New York: Twitteraties lauded an Indian American man for standing up to his friends who didn’t want him to return the wallet of a delivery man.
The man, Vinay, took to Twitter to narrate the incident to describe a scuffle with his “homies” when he wanted to return the wallet without stealing the money.
Vinay found a delivery man’s wallet along with a Mexican consulate ID and $300, and while he was thinking of finding a way to return the assets to its owner, his friends insisted on “pocketing the money”. Why so? “That’s just the way how the world works.” Vinay said this conversation with his friends made him “sick to his stomach.”
“One homie even kicked the wallet to be funny,” to which he vehemently objected, “You DON’T do that- especially to money.” Vinay tweeted that he was harassed by his friends to give them some cash out of the lost wallet. He snapped and reminded them that despite being a New York University graduate with a family Ferrari, they are ‘begging’ for an immigrant’s money.
“Your dad drives a Ferrari and you’re out here begging me for a delivery man’s money,” Vinay recalled saying and his humiliation towards his “family name” did affect his friends.
Citing this as an example, Vinay urged people to not be chaotic and make others’ lives harder, “especially if you come from a position of vast (education + monetary) privilege.” He also pointed out that $300 might not appear as a huge sum, but for many, that amount can cost a person his life. “A non-hypothetical immigrant man, whose entire livelihood dropped on the road, worked his ass off for that money. No amount of ‘that’s just how the way the world works’ justifies not returning it,” added Vinay.
Putting himself on a lower pedestal, he stated, “I’m not saying I’m tougher, smarter, or better than anyone. But sometimes you’re put in situations where the right thing to do is so obvious. I didn’t mean to roast my friend’s dad. But I was being berated by my own guys for wanting to return a deliveryman’s work earnings.”
“I guess the point of all this is: stand your moral high ground. Especially when you know something is inherently right or wrong. And don’t allow yourself to be shamed for conscious decisions, Vinay said, further adding, “It’s also important to understand when you yourself cross a line- which I guess I did.”
He posted a photo of the wallet that he returned to the delivery person. Vinay said that the entirety of the wallet was untouched.
Vinay’s account of the incident went viral with netizens taking to the comments section to hail the young man’s morals in standing his ground. Many also shared similar experiences.
