A brief video of an excited group of Indian travellers dancing beside a stationary plane has set off yet another debate — when do harmless activities turn into public nuisances?
This particular viral video on X features a group of passengers who can be seen dancing, recording videos, and having a good time beside a VietJet Air aircraft during its ground operations. Captioned as "POV: gujju anywhere and everywhere," the video sparked a discussion about the stereotyped image of Indian tourists who travel abroad.
While some saw nothing wrong with the video, others viewed it as yet another example of an emerging concern among travellers today.
However, the responses were not focused on dancing, but on travelling etiquette.
In recent years, social media has affected the way travellers think about their trips and vacations. Travellers are not only tourists at various airports, airplanes, cafés, mountain viewpoints, beaches, or even in religious areas anymore; rather, they are also performers.
Such a change has led to conflicts between personal freedom and proper behavior.
For example, the video from the airport bothered many viewers, as airports are not public spaces. This location involves security personnel, airline crew members, handling staff, etc., so anything that could be seen as chaotic, disruptive, or distracting would seem wrong, even if there was not any strict law prohibiting that specific action.
Travellers frequently argue that one bad, noisy, or misbehaving group could influence the image of the whole nation. It is where issues like stereotyping or racism come up.
Most Indian tourists who venture out abroad tend to express how they have been unfairly profiled based on some viral videos that involve incidents of disturbance, fighting on planes, cutting queues, yelling at places where there are tourists, and insensitivity when it comes to culturally important sites.
On the other hand, one cannot help but point out how unfairly profiling all Indians from the actions of just a few can also be an unjustifiable practice. There will always be loud tourists, disruptive influences, and self-promoting travelers regardless of nationality.
Unfortunately, the event at the airport was very disturbing to watch since it revealed a larger problem developing within the realm of tourism today, which is the increasing inclination to make each trip an act of performance art.
First, one cannot ignore the relevance of being aware of your surroundings when traveling since what seems to be fun within a close-knit circle may look quite disturbing and uncomfortable for other travellers in that place. Travelling together with other people involves teamwork and cooperation since people move quicker in lines when they act properly, board faster when instructions are adhered to and enjoy their time when they do not disturb others.
Second, it is necessary to draw attention to the difference between appreciation of culture and disturbance creation. Group singing during holiday season, traditional dancing and celebrations, weddings in chosen locations – all those things are a usual part of the tourism experience. Nevertheless, the context always matters. People criticizing the shown scene on the internet are not against happiness and fun; on the contrary, they question the appropriateness of such performance location.
It is also important to note growing weariness with the idea of “viral culture” in the context under discussion. Today many tourists express their discontent with the fact that even the most attractive destinations have too much of the same: crowded places filled not only with tourists, but also with cameras, video recording sessions, loud entertainments, and other activities related to influencers’ work.
Ironically, the same internet culture that encourages people to record everything also ensures that embarrassing moments spread globally within minutes. A brief act intended for entertainment can quickly become part of international conversations about behaviour, manners, and national image.
In the end, the viral airport video might vanish from one’s feed in several days, but discussions concerning acceptable behavior while traveling will probably continue.
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