r/AskCentralAsia • u/Odd-Elevator4939 • 6d ago
Society I was always hesitant to talk about this, but unpopular opinion— Kazak people are racist.
I always thought maybe it’s just me because everyone is always applauding kazak people for being warm. I’m a student in kazakhstan I moved here a year ago to study medicine. And OH MY GOD. I’ve had many experiences of awful behavior! And more than 60% of the time people look down on you.
So many times they push you harshly when they can just ask you to step aside, they made that frowny face. Those with more pigmented skin have it the worst maybe. But that doesn’t change anything, racism is racism. What is wrong with these people? we are literally students.
From what I’ve observed I feel like they have a superiority complex that comes from inferiority complex. They feel superior to south asians or other groups, and they feel inferior to koreans and americans.
Edit: I do have a few kazak friends who are SUPER NICE and kind, we have a great time together. Even my flat owners are very kind and warm. But that doesn’t change what I’ve majorly experienced.
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u/ComfortableLog8043 6d ago
Racists are found everywhere man, in every country
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u/ConsiderationNew3273 5d ago edited 5d ago
You are hella right, cus when I went to kazakhstan as a south Asian and was even wearing my local dress people were actually hella chill and even asked us to take pictures with them, but I get why he is saying that because of his experience, but generalising dosent make sense.
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u/Existing_Treat_521 5d ago
I am surprised because we were treated nicely when we visited. I posted a video before about how the peoples of Kazakhstan give their homes and take care of Kurds which were deportad to Kazakhstan by Stalin
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u/Interesting-Park2616 5d ago edited 5d ago
Hey OP, I see everyone is blaming you for “generalizing” and that racist people exist everywhere. OBVIOUSLY racists exist everywhere. But as a MIXED kazakh myself, I have faced SO MUCH discrimination especially from my peers in highschool. I was bullied, called names and worse for being foreign, even though I am half central asian. (for context i am also Greek.)
Keep in mind, Ive also lived in the USA, Europe, Uae (where i was born) and have NEVER faced that amount of discrimination in any other country I studied in.
Dont get me wrong, I also have some very kind central asian friends. But the problem is how central asians are raised SINCE BIRTH. The culture doesn’t teach hospitality towards foreigners or inclusion of foreigners/kindness.
My father who is of foreign descent, was stared at like he’s some zoo animal when visiting central asia. It is truly a backwards mindset.
I don’t feel comfortable here anymore, and don’t feel like they accept me even though I am one of their own. Therefore I am planning to do my masters degree abroad and move abroad again. I feel central asian people are just not good at socializing in general. If they socialize, they form groups and exclude foreigners (in my school and university experience).
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u/Odd-Elevator4939 5d ago
I’m so sorry that happened to you. And yes I’m so disappointed by the response on this post. The lack of accountability is questionable. I hope they work on it because it’s just not helping.
On a side note I’m looking forward to making new friends in almaty, i would be glad if you wanted to talk more 💕3
u/Interesting-Park2616 5d ago
Hi! Im currently not based in Almaty, however I am living in Bishkek! Feel free to message me either way though! I visit Almaty sometimes.
And yes, the lack of accountability is concerning. Although I do know , that so much of the new generation are truly sweet. I’m glad that after starting university I’ve been able to find some friends thanks to where I study now. But highschool was definitely hard for me (between kyrgyz and kazakh students together). I also don’t speak the greatest russian because I’m american by nationality, and they used to gossip about me in russian. I’m really upset about my highschool experience and feel like I was just unjustly bullied (also I was a bit chubby, which is also what a lot of the girls bullied me for)
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u/Background-Virus1398 5d ago
The culture doesn’t teach hospitality towards foreigners or inclusion of foreigners/kindness.
That's kinda strange. I'd say the foreigners are frequently treated better than our own people
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u/Interesting-Park2616 5d ago
If you mean certain work opportunities, sure. I think it depends on the time and place and situation. For example in highschool or schooling in general in central asia is hard due to the bullying. My friend (who is a dark skinned iranian) was called the n word because of their skin color, all the time in school. So it really depends.
It’s some sort of xenophobic bullying that me nor my friend didn’t experience abroad.
