US woman slams influencer for mocking Indian accent in viral video

India Today

a day ago

A social media influencer found herself at the receiving end of the internet after a woman of Indian origin called her out for mimicking the accent of an Indian woman who was arrested for shoplifting in the US.The influencer had recreated the woman's interaction with US police - recorded on a bodycam - where she asked officers if she could pay for the items she was accused of stealing. But the mimicry didn't land well with Cassandra Jerome, an Indian-origin creator, who accused the US-based influencer of casual racism.advertisementJerome responded with a video of her own, posted on Instagram, where she expressed her discomfort with the trend of mocking accents, especially when used as the punchline.
"I'm not going to sit here on a high horse and say stereotypes can't be funny," she said, adding, "I'm a human being. I have a pulse and a sense of humour. These things can be done tastefully."But her issue lay with how some jokes stripped context and relied solely on how people sounded. 'When people start dying over the Indian accent, I think that's hilarious. It just comes across as so uneducated to me,' she said.Jerome elaborated that while humour involving accents could work if done with intention and awareness, reducing someone's way of speaking to a joke only reflects poorly on the person making it."If the Indian accent is used in a joke that has some context and is done so well that it shocks me, it gets a laugh. But when the punchline is that we sound weird, I have learned something about you. All it tells me is that your worldview has not moved much past your nose. When does it stop being funny?" she asked.She also pointed out how common that very accent is, especially for people raised in India. 'Thousands of people around me had that accent. You're 'hehe-ing' and 'haha-ing' over something that's entirely normal to so many people. Expand your horizons and leave us alone. Please,' she said.Watch the viral video here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cassandra Jerome (@casjerome)The video prompted strong reactions from viewers online. Several users supported Jerome's stance and shared their own experiences of being mocked for their accents.'What's interesting is that there are so many variations of Indian accents, but people always go for that one exaggerated version,' said a user. Another user added, 'It's just CRAZY when people want high levels of respect for their culture but show such low respect for others.'advertisementA user shared a personal anecdote: 'I remember getting a ride from this girl in college—her Siri voice was set to an Indian accent. When someone asked why, she said it was funny. That never sat right with me.'One of the users pointed out the deeper irony in the influencer's actions: 'This is crazy because this Black woman has likely faced rejection in some Indian spaces too. And now, she's adding to the confusion and hate by mocking an accent. It has to stop somewhere.''Honestly, every accent is beautiful, Indian, French, Mexican, Chinese, African, Central American. If you're laughing at how someone talks, I think you're just uncultured,' said a user. Cassandra Jerome's video led to a wider conversation around humour, intent, and the need to move beyond lazy stereotypes.- Ends