Shocking (and modern sounding) racism from the Turkic Khan against the people of the Indian subcontinent! Ironic too that a Turkic barbarian calling Indians uncivilized. It seems this racist sentiment by Central Asians is nothing new starting with the Aryans during the Bronze Age and culminating with the Timurid invasion of India and subsequent Mughal dynasty.
Indians were very visible in the steppe at the time, because they were a lot of people, and also because they traveled often as merchants or Buddhist priests and translators. If you lived in the Central Asian steppes, the darkest people you could conceive of were not Africans or Papuans, since you didn't know they existed: they were the Indians.
Indeed. But why the contempt exhibited by the Khan towards Indians I wonder? It’s reminiscent of today’s internet hate for Indians, did you see that press conference with Marco Rubio in India where he was asked about the online hate towards Indians? Weird. It’s understandable today with India being ruled by the incompetent former tea seller and buffoonish Indian behavior overseas. Were Indians the same in the 7th century? This is contrast to the hospitality shown to Xuanzhang by the Turk, … and I thought Han Chinese and nomadic Turks were blood enemies? With Tang Taizong and his generals defeating, intriguing, enslaving and ethnically cleansing Turks on an industrial scale reminiscent of Caesar in Gaul.
I wouldn’t read too much into that, honestly. Just average, casual racism of the kind people sometimes use to bond with each other. I see it more like “you Chinese suck but not as much as the Indians.” Just like expats bond by mocking locals wherever they live, that kind of thing.
Shocking (and modern sounding) racism from the Turkic Khan against the people of the Indian subcontinent! Ironic too that a Turkic barbarian calling Indians uncivilized. It seems this racist sentiment by Central Asians is nothing new starting with the Aryans during the Bronze Age and culminating with the Timurid invasion of India and subsequent Mughal dynasty.
Everybody insulted each other, to be fair
Yeah but to call out ‘dark skin’ of Indians specifically? His title should be KKKhan maybe ??
Indians were very visible in the steppe at the time, because they were a lot of people, and also because they traveled often as merchants or Buddhist priests and translators. If you lived in the Central Asian steppes, the darkest people you could conceive of were not Africans or Papuans, since you didn't know they existed: they were the Indians.
Indeed. But why the contempt exhibited by the Khan towards Indians I wonder? It’s reminiscent of today’s internet hate for Indians, did you see that press conference with Marco Rubio in India where he was asked about the online hate towards Indians? Weird. It’s understandable today with India being ruled by the incompetent former tea seller and buffoonish Indian behavior overseas. Were Indians the same in the 7th century? This is contrast to the hospitality shown to Xuanzhang by the Turk, … and I thought Han Chinese and nomadic Turks were blood enemies? With Tang Taizong and his generals defeating, intriguing, enslaving and ethnically cleansing Turks on an industrial scale reminiscent of Caesar in Gaul.
I wouldn’t read too much into that, honestly. Just average, casual racism of the kind people sometimes use to bond with each other. I see it more like “you Chinese suck but not as much as the Indians.” Just like expats bond by mocking locals wherever they live, that kind of thing.