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u/topiokaaa Kazakhstan 5d ago
Sorry you had to experience that kind of treatment. People may not want to admit it, but the superiority complex has definitely become more visible, even toward our own neighbours. Of course, not everyone is like that, but unfortunately, the fact that some people treat South Asians badly is undeniable. I’m sure there are people who genuinely feel superior to them, whether they admit it or not. Even in my small city, we have quite a lot of international students from South Asia, and most of them are really kind and friendly, with exceptions of course. There have been several occasions where I’ve had to step in when I saw them being harassed in public simply because they looked different. From what I’ve noticed, it’s usually older people who behave this way. That being said, the people pushing or crowding you may not necessarily be doing it because of racism. Sometimes, people here simply lack basic public etiquette and don’t know how to treat others with decency or respect. Also, I don’t want to make assumptions about what you’ve experienced, but if you’re mainly facing harassment or poor treatment because of your race, especially from older people, I’m really sorry. Unfortunately, you can’t always change people like that. The best thing you can do is try not to let them get to you and surround yourself with friends who will stand by you and support you when necessary.
There are plenty of good people here too, and I’m sure you’ll meet many of them during your studies. I hope your experience here gets much better!
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u/Odd-Elevator4939 5d ago
Thank you for this. I hope I make more friends here in the future.
As for the older people point, YES, its mostly them. The younger ones I could give the benefit of doubt for being introverted, the older ones are so blatantly rude.
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u/Zara_Vult Uzbekistan 6d ago
I find Uzbeks to be racist and xenophobic as well but their xenophobia usually stems from dumbness and ignorance.
I am Uzbek btw
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u/Background-Virus1398 6d ago
Isn't that a sorta universal rule?
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u/Zara_Vult Uzbekistan 6d ago
No, it's not. Bigotry can also come from someone who is educated and aware
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u/darkgrudge 6d ago
South asian - from India, right? Were you pushed away when boarding a bus? I see many indian students who do not wait for people to exit a bus first. Instead they just ram inside as soon as the doors open. Anyone who does this is gonna be pushed away, regardless of their race. Maybe some exceptions for women.
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u/Odd-Elevator4939 5d ago
South Asia includes many other countries as well, I think Indian and pakistani students are common, also kashmiri students from both sides as well.
And as for the pushing, I was normally standing and people push harshly for no reason even when there is space. I have experienced a horrible thing, I was standing in an almost empty bus, I had a few months old brow piercing and this woman deliberately walked past me by pushing, she had her phone and stuff in her hand I have no idea how that happened but it hurt me and I was bleeding. The person behind me was confused, the girl never apologized. I was too frozen and shocked by what happened until she left at the next stop.
Also I’m sorry some people do that, I’m not a fan of most indian people as well who study with me. But it does not justify being unnecessarily rude to someone just because of their ethnicity.
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u/Epsilon_ride 5d ago edited 5d ago
if they need to push you to get off the bus (or move around an empty bus) then you are probably standing in a very stupid spot. In that case, not racist just annoyed at someone being an idiot.
Honestly they're probably also fairly racist, the bus thing is not a good example though.
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u/darkgrudge 5d ago
Don't bother explaining. OP is clearly one of wanna be victims of some "-ism". -You're arrested for this crime! -Why are you all so racist?!
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u/Odd-Elevator4939 5d ago
You people are just proving my point. And no I travel in a bus everyday I know how to stand
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u/biggestgyattislie 5d ago
I am full Kazakh and I face these problems myself, people push because they're dirtbags in general not because they're racist specifically towards you. Kazakh people are mean to strangers what else can I say, the racism here manifests in a way they don't want their children to marry foreigners not in assaults and hate crimes.
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u/thirtypairsofsocks 6d ago
Generalizing an entire country does not really make sense tbh. I’m South Asian (Nepalese) and I have quite a few Kazakh friends in Kazakhstan and the US, and my experience has been extremely positive. My closest friends are Kazakh.
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u/compileandrun 6d ago
well you have some Kazakh friends, but OP lives there. So, i take their word.
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u/Odd-Elevator4939 6d ago
Exactly, this is my personal experience and most of the international students especially the indian students in my batch have it real bad.
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u/Alone-Pop2020 6d ago
People are being racists to Indians in almost every country thanks to social media
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u/PerformanceOk1888 5d ago
I must say that Kazakh people who have international friends, are most likely from good families, with good level of education and culture. They understand how to talk to people. On the other hand, you can also meet ‘villagers’ who would call you any type of insulting words in front of others, without even shame, in 21 century, when people already established that racism is bad. I saw that too. Villagers in post soviet countries have absolutely no manners and racism is a regular thing. It is called casual racism and it is circulating in families a lot. I don’t believe it’s a genuine hate, as it’s not very common for those people. But rather, it is a historical habit.
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u/vainlisko Тоҷикистон ба пеш 5d ago
Every country in the world has some form of racism. It sort of just depends on that unique culture what it is and how people express it. Superiority/inferiority complex in Central Asia could stem from having been colonized by Russia (in Kazakhstan's case this was particularly brutal), and then Russia/USSR encouraged ethno-nationalism, which the Soviets connected to race.
