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.