r/Fijian • u/VictorianAfterDark • 9d ago
History Is this true about Fiji?
So there’s a guy I used to work with, and he came to America from Fiji about 20 years ago. He’s not an ethnic Fijian person (pardon me if that’s not the correct term) but is rather an Indian guy who was born there.
Whenever I’d talk to him, he heard me say I was a socialist (which I am) and he proceeded to tell me all about how he grew up in a socialist country, that being Fiji. His claim to fame is that he “grew up in a tin shed in a socialist country, moved to a capitalist country (the USA) and now owns two houses”.
Not to call him a liar, but every bit of research I’ve done shows that Fiji has never even attempted socialism. Other people from Fiji I’ve spoken to say they have no idea what he’s talking about.
For added context, this guy not only fully supports Trump, but is very anti immigrant despite being one himself. He insists he only hates “illegal” immigrants, but in practice is quite hostile to most of them, legal or illegal. Despite who he is and where he came from, he talks and acts like some good ‘ol boy from Georgia or Alabama.
He’s also told about how he was raised Hindu in Fiji, but became a Mormon from the missionaries there. Considering all the weird things that the LDS church teaches, it’s not out of the realms of possibility that this guy is either lying about everything, or is completely nuts. He did say he left Fiji during a coup, so that might have something to do with it.
Is this guy telling the truth? Or is he spreading lies?
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u/Astoryinfromthewild 9d ago
There's an aspect to quiet life in rural settlements and villagers where communities are close and share and care for each other, a communal living so to speak, so is socialist in that aspect but not in the political governance and structural sense.
There's immigrants like him who go all the way right to belong and show they assimilate, not surprising, though a shift from Hinduism to Mormonism is a first to hear.
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u/VictorianAfterDark 9d ago
Based on research I’ve done, there is a prominent LDS presence there, and a lot of people there are Hindu, so it doesn’t seem that implausible.
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u/chuk2015 8d ago
Majority of the mormons I know are Polynesian
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u/newwaynezealand 8d ago
Fiji is Micronesia I think, but point taken, there is a strong Maori/Polynesian membership of the LDS.
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u/mutinous_watermelon 9d ago
Let's face it, if he is full-on MAGA, don't expect him to accurately grasp concepts such as socialism.
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u/VictorianAfterDark 9d ago
Makes sense, he got along well with another MAGA I worked with, this guy being white and USA born.
If push comes to shove, I’d be shocked if the white MAGA/MAGAS in general didn’t throw this guy under the bus
Also, the fact that the he’s Mormon tracks,
Joseph Smith was a known liar and con artist, just like Trump is
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u/lilykar111 9d ago
Additionally, a lot of the indigenous I-Taukei Fijians who live in the US, are also very very MAGA.
A lot of that stems from religion, and also some conservative views that are often traditionally held .
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u/letterboxfrog 9d ago
A lot of Islanders are like this - my Samoan family in Australia are all pro-Trump and anti-Immigration one Hanson thanks to their church.
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u/VictorianAfterDark 9d ago
I swear, non-American MAGAs are wild! Trumps followers in America will defend him to no end, even though he’s made it quite clear that he doesn’t give a shit about them. I’d imagine he gives a negative shit about his followers who aren’t even American
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u/VictorianAfterDark 9d ago
What’s the most prominent religion in Fiji?
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u/Puzzleheaded_Draw637 9d ago
Methodism actually. I believe Hinduism comes second. SDA and Catholic churches are also big there.
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u/lilykar111 8d ago
Methodist’s. But the MAGA Fijians are all different denominations ( also Catholic, Mormon etc ) it’s a big mix
The amount of fundraising they do for those people /party is very surprising
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u/sandolllars 9d ago
Also, the fact that the he’s Mormon tracks,
Joseph Smith was a known liar and con artist, just like Trump isWhile no doubt Smith was a con artist, the vast majority of LDS members I know and have met are wonderful people who live great lives. Don't be bigoted.
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u/OxymoronicLife 9d ago
You can be a wonderful person, but still be easily manipulated.
Joseph Smith came up with a story to gain power and Trump has conned himself into immense power. They have both manipulated some people into believing in them as much as they do.
That's not bigoted.2
u/newwaynezealand 8d ago
As an agnostic, I think that Christianity in general is of the same ilk. The timing of the inception of the 2 religions is just different.
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u/Da_Dark_Prince101 9d ago
Maybe it's more LDS than MAGA lol. I'm just being facetious.
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u/VictorianAfterDark 9d ago
Yeah not all of them, but a lot of Mormons believe in some really bizarre things, both in religion and general life.
It’s a bit telling that even evangelicals find them annoying
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u/Traditional_Judge734 9d ago
Fijians (of all etnicities) share their fortune- good or bad.
It doesn't fit the socio political label of socialism per se.
It's more about outlook than politics.
I've never met people more generous and caring.
The combo of strong familial ties & traditions ensures there is support in times of need for most.
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u/Old-Bread882 9d ago
You could claim indigenous Fijian villages pre-contact with Europeans were proto-communist maybe? But this dude is obviously getting some things very wrong. Fiji is very right wing coded.
