokes won't be offended if someone said Africa is only Ebola, malaria, AIDS or murders
There's lots of really good advice in this thread. It's easy to tell who knows what they're talking about and who is just silly. The truth about India is a mix of what they're all saying - it's a big, complicated place.
Strangely...all of that is true to some extent. There's going to be a HELL of a lot of staring. Indians don't have any cultural taboo against staring, and as a Black man you're going to be stared at like a motherfukker.. A lot of that is just curiosity, some of it is racism. Many Indians are racist against Black men, but it's really hard to tell the difference between racism and curiosity if you don't know the language. But if you let it get to you, you'll go crazy - you have to just assume the best. If they're racist, then fukk them. 99% of the time the racist ones would never dare trying to pull anything.
At the same time, skin color is a complex thing there, and it's not the same as racism here. As that first guy said - if they think you're a wealthy American tourist, that makes a big difference.
Nah, that's just not good advice. If they see you're a Black man, their stereotype is that you're from the West Indies (or maybe Africa if they're educated enough - it's a cricket thing), and their opinion is that you're lower than them. Being an American actually elevates you in their eyes. Obama's presence has made it easier for them to understand what a Black American is and respect it a little. I'd rather have myself known that I'm an American than have them assume African or West Indies or even British - there are still plenty of Indians that have animosity towards the Brits.
edit: Kobe is right about the "Indians hate everyone, even other Indians" thing though.
No matter where you're from, even a different region or caste or family within India, some people there will find some reason to shyt on you for something. At the same time, a lot of Indians are really hospitable to guests no matter where they're from, so I just try to hang with them and not the others.
Yeah, this is a great, balanced post. Nothing will ever prepare you for how different it is.
If you haven't traveled overseas, you really need to go with someone who is familiar or take a guided, preplanned tour. Otherwise you really, really need to stick to the easiest spots. It's too easy to get confused by the craziness or get taken advantage of by people looking for a mark.
Of course, be careful about food prep and don't eat anything that's been sitting out, don't drink anything but bottled water, expect to get sick at least once and you'll deal with it better when it eventually happens.
April-June is hot and as a first-timer I'd avoid it. July-September is rainy season, varies from miserable to pleasant depending on where you are. October-March is the most pleasant weather, though the North and the mountains can get really cold in December/January.
Some quick thoughts on a few places. I tried to loosely order them from "easiest" to "challenging".
Goa: beach resort India
Bangalore: wealthy, technological India
Kerala: educated, peaceful, jungle India
Mumbai: modern, big-city, diverse India
Darjeeling/Sikkim: mountain resort India
Rajasthan: beautiful desert/mountain India
Kashmir: beautiful Muslim India
Kolkata: crazy, vibrant India
Delhi/Uttar Pradesh/north India: the belly of the beast. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of people.
I can answer questions if you have any other specifics.
One last thing - if you go to India, you're going to see a lot of very poor people, and if you have a heart you'll feel bad for them. Giving beggars money almost never improves their situation - for the kids especially, it pretty much guarantees that they'll be forced to stay in a begging lifestyle. Most beggars really are desperately poor, and a lot of them are ran by begging gangs that take the main cut of anything they get, so the money is only funneled to someone else. They use little kids or disabled people or young women with babies to do this.
So if you're going to feel bad not giving them money, I recommend looking up an organization that does good work for the poor in India, and donating to them before you go. Then bring little candies or whatever you want to share with the kids if you want to, or buy fruit there if you like and share with them. Or every time you want to give them money, set that aside in a different pocket and later donate it to someone doing good sustainable work improving people's lives. But giving beggars money is often the worst thing you can do for them once you learn who really gets the money and how it only forces them to perpetuate the same lifestyle.
Oh, and unless you're in a really modern club for the young and wealthy, any girl who hits on you is probably going to be working. All but the most modern Indian girls are far to shy to engage in any sort of stuff with a foreign man in public, especially a black man. And getting involved with a prostitute there is a horrible, horrible idea. So better safe than sorry - like I said, unless you're in one of the really high-class clubs.
