American stand-up comedian, actor and filmmaker Louis CK recently visited India. In March, he came to India as part of his ‘Ridiculous’ tour, marking his first-ever performance in the country. Now, in a free-wheeling chat with friend Jim Norton, he opened up about what he saw during the time he stayed in India, taking special note of how poverty functions in the big cities. He compared the poverty and economic structure of India with New York to show what is different in both the cities.
What Louis CK said about India
In a clip that was shared by Jim on his Instagram account, Louis said, “The feeling in India is that… and I am ignorant. I saw what I saw. Nobody is on the street looking like s***. Nobody’s on drugs and nobody is living homeless, like the way in the streets in New York. I see guys with a bubble syringe, shooting up in broad daylight all the time. I see guys bent over like that… I did not see a single person like that in any of the places we went to in India.”
How it differs from New York city standards of poverty
He continued, “From the hotel we could see this area that was like corrugated steel cube with tarps over them. A whole city block. There is a functioning poverty there and there are many levels of housing that are way cheaper. Whereas here, we have a standard. If you fall below it, you are just f***ed! If you cannot afford a home in New York City, you are on the street and you freeze to death. Nobody looks at you and there are no jobs for you. You can’t get a job if you don’t have credit rating in this country. A credit card and a real identity. One cannot hustle and see what can be done.”
Several users on Instagram reacted to the comments made by Louis, and agreed with him largely. One said, “India is not a poor country – it’s a country where poor can survive and gets a hence to thrive.” Another said, “Functioning Poverty- what a great term.. It is true though… That poverty has no place in western countries and Indian Poor is better off than any other Poor.” A comment read, “The thing is India has improved a lot!!! Obviously there’s still room for more but it has come a long way in past decade and people are not ready to accept the fact that a country can change so much in so quickly!”
Louis made a stop at Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi for his tour in India in March. The debut tour featured sold-out shows and was managed via District by Zomato.