I’ve often thought about that moment—the unnecessary injection of racial anxiety into my otherwise normal school day—when I think about the irony of progressive identity politics. My parents, both born in India but educated in America, would laugh about their well-intentioned but misguided friends who, in their eagerness to ward off the idea of “otherness,” ended up contributing to it.
So the people who knew the country well enough to see what was coming told you what was coming. You ignored them, your parents laughed at them.
But then a few days ago, I opened X to see my feed populated with anti-Indian vitriol—calling the country where my parents were born “filthy” and its people “filthy and undesirable.” Some condemned these comments but many others agreed, and still others criticized the critics for crying racism. But I could see it for what it was: raw bigotry.
Huh.
But now, we must all reckon with an ugly part of the MAGA agenda they did not realize existed.
Everyone who’s head wasn’t buried in the sand or laughing about “the irony of progressive politics” realized they existed.
And so, if Trump’s win is a revolutionary moment for MAGA, the people who voted for the revolution need to define which MAGA they believe in. Does “making America great again” revive the ideals of this country—or the grievances of a group of “native-born” Americans? If MAGA chooses the latter, those on the left who were dismissed as hysterical for crying racism will be vindicated in the worst way.
Whew, still not getting it I see. MAGA has made that choice already, and it hasn’t moved one bit during the time MAGA has existed.
I didn’t want to fracture that pride with the news of an ugly turn in our country’s politics. How do you tell someone the country they’ve loved for 50 years is harboring a growing faction that wishes he’d never come?
I think you can only tell them to pay attention next time and not laugh at those trying to give you a clue.
My grandfather voted for Trump three times. Now, part of that movement is calling immigrants like him ‘filthy.’
Your grandfather empowered them and is part of the problem.
Damn, it’s only January and my schadenfreude gland is already getting fatigued.
Mfw I realize they don’t consider me “one of the good ones”
“But surely I’m going to be an honorary aryan?!”
India has its own problems with class/caste and the language that surrounds it. Officially it’s no longer in play, but there are knock-on effects.
“filthy and undesirable.”
This already means something in the old caste system, specifically about the lowest “backwards caste” people (“untouchables”). Not to say that everyone involved has old-world bigotry in their hearts, but for those that do, this is likely an especially cutting insult.
Thanks for that additional context!
he is not anti immigrant he’s only anti illegal immigrant.
You thought “they’re poisoning the blood of our nation” was talking about illegal immigrants only?
Are you stupid or just bigoted against everyone else because you think you are too established to be thought as “other”?
Conservatives be conservatying no matter the skin color - until they come for them.
Well they lie about this constantly, every republican I’ve met will tell you ‘I have nothing against immigrants’’ but all them the details. Visa programs? (Legal immigration) nope, get rid of it. Refugee programs (legal and mandated temporary) That’s the dog and cat eating black skinned ones, NO get rid of it! Amnesty seekers (our laws designate and protect them, not every other country, legal) nope that’s the caravan of criminals roving free all across the boarder raping white women, kill em all. ‘Chain migration’ literally legal immigration, the majorly of legal spots to immigrate come from this and it takes UP TO 20 YEARS to get citizenship. Nope we don’t need more fucking mesicans end it! There is literally no form of legal immigration they don’t HEAVILY attack and hate.
What I hate most is that part of me understands. As a queer person, I’ve had people trying too hard to be cool and it’s awkward, and I’ve had bigots treat me like just anyone else to my face. If I was a fucking moron I might come to similar conclusions to the author. But the reality is that trying too hard is a statement of genuine care and acceptance, it’s an othering one, but one that says “you belong and I’ll put in effort in an attempt to show you that.”
I don’t call Maga racist because it’s trendy, I call it racist because I’m white and I’ve heard what they tell white people. They have a contingent that see any brown people coming into this country as stealing jobs whether those jobs are doing difficult low paid labor like agricultural work, skilled hard labor like construction, or extremely skilled labor like surgery. They don’t care they’ll claim surgeons coming in are stealing jobs from hardworking Americans even if those jobs are desperately understaffed. And they’ll probably accuse the surgeons of being rapists and gang members or terrorists or communists.
Her turning point:
But then a few days ago, I opened X to see my feed populated with anti-Indian vitriol—calling the country where my parents were born “filthy” and its people “filthy and undesirable.” Some condemned these comments but many others agreed, and still others criticized the critics for crying racism. But I could see it for what it was: raw bigotry.