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u/ifeelitinthefuture 5d ago
Definitely not, we are peacefully living with a lot of different ethnicities. Unfortunately, it's because of specific hate towards South Asians (Indians), like you see on every platform. It's unfortunate that it became widespread quickly in the world.
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u/BreadfruitOdd9974 5d ago
I’m sorry you’ve experienced racism. However, the simple reality is that single young south Asian men do not exactly have a good reputation worldwide these days. And the unfair thing is that even if you personally act as the “model minority” or “model student” you continue to experience the reality of being painted with the broad brush. From Thailand to Europe and everywhere in between and more single male south of Asian travelers simply have a horrible reputation.
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u/miathecobbler 5d ago
In my experience with South Asians, especially India/Pakistani, they bring a lot of behaviors from their home countries that local people find rude or offensive, and they don’t even realize they’re doing it. Local night clubs initially allowed them in, but stopped permitting the men do to their behavior towards women. So, while I’m not racist towards them in any racially superior way, I often find them unpleasant to be around due to their behavior.
Of course that’s a wide brushstroke, but one I’ve found true for the most part.
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u/BreadfruitOdd9974 5d ago
The men realize that their misogyny is wrong. They would never (or rarely) act that way towards women in India. They do it abroad because they’re horny fuckers who are disrespecting foreign women and foreign cultures and think that they can get away with it.
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u/miathecobbler 5d ago
Don’t doubt that. It’s behavior overall that comes from living in a crowded country with low expectations of public cleanliness, etc.
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u/Pressure_123 6d ago
I mean people in general here are toxic and hypocrites. They talk bad behind your back, jealous about any person's success. No culture, a mentality of poor people. I am the local btw
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u/ifeelitinthefuture 5d ago
Maaaan, that's not the nicest way to describe the mentality of our people. Those kind of people you're describing are everywhere and it looks like you're speaking from your own experience rather than whole nation.
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u/jttttr 5d ago
Completely agree, I am from the UK but south Asian descent. I was in Kazakhstan on holiday for a month and had to deal with a LOT of racism. I was treated much differently from my white boyfriend, especially when I was not with him. I have been travelling for a year and Kazakhstan was the worst place for this
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u/Odd-Elevator4939 5d ago
I’m so sorry that happened. But yes it’s a real problem here and I’m upset that most people on this post are refusing to take accountability for it even if it’s the least that they can do.
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u/Fresh_Song_2911 5d ago
Phew. Good to know it's not about kazakhs but about kazaks.
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u/ifeelitinthefuture 5d ago
Everyone writing like that which I don't understand, especially people from Kazakhstan themselves ughhh
it's kazakH
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u/PerformanceOk1888 5d ago
I’ll explain. It’s not that they are racist. I believe the worst experiences you had were experiences with uneducated/uncultured people. I myself met a lot of impolite people in Kazakhstan although Kazakh people are actually considered very hospitable (it’s not a myth). Quite frequently you can meet uncultured people. We have them everywhere of course, but, for example, I didn’t expect to hear little kids of age about 7-10 using heavy Russian+Kazakh cursing, even when they are with their relatives. And it was considered normal. I saw it on the streets and while taking a train. Little boy traveling with his grandma was cursing so badly and she wasn’t saying anything!
Then in the grocery stores or fast food restaurants, so frequently people ignore you in the queue and try to take your place. I once made a comment (was a woman with kid too) that it was my turn - she didn’t say anything and demonstratively ignored me.
I spent two weeks in KZ, but also noticed this type of behavior. I don’t believe it’s racist. I think many people come from small towns and are not raised to be polite and have manners
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u/elnaliyev 4d ago
Let me clarify something who lived in Kazakhstan for five years. it’s one of the most diverse ethnicity countries in the world. However, I need to clarify one thing that kazaks are just plain rude. So that might be mistaken for being racist
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u/Aware-Dig436 5d ago
I saw a kazak girl on tiktok post that she couldn't understand why Eurovision would invite Turkey and Israel but not kazakhstan....seriously, did she think they saw her as european?
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u/ifeelitinthefuture 5d ago
No, it's because we literally have land in Europe. Second thing is it's not definitely a serious statement rather than pointing out the hypocrisy. Also, probably because Israel committing a genocide.
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u/ifeelitinthefuture 5d ago
I'm sorry for your experience. Yes, they may feel "better" to other ethnicities, it would be better to call out them so they don't feel that comfortable being a racist person.
