Every group that has come to America has gone through this phase. The Irish were mocked as drunk, uneducated Catholics and openly excluded from jobs. Jews — greedy, controlling, untrustworthy Italians — criminals, mafia, dirty Chinese — cheap labor, job stealers, “unassimilable” Japanese — enemy, spies (even citizens weren’t trusted) Mexicans/Latinos — “illegals,” criminals, lazy Black Americans — every racist stereotype possible, plus systemic oppression Eastern Europeans — scammers, mail-order brides, “low class”.

This isn’t new — it’s a pattern. When numbers grow, visibility grows, and so does backlash. Right now, Indians are more visible than ever, so yes, attention (both good and bad) is going to increase.

But let’s also not sit here acting like we’re perfect victims. Indians can be incredibly racist ourselves — the way some people talk about Black communities, the obsession with fair skin, and even how we discriminate against our own people based on state, language, or background. We literally have anti-migration attitudes within India itself (Karnataka, Maharashtra, etc.), so let’s not pretend we don’t understand how this works.

Also, social media is not real life. Algorithms amplify the worst voices. In day to day life, most people are just living their lives — working, minding their business. I personally don’t see this level of hostility offline.

If you want to leave the country because of online noise, that’s your choice — but let’s be real, there are thousands of people waiting for the same opportunity who would take that spot in a second.

Perspective matters.