Last month, FBI Director Kash Patel wished his followers on X a happy Diwali. It did not go over well.
Far-right Christian nationalist and white nationalist accounts flooded his post with bigoted memes and rhetoric. “Go back home and worship your sand demons,” a far-right pastor wrote. “Get the f**k out of my country,” read another reply. Said another, “This is America. We don’t do this.” These responses, some of which were seen millions of times, were on the tamer end of the spectrum.
Similar hostility followed Diwali greetings on X from former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, as well as posts about the holiday from the White House, the State Department, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Some Indian American conservatives seem shocked that segments of the political right are now taking aim at them.
To be honest, as a South Asian, racists have always been openly bigotted in our direction. It was never really taboo in most Western countries. We have no StopAsianHate or BLM equivalent.
That being said I appreciate the author for highlighting the issue. Despite our faults (by virtue of being human) we value family and education as ideals and that has helped us create prosperity, especially in the US where Indians are the highest earning demographic. This rubs some the wrong way, even if it is fairly earned.
Though its not surprising, it is disappointing when it occurs in a nation that sees itself as a land of opportunity.
This nation has always been divided, even before it was a nation. My ancestor was a pastor in present day new england in ~1630 and was arrested for baptizing too late on the lord’s day by the strict puritans on massachussets. Then there was the civil war (which never really ended).
China<>Taiwan is a civil war… I bet if I looked into it, Pakistan and India’s beef is considered a civil war in terms of why it started.
People think racism is a white export (import? heh). Try telling a person from Thailand they look Vietnamese or vice versa. Clan-based war is the human way. I spent the first 40 years of my life thinking we conquered human nature (despite my family members’ behaviors - I thought they were just stupid).
Nope - water is wet, and people kill people from other clans. Xenophobia is a hell of a drug.
Sadly, it’s less to do with your prosperity and a lot more to do with the fact that you’re not white.