Indians like to stare. Expect a lot of this when you're out and about
Strangely...all of that is true to some extent. There's going to be a HELL of a lot of staring. Indians don't have any cultural taboo against staring, and as a Black man you're going to be stared at like a motherfukker.. A lot of that is just curiosity, some of it is racism. Many Indians are racist against Black men, but it's really hard to tell the difference between racism and curiosity if you don't know the language. But if you let it get to you, you'll go crazy - you have to just assume the best. If they're racist, then fukk them. 99% of the time the racist ones would never dare trying to pull anything.
At the same time, skin color is a complex thing there, and it's not the same as racism here. As that first guy said - if they think you're a wealthy American tourist, that makes a big difference.
Nah, that's just not good advice. If they see you're a Black man, their stereotype is that you're from the West Indies (or maybe Africa if they're educated enough - it's a cricket thing), and their opinion is that you're lower than them. Being an American actually elevates you in their eyes. Obama's presence has made it easier for them to understand what a Black American is and respect it a little. I'd rather have myself known that I'm an American than have them assume African or West Indies or even British - there are still plenty of Indians that have animosity towards the Brits.
edit: Kobe is right about the "Indians hate everyone, even other Indians" thing though.
No matter where you're from, even a different region or caste or family within India, some people there will find some reason to shyt on you for something. At the same time, a lot of Indians are really hospitable to guests no matter where they're from, so I just try to hang with them and not the others.Nothing will prepare you for how different it is that probably anywhere you've been. Nothing will prepare you for how different things will affect your senses. Nothing will prepare you for how different it is from place to place. Keep an open mind. You will stand out and people will stare and even be curious about you at times. That can be good and bad. Chill out on being outwardly loud or demonstrative. Depends on where you go too. Hotels are nice and pretty cheap. Food can be strong sometimes. Stick to Indian food, lol. Stay off the skreet food too.
Racism? hmmmmmmm. Seemed like a combo of curiousity and uncertainty. Most people aren't aware of what goes on here enough to really form that kind of opinion. You may literally have a bunch of kids surround you and ask you questions, or have lots of curious older women giving you a hard time. Or you may at times have people stare and turn away. As for their language, there are lots of languages spoken in India, but anyone that goes to school knows English. So language is usually not a problem as long as you stay in the main areas. Even going to see people's family though, mostly English is spoken out in public. Weird Spanglish type of switching back and forth. Its a weird place. Some places smell badly and the sights and sounds are all over the place. Yogis on the ground, good smells of street food, really bad smells at times. GF and Friend of ours ended up really sick, but the doctors were great. At other times, places are very modern and peaceful. We stayed in a country house outside of Calcutta that was like. Didn't want to leave. So many fruit everywhere, monkeys showing up at the window. Had a cook and driver. But then in some of the bigger cities the crowding and senses were overwhelming. Don't know what to compare it to. Its crazy. Even out in the country, its like every bit of land is a farm or village. I wouldn't go without someone with significant experience there. That's just me.
Yeah, this is a great, balanced post. Nothing will ever prepare you for how different it is.
If you haven't traveled overseas, you really need to go with someone who is familiar or take a guided, preplanned tour. Otherwise you really, really need to stick to the easiest spots. It's too easy to get confused by the craziness or get taken advantage of by people looking for a mark.
Of course, be careful about food prep and don't eat anything that's been sitting out, don't drink anything but bottled water, expect to get sick at least once and you'll deal with it better when it eventually happens.
April-June is hot and as a first-timer I'd avoid it. July-September is rainy season, varies from miserable to pleasant depending on where you are. October-March is the most pleasant weather, though the North and the mountains can get really cold in December/January.
Some quick thoughts on a few places. I tried to loosely order them from "easiest" to "challenging".
Goa: beach resort India
Bangalore: wealthy, technological India
Kerala: educated, peaceful, jungle India
Mumbai: modern, big-city, diverse India
Darjeeling/Sikkim: mountain resort India
Rajasthan: beautiful desert/mountain India
Kashmir: beautiful Muslim India
Kolkata: crazy, vibrant India
Delhi/Uttar Pradesh/north India: the belly of the beast. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of people.