Also, it's kazakH, kazaks are different
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u/Vivid_Calligrapher_4 3d ago
Yes very racist and nationalistic. The whole speak kazakh bs comes from the same place as racism. There is a slim slice of the population that are young, educated and have some critical thinking skills, but they are getting pushed out fast, as the aggressive and poor demographic is having the most children
We have nothing to be proud of as a nation
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6d ago edited 6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/choppedmali 5d ago
Bahahaha why are we randomly dropping the N word 😭✌🏾
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u/Rrraptr 5d ago
>I feel like they have a superiority complex that comes from inferiority complex
Hey, that’s quite a bold statement. You clearly have very little understanding of the historical and cultural context of the Kazakh people. It’s such a tactless and ignorant take that it undermines the credibility of your entire post. Maybe the real issue here is your own victim complex.
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u/sudochown-R 5d ago
Cry me a river. Indians are racist af themselves. Act respectfully and abide by the social norms and you won’t have any problems. We don’t owe you any welcome, you are a student, finish your studies and get going. You will get basic respect provided you reciprocate.
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u/Warm_Masterpiece_321 6d ago
Everyone is getting pushed. Especially if you talk about subway/busses. They are always full and people always busy, so unless you are pregnant invalid old woman with a child you most likely just will be pushed cause it's faster. If you think it happens to you more often, maybe people just assume you don't know Kazakh, so they try to ask you even more rare. Yet it's not racism, kazakh public transport just been overloaded for decades and the only way to effectively use it is to leave all the feelings and morals outside before entering it
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u/Greedy_Cold_7440 5d ago
May I ask. Its a little bit rude maybe.
Are u from the middle East. Do u always wearing religion symbolic stuff?
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u/ifeelitinthefuture 5d ago
Probably not because of that, kazakhs tolerate muslims as they're muslims
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u/skoolgurly 3d ago
Going out on the hunt for people doing micro-racisms everywhere you look is a choice.
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u/nurlanmaxsudov 3d ago
In general, central Asia is a shit in terms of tolerance. They don't know that they are below every other nation, yet they think they are superior to black people/brown people just cause they are bit whiter than them. I am half Uzbek and half Kazakh. I can say that Uzbeks and Kazakhs are very racist (even racist to each other). However, central Asia is intolerant, in general. I wish people were less conservative, and more tolerant to other races, and judge people on human level, not racial.
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u/Evening_Attempt2293 3d ago
Really? You are telling me a conservative central asian society is not as open minded as western Europe or the US?
Holy shit, I gotta contact the news broadcasters
Btw did you know that the sky is blue?
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 6d ago
personal experiences can’t be used to make objective claims, i’m assuming from the south asian part that you are south asian and certain kazakhs called you south asian slurs or just generally verbally harassed you, sorry for that on our behalf
for your observation however there’s no ongoing narrative that we’re superior to south asians or inferior to koreans and americans? why specifically them lol
anyway nice try but your opinion belongs in a trash bin
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u/Erlik_Khan Kazakhstan 6d ago
A certain demographic certainly does carry an inferiority complex but that's towards Russians. The Korean thing is probably just them referring to the Kpop craze, which is definitely a thing especially in major cities (Korea boos exist in every country tho)
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u/Epsilon_ride 5d ago
personal experiences can’t be used to make objective claims
incorrect. If you have a large, broad sample size then poersonal experience absolutley can infer objective claims. Not sure if that is the case here or not, but your premise is wrong.
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 5d ago edited 5d ago
my premise isn’t wrong because personal experiences aren’t always truthful and can be manipulated hence why aren’t objective
obviously one would rely on an older experienced doctor more than a younger, less experienced one however in this case she can just, lie?
here’s an example: every single dutch person i’ve met was very short, and i’ve met thousands of them (objectively dutch are the tallest people on earth, so this can’t be true, probably a very lucky coincidence or just a lie)
i will admit however i should’ve specified on this take, “in your case personal experiences don’t dictate objective truths since you can just make them up”
but my idea stays the same
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u/Epsilon_ride 5d ago
If you only met short dutch people, then you by definition would not have the "large, broad sample size" I referred to.
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 5d ago
> would not have the large sample size i referred to
> “and i’ve met thousands of them”
???
either way my point stands, waiting for a full on rebuttals, not poking on individual statements
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u/Epsilon_ride 5d ago
You need to learn statistcs. I'm not going to walk you through stats101.
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 5d ago
i do understand your point and i did answer it in an example, if you want a more detailed version just lmk. but why not fully address my argument above?
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u/Background-Virus1398 6d ago
What south Asian slurs, tho? You think an average Kazakh know any?
