German influencer abuses Indian street-hawkers; gets schooled

German travel vlogger Christian Betzmann used expletives in a video that captured street hawkers selling fruits in an Indian locality. Betzmann was soon schooled by desi netizens who called him out on his privilege. They said that these are simple street-hawkers who are trying to make a living, and that he should be more respectful when he is in another country.

In a video that he put up on Instagram Story, and that subsequently made its way to Reddit, Betzmann’s camera is focused on two street-hawkers in an Indian locality. “How is this not banned? Everyday 20 dudes screaming in front of my Airbnb to sell their s***. I should buy all his pineapples and shove it up his a**. B****,” read the text on the video. 

Betzmann then says, “Every f****** day these m************ are screaming to sell their f****** pineapples bro! Shut up! Another guy! Dude!” The camera then shifts to Betzmann who says, “Just take your pineapple and you go in the market and sell them like every other person in India. The audacity to drive to a f****** street and scream for people to buy their fruit, bro!”

The Reddit user who posted the video on the platform pointed out that street-hawkers make it convenient for people who cannot go out to markets for numerous reasons. “Some things are best left off social media. Especially with that language. Let’s go to India for billion views and curse at the same time,” said the poster, criticising Betzmann. 

Another user posted a screenshot of his reply to Betzmann that he sent as a DM. “Travel is not just going to another country and posting Instagrammable pictures,” said the user, further adding that Betzmann should “respect the locals instead of s****** all over them”. 

“This made me so angry! This POS influencer will have no qualms against filming the same people to show 'culture' but is cribbing about people's right to livelihood. I wish we would stop swooning over firangi travel vloggers and not give them clout,” said another Reddit user, while another said, “He needs to take his privilege and shove it where the sun don't shine. The audacity of visiting a country as a tourist and cribbing about the way things are done here. And complaining about people just trying to earn a living, at that!”

Another screenshot of a reply in the DMs showed the user telling Betzmann that hawkers have as much right to sell their products here as he does to sell his “below average content”. Another reply in the DM said that Betzmann needs to educate himself about how this works as these street-hawkers are trying to earn something as basic as daily food. 

Many users discussed blasting Betzmann’s DMs and calling him out.

While these DM screenshots do not show if Betzmann ever replied, screenshots by one user showed that he replied and argued with the user. To the user, the vlogger replied, “This country will never evolve because of ignorant people like you,” further adding that these street-hawkers do not pay taxes and hence should not be allowed to conduct a “business”. “But then you travel to western countries and wonder why people treat you like sh*t because of your obnoxious Indian behaviour playing music loud in public transport and scream around like you own the street,” Betzmann said in the reply. 

As the argument stretches further, Betzmann says, “Why do I argue with uneducated people like you who probably never left India. Go support beggars who do illegal business. Have fun. Let me come scream at your house all day to sell my merch. Let’s see how you like that.”

Betzmann eventually took down the story on Instagram. 

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