I can answer questions if you have any other specifics.
One last thing - if you go to India, you're going to see a lot of very poor people, and if you have a heart you'll feel bad for them. Giving beggars money almost never improves their situation - for the kids especially, it pretty much guarantees that they'll be forced to stay in a begging lifestyle. Most beggars really are desperately poor, and a lot of them are ran by begging gangs that take the main cut of anything they get, so the money is only funneled to someone else. They use little kids or disabled people or young women with babies to do this.
So if you're going to feel bad not giving them money, I recommend looking up an organization that does good work for the poor in India, and donating to them before you go. Then bring little candies or whatever you want to share with the kids if you want to, or buy fruit there if you like and share with them. Or every time you want to give them money, set that aside in a different pocket and later donate it to someone doing good sustainable work improving people's lives. But giving beggars money is often the worst thing you can do for them once you learn who really gets the money and how it only forces them to perpetuate the same lifestyle.
Oh, and unless you're in a really modern club for the young and wealthy, any girl who hits on you is probably going to be working. All but the most modern Indian girls are far to shy to engage in any sort of stuff with a foreign man in public, especially a black man. And getting involved with a prostitute there is a horrible, horrible idea. So better safe than sorry - like I said, unless you're in one of the really high-class clubs.
Last edited:
Of all the places I want to go to on this planet, India is pretty far down the list.:yikess:
I'm headed to Thailand in about a week, and even there i'm not gonna drink the water and will be skeptical about the meat. Anybody ever been to Thailand?
I'm headed to Thailand in about a week, and even there i'm not gonna drink the water and will be skeptical about the meat. Anybody ever been to Thailand?
Are you serious breh? I'm probably the only Indian in this thread, that has gone to India multiple times, and talked to a bunch of locals and yet you're telling me that my advice is incorrect and unfounded. Ya, okay.
The only racism I've heard coming from Indians around here is that yall get the privilege of getting into every sport(yes I know it's nonsense but that's what they think). Indians hate white people more than anything for the same reason a lot of black people on here do. I don't know where you're getting this impression that they think lower of you because you're black, seriously, some of you just assume everyone is fukking racist and hating on you for your skin colour.
edit: no i'm not saying no one is racist there, as there's tons of people there that just hate to hate, especially in the lower classes, but they don't have some special hate just for black people. that's nonsense.
Are you serious breh? I'm probably the only Indian in this thread, that has gone to India multiple times, and talked to a bunch of locals and yet you're telling me that my advice is incorrect and unfounded. Ya, okay.
The only racism I've heard coming from Indians around here is that yall get the privilege of getting into every sport(yes I know it's nonsense but that's what they think). Indians hate white people more than anything for the same reason a lot of black people on here do. I don't know where you're getting this impression that they think lower of you because you're black, seriously, some of you just assume everyone is fukking racist and hating on you for your skin colour.
I tried to be balanced from my extensive experience. We'll just agree to disagree.
USSInsiders
Banned
IllustratorMike
All Star
No. desire. to. go.
Tommy Knocks
retired
the most sound advice for anyone traveling.There's lots of really good advice in this thread. It's easy to tell who knows what they're talking about and who is just a dumbass. The truth about India is a mix of what they're all saying - it's a big, complicated place.
Strangely...all of that is true to some extent. There's going to be a HELL of a lot of staring. Indians don't have any cultural taboo against staring, and as a Black man you're going to be stared at like a motherfukker.. A lot of that is just curiosity, some of it is racism. Many Indians are racist against Black men, but it's really hard to tell the difference between racism and curiosity if you don't know the language. But if you let it get to you, you'll go crazy - you have to just assume the best. If they're racist, then fukk them. 99% of the time the racist ones would never dare trying to pull shyt.
At the same time, skin color is a complex thing there, and it's not the same as racism here. As that first guy said - if they think you're a wealthy American tourist, that makes a big difference.