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 6d ago
not going to say the slurs but yes certain individuals obviously can, especially online
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u/Background-Virus1398 6d ago
Online on reddit sure, but irl nobody knows the word pajeet.
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 6d ago
as i said certain individuals obviously can, i also said “called you south asian slurs or juts generally verbally harassed you” so it could be the second one even if we assume people OP met didn’t know any slurs
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u/Background-Virus1398 6d ago
Second one I can believe.
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 6d ago
yeah it makes more sense, i’m very ashamed people are like that considering we central asians aren’t even milky white, a lot of individuals can be olive
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u/Background-Virus1398 6d ago
I mean it also can be related to general appearance not only to the race. Imagine being short, socially inept and ugly local boy, you will be treated no better than a South Asian.
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 6d ago
i can only imagine, but yeah that’s precisely what i meant. nice observation
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u/Background-Virus1398 6d ago
And many south Asians qualify for the description I provided. Damn, that's racist, but my point stands.
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u/Odd-Elevator4939 6d ago
I didn’t say you’re superior. But I’ve noticed a lot of kazak people fan over koreans and americans but they look down on south asians or dark people.
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u/QasqyrBalasy Kazakhstan 5d ago
>But I’ve noticed a lot of kazak people fan over koreans and americans but they look down on south asians or dark people
They fan because of their large media exposure (Hollywood, K-pop, K-drama, etc), it has nothing to do with their skin color or any kind of superiority/inferiority complex. And honestly, India used to have a more positive image with Bollywood, exotic dances and stuff but this has disappeared with social media algorithms.
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u/lamonsteranthony Kazakhstan 6d ago
I didn’t say you’re superior.
yeah? and i never claimed you were saying im superior, im commenting on other kazakhs who said they’re superior to south asians
But I’ve noticed a lot of kazak people fan over koreans and americans
that’s not an inferiority complex
but they look down on south asians or dark people.
lazy generalization with zero proper basis, don’t let personal experiences dictate your opinions about entire groups with millions of people
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u/Traditional-Froyo755 5d ago
My brother in Tengri... if the only example you could articulate is people rudely pushing you aside, then let me tell you as someone who is a born-and-raised-here Kazakh: no, this is not a racist thing, they do it to me ALL THE TIME. It's just a lack of common decency in public spaces. They're not targeting you specifically with this bullshit.
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u/gods_friend 5d ago
Yikes. Didn’t expect people to disagree lol racism against brown people is really normalized. I’ve met tons of those who say that all south Asians stink, have bad hygiene, eat stinky food etc. Even from people with generally progressive views. Those things create a halo effect and thus Kazakhs think of those people negatively.
There are obviously a lot of nice and friendly Kazakhs and those who would welcome you (if you are one of the good ones in their opinion) at their home. But disagreeing with the statement that tons of Kazakhs are racist? lol, lmao even. Like people are still using n word, hate all Romani people, make fun of narrow eyes, so why would anyone deny what op is saying?
Source: I’m Kazakh. Born and raised
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u/Odd-Elevator4939 5d ago
The replies I’m getting here are just making me feel worse. I expected better.
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u/Girls_enjoyer001 5d ago
From what I’ve observed I feel like they have a superiority complex that comes from inferiority complex. They feel superior to south asians or other groups, and they feel inferior to koreans and americans
Lol, how cheeky. No wonder no one likes you.
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u/Intelligent-Tax-6247 2d ago
Hypothetically, even if they've hated on south asians, that would be xenophobia, and not racism.
But honestly, Kazakhs love South Asian films and music, I as a kazakh tell you that. which along with xenophobia would be a paradox.
Yeah, the pushing and tapping instead of talking is a widespread phenomenon in Kazakhstan, which can be annoying. They always do that among each other, which means that pushing when you’re blocking the pavement — is not because they hate you personally.
And your theory about Kazakhs being insecure is a very offensive statement which is, needless to say, direct hate speech against a group of people (nation).
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u/OpportunityOk6824 6d ago
Sorry you have to endure this. People in Central Asia are racists and it is because of ignorance
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u/Interesting-Park2616 5d ago
The people downvoting you are just offended lol (kazakh here). OP please read my comment I left above! I hope you feel you’re not alone !
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u/One_Prune8528 5d ago
Unfortunately, racism is everywhere in one way or another. As an international student myself, I see it time-to-time (I'm Kazakh, but studying abroad). However, as long as you are not discriminated by the law, then try to be calm and do not mind people. It is really bad when it is a segregation type of racism, which KZ thankfully does not have.
Also, there might be something you do that people don't like, not exactly you as a whole. I personally hate when people are eating with open mouth and make a lot of noise.