Thread by @gauravsabnis

This is either naive or disingenuous. The chunk of Modi loving NRIs who support Trump is pretty huge. I've heard of several bhakts who traveled to DC for this. This is your ideology. Own it. I am your age so I remember your Trumpish bloodthirsty inciting from the dais, Varun.

https://twitter.com/varungandhi80/status/1347060127845634053

I remember the weekend we were celebrating the Biden win in NJ and were with Biden signs in a liquor store to stock up. We got such intense hostility from another desi couple that was there that came through even with masks on. Dude and woman looked like aching to argue with us.

Not to mention the fact that all the leading sanghi twitter warriors have been explicit in their support of Trump. There is a natural synergy between nazis and sanghis. Savarkar, Hedgewar etc tried hard to ally with Nazis. Hitler just wasn't impressed and passed.

Remember that desi woman Giuliani brought to one of those legislature sessions who was like white men are most persecuted and all chinese people look the same? That's a big chunk of this supposed "model minority". Even in the whitest collar jobs. Often in the whitest collar jobs.

The whole "US Indians are mostly democrats and even the republican ones are more into fiscal conservatism than anything." thing we often tell ourselves stopped being true about 5 years ago. When the Malviya run propaganda apparatus started loving Trump after his Muslim ban idea.

My rough estimate that at least a third of Indian Americans and immigrants are into Trump because of his fascism, not despite it. These people never cared about Romney or McCain or Bush. It's not conservatism that attracts them. It's the fascism and muslimphobia.

This is one reason my socialization in Indian-American circles shrank drastically to a reliably liberal bubble in the last 5 years. I used to like socializing with random folks at big desi parties. But there's only so many "Trump kya genius hai yaar" drunk odes you can take.

Even among the ones who didn't support Trump, there were many who wanted me to convince them why he is a bad guy. Like effectively, Gaurav, convince me fascism is bad. I tried for a while. Until I heard of the concept of sealioning. Mental health improved bigly cutting em out.

Casual acquaintances and relatives even in India seemed to genuinely believe that Biden and Harris were "anti India". All because of WhatsApp university propaganda. This was in fact the first US election where I think the Indian-American community was massively polarized.

Oh the immigration thing is the most Sheikhchilli aspect of it. They bought the Trump snake oil that he only hated muslim & latino & chinese immigration but qualified desis are cool. And then of course, he took a hatchet to ALL immigration. Predictably.

https://twitter.com/nirav_patani/status/1347084462790647813?s=19

I remember telling friends back in 2016 that I was creeped out at how much that kitschy Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar event in NJ (pretty tiny event, not like the Howdy Modi gala) seemed to generate positive buzz on facebook among US desis I knew. Folks usually not into US politics.

US bhakt wet dream is a Man in High Castle type world, except split between White Nazis and Hindu Nazis instead of Japan.

Ok I phrased this poorly. I mean
- At least a third of US desis are pro Trump in my rough estimate
- This high percentage, never seen since Reagan days, is entirely BECAUSE of his fascism, not despite it. And the Modi Shah Malviya online army is a factor

https://twitter.com/gauravsabnis/status/1347083195389509632?s=19

Basically this now-classic twitter exchange says it all when it comes to why you're seeing Indian flags among the Trump terrorist crowd.

Ah yes! Anti-Mexican sentiment among white collar California desi is great evidence of our cultural affinity to other-ing the underprivileged. There is zero history between desis & latinos. The anti-Mexican sentiment among desis is absolutely unwarranted

https://twitter.com/abhijeet80/status/1347113343971061760?s=19

It's not even like latinos are"competing" for the same jobs or businesses as desis. In fact, desi businesses and white collar households rely on Mexican labor in the US. There is literally no flash point on which latinos and desis even need to clash. Nothing. Zilch.

My hypothesis is that it's because Latinos are so central to the service sector and also very numerous in California that desi savarnas instinctively attach to them the same disdain and condescension they feel for bahujans in India who perform similar roles. It's casteism kinda.

Talk to a fellow savarna long enough and their belief in genetic superiority and inferiority of races comes out. They believe brahmins and white people are best, and everyone is inferior. So the absolutely unjustified anti-latino sentiment among many US desis is closet nazism.

I've seen in many of my US relatives the same kind of mentality towards their Mexican employees or help that you hear in India. "Rosa is like family to us." type stuff on the surface. But talk a bit and the bigotry starts coming out. "Second baby she is having 😲😲"

California desis are so invested in getting on board with the anti-latino bandwagon that they even have their own special slur for them used only with other desis. Like the 90s desi engineer reached US, finished MS, and set to decide what to call latinos in code.

The only possible rationale I've heard given for this is "I came to this country legally, following laws. These "illegal" folks crossing the border is an insult to me."

Which sounds like, I pay for taking my family to the restaurant so why did Jean Valjean need to steal bread?

Many savarna US desis genuinely believe that just because we were lucky to have globally recognized degrees from Indian public universities at the exact time as the tech boom made our skills valuable to the US, we are some gifted special race and model minority.

Oh the presence of kids makes this especially horrifying. Another reason I've cut down on socializing with casual acquaintances in the Modi era. Folks saying the most blatantly bigoted stuff in front of kids who will probably go repeat it in school.

https://twitter.com/soham_pablo/status/1347149328930938880?s=19