Indian-American Sriram Krishnan is a technologist, podcaster, author and investor. he/she has held important responsibilities in well-known companies like Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, Facebook, Andreessen Horowitz. he/she is close to Elon Musk. he/she is one of the leaders of Silicon Valley who is known for his/her technical understanding and innovation. Even after this, when Donald Trump appointed him/her Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence, a debate broke out in America.racist statement
There was a flood of racist comments on social media from Trump supporters and people of right wing ideology. Krishnan has advocated relaxation of green card rules. On this, conservative podcaster Scott Greer posted, ‘Supporting removal of capping from green cards will give Indians an opportunity to dominate in America.’ Laura Loomer, a former Trump aide, commented: ‘High-skilled immigrants? Who do not even have access to clean water or toilet paper? Our country was built by white Europeans, not people from third world countries like India. Right-wing political researcher Josiah Lippincott says, ‘In the coming years, the flood of Indians holding H-1B visas will have the same impact on the American middle class as Mexican immigrants have had on the American working class.’ Let me tell you here that almost all the work of the working class is in the hands of ‘Hispanics’ i.e. people from the southern countries of America.
jealousy is the reason
Indians are also targeted because they always seem to have better houses, cars and jobs compared to other Americans. The annual income of an average American household is about 77 thousand dollars, while the income of Indian households is 1.5 lakh dollars. Although Jews are the most prosperous community, Indians are now being called the ‘new Jews of America’. For this reason, jealousy is natural and it is being expressed through words.
essential organs
Musk made a clear and impressive comment on this whole matter, ‘Look at the talent, don’t pay attention to the butter chicken.’ he/she tweeted that the basis of America’s success is its diversity. A big question arises in the background of these incidents, is the growing power of people of Indian origin in America now becoming a threat to some sections? Americans of Indian origin have created a new identity with their success. This recognition extends from Silicon Valley leaders like Sundar Pichai, Shantanu Narayan and Satya Nadella to faces in politics like Nikki Haley and Ro Khanna. The root of their success is the combination of hard work, higher education, and cultural values, which has made them an essential part of the social fabric of America.
target on identity
But, along with this success, the Indian community is also facing racism and hatred. With this growing influence, will people of Indian origin be comfortable with their identity or will they be forced to underplay their Indian roots, as Kamala Harris had to do? Kamala, who has Indian and African roots, has mostly projected herself as a Black American throughout her political career.
being distracted
Try to look at this whole episode like American political ice hockey, where during the game sometimes the real goal is ignored and the focus becomes only on fights and ruckus. When the US government was on the verge of shutdown, the Republican and Democratic parties were close to a temporary agreement, but Musk’s tweets scared the Republicans and forced them to back down. In such a situation, hasn’t the ‘butter chicken’ controversy become a medium to divert attention from the real issues?
core issues missing
The real question was who is Musk in American politics? Will the Republican Party now be afraid of Musk besides Trump? Can you imagine what mental state the senior leaders of the Republican Party must be going through, who have been marginalized all together? This is a new form of politics, which perhaps has never emerged before in the world. Cartoonists are in overdrive over who is running the country, but the truth is that we are all watching a mockery of democracy.
positive sign
The Indian-American community has become so important that it is now at the center of discussion. This controversy is a testament to the success and influence of the Indian community. Now the presence of Indians is not limited only to Silicon Valley or the technology sector. Their political, economic and cultural role is being discussed openly. So will this controversy last long? Probably not. The Indian community has not taken it very seriously. You will not see this news as big in mainstream US media as in Indian media.
message for you
Don’t worry about this controversy. Continue preparing for your children’s H-1B visa. As long as Trump doesn’t get irritated with Musk over something, it’s a green signal in my opinion. When the Democratic Party can make an Indian-origin woman the Vice President, then it can be assumed that the Republicans also have to prove their friendship with Indians. The strength of the Indian community is only going to increase further.
(The author is a filmmaker, columnist and writer)