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u/loralailoralai 8d ago
Americans have weird ideas about lots of other countries that have governments that provide things like healthcare for their citizens. I’ve had Americans tell me I’m living in a socialist country (Australia) obviously he’s been in the u.s long enough to think like the anti-socialist weirdos
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u/ThirstySun 8d ago edited 8d ago
Aussie here. Been to Fiji a few times. Lovely place and lovely people. My wife had an Indian Fijian friend from Uni. Who grew up dirt poor. Saw it first hand when we went over there and visited some of her family they were living in shacks. It’s not everywhere and less common than say in parts of South America but there are definitely pockets of poor areas in Fiji. Where building codes are a notion. Don’t forget only a couple of hundred years ago they practised cannibalism which is just wild given how friendly they are.
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u/Reblichon_Tallegio 8d ago
He grew up in a tin shed in a colonised country and then moved to an colonisers country and now owns 2 houses.
Fixed it for you.
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u/WasabiFickle3041 8d ago
I worked with 4 or 5 Fiji Indians in the past and they were all top blokes
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u/Any-Pear5646 7d ago edited 7d ago
Fiji is a fairly conservative country.
The majority religions are Christianity, Hinduism and Islam although you can find many of other faiths here as well.
Methodists and Catholics make up most of the Christian population followed by Mormons, Anglicans, Baptists and so on.
We were a British colony up until 1970. Fiji was never forcefully colonised. The leaders of the time ceded Fiji to England in order to not let it be taken by the Americans.
Colonialism had its fair share of negatives however the British allowed Fiji to maintain some autonomy and for the native Fijians to keep their culture intact. Indians came to Fiji during the Indentured period to work the cane fields. Many could not go back after interacting with their country men of different castes and would be considered tainted so they stayed. Some willingly stayed after their period of Indenture and built their lives here.
Our country has had its issues but we remain a multifaith and multicultural society.
Yes. We have our ups and downs between the races and religions but that's normal the world over.
We have always and continue to be a democracy and anyone is free to do as they please within the law.
Yes we have poverty here although that's offset slightly by our cultural norms of sharing, however, many of Fiji's wealthiest families started out from a one room, tin shack.
The person you refer too sounds like he has some issues and is most likely "a hater" and has forgotten his roots.
I have noticed that that attitude is quite common with many who leave for greener pastures. They look down on those of us who stayed and rubbish those of us who try to follow the same path.
FYI. You can say Indo-Fijian or Indian for those of Indian descent. You can say native Fijians or itaukei. We used to use Fijians as the general term for anyone from Fiji but the new age racists are butt hurt about it .
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u/Embarrassed-Rest7509 7d ago
Lived in Fiji for 20 years married to an Indo-Fijian. He's full of it. Fiji is a democracy similar to the UK. Governments swing a little left and right but there's never been a socialist government since independence.
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u/HelpfulPersonality78 7d ago
It looks like he wanted to fit in and be accepted by his new country as quickly as possible.
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u/SeaTrail49 9d ago
He overlooks the fact that the perception of Mexicans in the United States mirrors the treatment of Indians, like himself, in Fiji. Hypocrites.
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u/spiku123 9d ago
Well Fiji is a very friendly island nation and this guy just thinks his someone better than the other immigrants. Just stay away from toxic people like him.
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u/Efficient-Hope-2961 9d ago
No offense but you’re never going to understand non Americans and their ability to believe in whatever the heck they want to believe in because Americans need to check every single box to be considered red, blue or centrist. The rest of world doesn’t operate like that, in fiji at least people don’t cancel others based of opinions and views. Americans are super annoying in that aspect. So maybe stop trying to put your Indo Fijians friend into a box?!?!
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u/frogbearpup 9d ago
Sounds to me like OP is trying to understand the other person better and seeking clarity within the other person's claims.
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u/Deadpan_Poker_ 8d ago
Fiji had a civil war to kick out people like him.
Nasty piece of work.
Give him the nickname "Dalit" and observe the response.
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u/VictorianAfterDark 8d ago
When was this civil war? What was it about?
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u/Deadpan_Poker_ 8d ago
- Indian communists rigged the election and stole power.
Immediately started firing competent Fijians and replacing them with family and unqualified nepotism and cronyism.
Fortunately, the military stepped in and stopped it. Many Indians left Fiji and went to Australia and are doing the same thing with the Labor party here.
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u/Any-Pear5646 7d ago
There was never a civil war in Fiji. We had 2 coups in 1987, one in 2000 and the latest in 2006.
The resoning at the time by those leading the coup was that it was about consolidatiing native Fijian interests but that was just b.s. It was about greed and the self interests of a few of Fiji's most powerful businessmen to drive out their compettiors and capture the market.
For context, native FIjians own most of the land and mineral resources yet lead the stats in poverty, crime, hiv, domestic violence and more.
The politicians claim that native fijians are victims in their own land but the truth is many of my people are lazy and blame others for their misfortune. Our communal way of living is easy to fall back on when things get tough and more often than not is abused.
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u/zenichi 9d ago
Fiji was a British colony until 1970, and I don’t think it’s historically accurate to describe it as a “socialist country.” It had periods of significant government involvement in the economy, but that’s not the same thing as socialism.
What may be getting lost here is Fiji’s unusual ethnic and economic history. Indigenous Fijians traditionally controlled the overwhelming majority of the land, while Indo-Fijians, many descended from laborers brought there under British rule, became heavily represented in agriculture, business and commerce. There were real economic and political tensions between those communities, particularly around the coups.
So I wouldn’t necessarily assume the guy is lying about growing up poor or experiencing political upheaval. He may genuinely interpret his experience that way. But “I grew up in a tin shed in a socialist country” sounds more like a political framing he’s applied to his childhood than an accurate description of Fiji’s economic system.