Nah, that's just not good advice. If they see you're a Black man, their stereotype is that you're from the West Indies (or maybe Africa if they're educated enough - it's a cricket thing), and their opinion is that you're lower than them. Being an American actually elevates you in their eyes. Obama's presence has made it easier for them to understand what a Black American is and respect it a little. I'd rather have myself known that I'm an American than have them assume African or West Indies or even British - there are still plenty of Indians that have animosity towards the Brits.
edit: Kobe is right about the "Indians hate everyone, even other Indians" thing though.
Yeah, this is a great, balanced post. Nothing will ever prepare you for how different it is.
If you haven't traveled overseas, you really need to go with someone who is familiar or take a guided, preplanned tour. Otherwise you really, really need to stick to the easiest spots. It's too easy to get confused by the craziness or get taken advantage of by people looking for a mark.
Of course, be careful about food prep and don't eat anything that's been sitting out, don't drink anything but bottled water, expect to get sick at least once and you'll deal with it better when it eventually happens.
April-June is hot as fukk and as a first-timer I'd avoid it. July-September is rainy season, varies from miserable to pleasant depending on where you are. October-March is the most pleasant weather, though the North and the mountains can get really cold in December/January.
Some quick thoughts on a few places. I tried to loosely order them from "easiest" to "challenging".
Goa: beach resort India
Bangalore: wealthy, technological India
Kerala: educated, peaceful, jungle India
Mumbai: modern, big-city, diverse India
Darjeeling/Sikkim: mountain resort India
Rajasthan: beautiful desert/mountain India
Kashmir: beautiful Muslim India
Kolkata: crazy, vibrant India
Delhi/Uttar Pradesh/north India: the belly of the beast. Hundreds and hundreds of millions of people.
I can answer questions if you have any other specifics.
One last thing - if you go to India, you're going to see a lot of very poor people, and if you have a heart you'll feel bad for them. Giving beggars money almost never improves their situation - for the kids especially, it pretty much guarantees that they'll be forced to stay in a begging lifestyle. Most beggars really are desperately poor, and a lot of them are ran by begging gangs that take the main cut of anything they get, so the money is only funneled to someone else. They use little kids or disabled people or young women with babies to do this.
So if you're going to feel bad not giving them money, I recommend looking up an organization that does good work for the poor in India, and donating to them before you go. Then bring little candies or whatever you want to share with the kids if you want to, or buy fruit there if you like and share with them. Or every time you want to give them money, set that aside in a different pocket and later donate it to someone doing good sustainable work improving people's lives. But giving beggars money is often the worst thing you can do for them once you learn who really gets the money and how it only forces them to perpetuate the same lifestyle.
Oh, and unless you're in a really modern club for the young and wealthy, any girl who hits on you is probably going to be working. All but the most modern Indian girls are far to shy to engage in any sort of stuff with a foreign man in public, especially a black man. And getting involved with a prostitute there is a horrible, horrible idea. So better safe than sorry - like I said, unless you're in one of the really high-class clubs.
GetInTheTruck
Member
Are you serious breh? I'm probably the only Indian in this thread, that has gone to India multiple times, and talked to a bunch of locals and yet you're telling me that my advice is incorrect and unfounded. Ya, okay.
The only racism I've heard coming from Indians around here is that yall get the privilege of getting into every sport(yes I know it's nonsense but that's what they think). Indians hate white people more than anything for the same reason a lot of black people on here do. I don't know where you're getting this impression that they think lower of you because you're black, seriously, some of you just assume everyone is fukking racist and hating on you for your skin colour.
edit: no i'm not saying no one is racist there, as there's tons of people there that just hate to hate, especially in the lower classes, but they don't have some special hate just for black people. that's nonsense.
I'm Indian, I think his post is fair. The best thing anybody can do is go see for theirselves. Compared to the driveby shytposting by the forever-local coli crowd, that input was refreshing.
filial_piety
Banned
So true, on this website you have people's traveling experiences that are entirely based on YouTube. They are completely misinformed. I've had to defend places like Russia, Ireland etc at times on here.
For some of those who have actually been to India...I have made similar observations of places like Russia and other countries in the Mid East.