September 25, 2025 at 1:46 am

Rude Stranger Assumed A Shopper Knew Spanish, But When He Was A Different Ethnicity Altogether, She Went Off On Him For Neglecting To “Learn His Culture”

by Benjamin Cottrell

angry woman screaming

Pexels/Reddit

People often make quick assumptions about others based on how they look or where they think they come from.

He found that out the hard way when a stranger at a store decided to lecture him about a culture that wasn’t even his.

Read on for the full story!

Learn your culture!

This happened to me when I was in college, about 20 years ago, around 2002–2003.

I live in Texas and am Pakistani, so I look Hispanic.

So one woman who came up to him also made this assumption.

I was at a Best Buy looking at CDs when this lady walked up to me asking questions in Spanish, thinking that I was Hispanic.

I said, “Ma’am, I don’t work here, and I don’t speak Spanish.”

But instead of being embarrassed or admitting her mistake, she angrily doubled down.

Her face got really angry, and in decent English she said, “You should be ashamed of yourself for not knowing your culture! That’s the problem with you young kids — you think you are American and forget your culture.”

I told her I’m not Hispanic, I am from Pakistan.

The lady didn’t seem to care.

She got even more upset, called me a rude name, and walked away.

I was stunned at the entire interaction. I have been mistaken for Hispanic lots of times, but everyone else just apologizes and moves on.

This situation turned ugly fast.

What did Reddit think?

Apparently this is a common experience in some places.

Screenshot 2025 09 05 at 12.29.57 PM Rude Stranger Assumed A Shopper Knew Spanish, But When He Was A Different Ethnicity Altogether, She Went Off On Him For Neglecting To Learn His Culture

Making assumptions about people is just plain rude.

Screenshot 2025 09 05 at 12.30.29 PM Rude Stranger Assumed A Shopper Knew Spanish, But When He Was A Different Ethnicity Altogether, She Went Off On Him For Neglecting To Learn His Culture

This user can’t believe how mind-numbingly rude this woman was.

Screenshot 2025 09 05 at 12.32.12 PM Rude Stranger Assumed A Shopper Knew Spanish, But When He Was A Different Ethnicity Altogether, She Went Off On Him For Neglecting To Learn His Culture

Why not just mess with this lady?

Screenshot 2025 09 05 at 12.33.04 PM Rude Stranger Assumed A Shopper Knew Spanish, But When He Was A Different Ethnicity Altogether, She Went Off On Him For Neglecting To Learn His Culture

Some people would really rather cling to stereotypes than apologize and walk away.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.