An attempt by a group of men to mock Indian YouTuber Passenger Paramvir and his friend with a racist stereotype reportedly ended with the men becoming the target of a sharp comeback.
Paramvir said he was walking with his friend in Los Angeles when the group approached them and initially started a seemingly normal conversation. His friend struggled to understand where the conversation was heading until one of the men asked whether they worked at 7-Eleven.
Paramvir immediately recognised the stereotype behind the question.
The 7-Eleven stereotype
In a video explaining the encounter, Paramvir said the question was a reference to a stereotype commonly directed at South Asians and other brown people in the United States.
He explained that Indians and other Asians are sometimes stereotyped as convenience-store workers or Uber drivers. Paramvir also claimed that people of Arab backgrounds are subjected to similar racial insults, saying Indians are associated with “7/11” while Arabs are referred to as “9/11.”
The $12-an-hour offer
The exchange then became more direct. One of the men reportedly claimed that he owned multiple 7-Eleven stores and asked Paramvir whether he would work at one of them for $12 an hour.
Rather than accept the insult, Paramvir responded with a jab of his own.
“You can’t afford me. Why don’t you use that $12 to buy a real chain instead of the fake one you’re wearing, so you don’t have to wear a fake one the next time you’re in Vegas?”
The livestream backfires
Paramvir's response appeared to catch the man off guard. According to Paramvir's account, the man became visibly aggressive, but the confrontation did not escalate further.
What began as an attempt to embarrass Paramvir and his friend on camera instead became an awkward moment for the men involved.
Paramvir later shared the full encounter on YouTube, using the incident to explain the racial stereotype behind the 7-Eleven question and how he interpreted the group's comments.