Same old story:
My life is filled with immigrants from India and Nigeria and Lebanon and the Dominican Republic—many of whom are definitionally the “working class”—who voted for Trump. They are family members and neighbors, cafe owners who greet me by name, doctors, cleaning ladies, the mailman, my Cape Verdean babysitter-turned-friend of many years. All of them opposed illegal immigration while defending Trump from critics: “He’s not anti-legal immigration, he’s anti-illegal immigration,” they’d said. “I’m pro-legal immigration—make it easier to do it the lawful way,” they’d say.
I will never understand how people can’t see it’s thinly veiled racism when it comes from the GOP.
I will never understand how people can’t see it’s thinly veiled racism when it comes from the GOP.
They’re morons. Wanna bet a lot of them were swayed by anti-abortion or anti-trans rhetoric? If not that then, ‘demonrats are going to turn this country communist’ propaganda?
Paying attention is gay, woke, and demonic.
And propaganda works. Everytime. In one direction.
C’mon, what did Harry Styles do now?
In the direction of blaming someone.
In this case, that terrible moussemonger Harry Styles.
How brave. Going out and broadcasting to the world just how dense you are.
It’s more than that, though. It’s broadcasting that the writer is also a racist xenophobe because they didn’t care until it affected their specific racial demographic.
“Wisdom has been chasing you, but you have managed to outrun it”
really need to remember this for opportunities at work
They are so dense their brain is a black hole; not a single intelligent thought is able to escape.
Whaaaaaat? You mean the bigotry and vitriol of the GOP isn’t limited to Mexicans, Hatians, Chinese, Guatemalans, Columbians, Cubans, Women, Gays, Transgender, Liberals, Muslims, Jews, Palestinians, Athiests, Americans wanting affordable healthcare, Americans wanting a living wage, Americans wanting affordable housing, Americans wanting renewable clean energy, Americans wanting a clean environment, immigrants, healthcare workers fighting a global pandemic, journalists, hecklers, and generally anybody who does not vote Republican?
Please add any groups that I forgot.
Don’t forget military veterans, especially the ones that got captured and tortured, or sick or disabled as a result of their service. There’s also treating Puerto Ricans like they’re not part of the US.
Communists, socialists, the educated, the poor, the homeless, vegetarians, people with hair coloring (except blond)
I’m grey haired, and definitely feel very threatened by Trump’s incoming presidency.
“But then a few days ago…”
What, you crawled out from under a rock?
How do you tell someone the country they’ve loved for 50 years is harboring a growing faction that wishes he’d never come?
I think these three words in this sentence says a lot about the author. My guess is they felt that America didn’t really have a racist population or felt it was small? When in reality it’s always been quite large but mostly quite. Where now this population doesn’t need to whisper anymore and they are seeing it for the first time.
The proof is in the pudding.
I wish there was a poem about what happens when they start rounding up undesirables while you stand by and do nothing, and then they come for you in the end.
Funny enough, there actually is. A poem by Martin Niemöller. Full thing is:
"Y’all are dumb
Thought you were part of the in crowd, without a doubt
You fucked around
Now you’ll find out"
I wish that Democrats had listened to that poem when they were supplying an active genocide, adopting Republican policy on the border, or running anti-trans hate in their own ads. They decided to give Republicans a running start.
Vivek fucks up recently so the racism against Indians surges, and now this person finally can’t ignore it any more. “Oh wow they don’t just hate Mexicans, Muslims, Haitians, illegal immigrants, and so on, they hate people like ME too?” And she’s so deeply affected that she… doesn’t say anything about it to her Trump voting family members for risk of upsetting them. You’re a day late and a dollar short, lady. Or a decade late, a decade full of telling people who were warning you the whole time that they’re wrong.
Do we just have to wait for the infighting to swallow up all of the token “good ones” one by one then try to pick up the pieces afterwards?
It’s pretty unfortunate that so many humans are so stupid that they have to suffer before learning obvious lessons. The unfortunate part being that people with regularly functioning brains have to go along for the shit ride with them.
How do you tell someone the country they’ve loved for 50 years is harboring a growing faction that wishes he’d never come?
“The guy you voted for doesn’t like you because of where you came from”
A good many of the “H1-Bs” from India are Modi supporters and by extension also supported Trump.
That’s the crux of it. The writer (and her family) are clearly upper-caste racists themselves - they just don’t recognize their beliefs are racist.
Yeah they didn’t really hide the racism inherent in their anti-immigrant demagoguery.
My life is filled with immigrants from India and Nigeria and Lebanon and the Dominican Republic—many of whom are definitionally the “working class”—who voted for Trump.
Another word for those people is “Idiots”. Trumps base lives off racism. Anyone who did not understand this from the start basically deserves being hit by it. This includes both the idiots who did vote for Trump as well as the idiots who did not care to vote. I’m really sorry for all the other people who will fall victims of this political desaster, though.
But they voted republican with a soft R
