Clien is really heating up today with the debate on how to view 'India-hate.'

So, I thought I’d share a bit about the Indian people I’ve actually encountered.

First off, I don't know much about India as a country. I don't really watch YouTube or Shorts, so I lack background knowledge on what's happening over there. I'm just speaking strictly from my own experiences.

In my 30s, I worked for about three years in the Northwest region of the US and dealt with Indian people on a business level. My main customer base happened to be mostly of Indian descent. Economically, many were stable middle-class folks. Since I had zero prior experience with Indian people, I didn't have any prejudices either.

My first impression was (to put it nicely), 'What kind of total nightmares are these people?' I thought that way for several months straight.

But later on, I started to understand the reasons and background behind why they act the way they do.

Most of the Indian people I dealt with were small to medium-sized business owners.

Hearing their stories, many of them—just like many Korean immigrants—came to the US a long time ago, suffered through absolute hell, and built their businesses from the ground up.

We say Koreans deal with less of it now, but they faced massive amounts of racism, and it was the same for Indian people.

Being scammed because of language barriers was a daily occurrence. I don’t know if it’s a national trait, but they are extremely defensive when you first deal with them. There was this underlying persecution complex that the other person was trying to screw them over. (Just my personal opinion.)

And I'm not sure if it's because of that background, but their local communities are incredibly developed and tight-knit.

That phrase they always shout, which we sometimes mock—'Hello my friend, no problem'—is definitely fake at first. But once you earn their trust and heart, they truly treat you like a real friend. Honestly, I was surprised. Since I was a foreign worker myself and they knew I had nowhere to go during the holidays, they’d invite me to their homes. I’d say, 'It’s a family holiday, I shouldn't intrude,' but they’d insist on coming to pick me up.

Of course, the smell of spices in their homes takes some time to get used to, but I was treated to warm hearts and great meals.

Many were restaurant owners, and even though I’d intentionally visit outside of meal times for business, they’d always ask if I’d eaten and cook for me if I hadn't.

On the business side, if you manage the Indian community well, they give you a ton of referrals. Maybe because I got along so well with them, my boss ended up letting me handle most of the Indian clients.

Looking back, it's just a random story without much substance, but I wanted to share my experience.