Colleen Grady is an Instagram influencer who goes/went by the handle MindBodyColleen. She was visiting India when she lost her iPhone in Jaipur and had it returned to her. She wrote an Instagram post about her ordeal and the surprising recovery of the phone. However, the post rubbed people up the wrong way. So much so that she had to delete her account.
Though she deleted her account, this screen shot is available on a Facebook page called “Colleen Grady, The Racist Traveling Blogger”. In her post she spoke about India as “the poorest most overcrowded country”, Jaipur as “the most scammy tourist cities of all of India”. She thought that it was a miracle that the phone was returned; also that the person who returned it had an iPhone as well. Her post contained other generalisations about India being poor and Indians being poorly educated and/or ignorant; particularly ignorant about iPhones.
Colleen Grady’s post was quickly noticed on social media and she rapidly drew flack for her words and her ignorant assumptions. She and her post were promptly labeled ‘racist’.
Indian iPhone users in particular took umbrage at Grady’s assumption that Indians were too poor to afford iPhones. Some were so outraged that they made it a point to speak about their own iPhones and other iPhone users in India.
Some felt the need to point out India’s accomplishments in space to counter the charge of Indians being ‘technically illiterate’; something that many seemed to have taken umbrage at. Also, this Twitter user said “Don't let these people back into India!”
While expressing indignation at the assumption that Indians don’t generally use iPhones (which in my view is just smart, because of how overpriced these devices are), this Twitter user also expressed disbelief. They thought that this was all dramatic fabrication.
This Twitter comment presumes this it is some sort of colonial hangover that caused Grady to make the assumptions about the ignorance and poverty in India the way that she did.
Then there were these types of highly aggresive comments as well; where tweets threatened any brand collaborating with Grady with boycott and more.
Social media users also decided to morph Grady’s image on to other tourist attractions… because this is just another way to troll, isn’t it.
On her website mindbodycolleen.com, Grady put out this explanation/apology, saying that her post was made while in a panic and that it did not represent her true feelings about India.
Colleen Grady has shown herself to have a rather limited understanding of India and the reality of many Indians, but why are Indians so very offended by her words? It is true that multitudes of Indians live in grinding poverty. It is also true that Indians in the tourist trade try to fleece tourists; particularly rich white ones. It is also true that our literacy levels are far lower than in western countries. It is also true that iPhones are not widely used in India; mainly because we Indians are savvy enough to understand that Android is smarter and better value for money. And if any of us lost an expensive device on an Indian street somewhere, would we not consider it a ‘miracle’ if we managed to somehow get it back?
Are we upset simply because some entitled white person made these comments? It is because of her non-apology (I’m sorry you were offended; not sorry for what I said)? Or are we upset simply because most of what she says is not untrue?
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
