Immigration and a MAGA Divided

Plus my mother-in-law's passing + my top 10 essays + 10 tech tips

Dec 30, 2024

A Lamborghini I spotted on the streets of Chennai this week, just as racist vitriol about how awful India and Indians are heated up in America. · Sree’s newsletter is produced with Zach Peterson. Digimentors Tech Tip from Robert S. Anthony. See our sponsorship kit.

***

“LEOPARDS EATING PEOPLE’S FACES PARTY” is a series of memes ridiculing voters regretting their votes for cruel parties and politicians. In recent days, we are seeing a lot of that from Indian Americans surprised that the anti-migrant rhetoric that fueled Donald Trump’s victory has now turned on immigrants in general and on H-1B visa holders in particular (Indians get about 72% of the annual allotment). One such voter is a self-described “high skilled Indian immigrant” named Sidharth:

Why is he or anyone else surprised that a party filled with racists, nativists and white Christian nationalists would be against all immigrants of color, not just the “bad” kind? Back when Trump railed against “shithole countries,” he pleaded with Norwegians to migrate instead. Today’s Norwegians know that America’s healthcare system, infrastructure, school shootings, etc, make it a place they wouldn’t want to move to. Unlike 1825-1925, when one-third of the population migrated to the US; maybe that’s when Trump means about America being great again!

This week, I’m seeing racist stuff like this all over X:

Vivek Ramaswamy’s effort to defend the tech visas was its own racist anti-American diatribe. A sharp rebuttal points out that Ramaswamy wants to abolish the Department of Education: “So, yeah, America might need a cultural shift toward valuing excellence, but guess what? That takes investment in schools, not defunding them. You can’t lecture us about the “Sputnik moment” while you’re busy dismantling the rocket launchpad.”

It was Elon Musk’s advocacy of the H-1B system that really ignited the MAGA vs tech bros war. It was inevitable that Silicon Valley right-wingers would clash with MAGA folks, but even I didn’t expect it to happen before Trump’s inauguration.

The politics of of all this are actually tough for Trump, who has come out in favor of H-1B immigrants (at least for now). He’s a hamstrung president from day zero in a lot of ways, and his fate will be tied directly to Congressional action or inaction, as the case may be). Musk spent a quarter of billion dollars to get Trump elected, which comes with its perks. In Congress, that kind of outlay can move legislative mountains if that’s the path Musk chooses. And spending even a fraction of that on state-level races could prove especially effective for a man bent on bending the regulatory rules in his favor. In addition, Musk and Ramaswamy’s awful Department of Government Efficiency is going to be more cruel than successful. Here’s a useful primer by Tami Luhby, Annette Choi and Amy O’Kruk on why the DOGErs are in for a surprise.

I’ll leave you with thoughts from my friend Rakesh Kaul. Please read his full reply to the deplorable Laura Loomer, which starts thus:

@LauraLoomer, I wonder what Sunita Williams, who is stuck in the Space Station thinks about your deeply flawed and offensive perspective. Or another astronaut, the late Kalpana Chawla? Or my young relative who served as a sniper for the US armed forces in Iraq?

💵 Recently, I made the case for the funding of new media outlets. Am working on some ideas and looking for collaborators and partners. Ping me: sree.sreenivasan1@gmail.com.

Promotional message:

Indiaspora, the India Philanthropy Alliance, and Dalberg Advisors are conducting a survey of Indian American attitudes toward philanthropic giving and nonprofit volunteering. This information will help leading charities working in India to respond and engage effectively and to do more good. By completing this survey, you will help the mission-driven sector to thrive.

If you’re Indian American, please take 15 minutes to complete the survey.

THOSE TRULY LOVED ARE NEVER GONE

May be an image of 12 people and people smiling

My mother-in-law, Jayasree Unnikrishnan, passed away in Chennai at 82. 🌷 Above, Jaya with some of her family, plus with Chef Vikas Khanna and with J. Jayalalithaa, the once all-powerful Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Read about her in FB posts by me and Roopa Unnikrishnan. In 2023, Zach and I wrote about what we learned losing our moms decades apart.

MY TOP 10 2024 ESSAYS, PER STATS:

Kamala, Vikas, Sunita, Indiaspora, JLF USA
Five notes from an Indian summer in America (and space).
What I Learned Going to Machu Picchu
Altitude — and attitude — adjustments when my non-hiking family hiked the Andes
The Land of Opportunity
Notes on the elections, immigrants and a request to pay attention.
"Elections, My Dear Sir, I Look At With Terror" — John Adams
Thoughts on JD Vance, his Indian American wife, Musk and more.
No, JD Vance, School Shootings Are Not Normal
They aren't "inevitable" and they aren't "a fact of life."
Most of My Friends are Leaving Twitter/X, But I'm Sticking Around
I'm not ready to bail. For serious reasons and also to stick it to Elon.
Social Media is the New Cigarettes
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's warnings aren't just for kids.
"Women's Issues" are Everyone's Issues
Yes, even your unconvinced uncles in swing states should care
Copyright Law, Fair Use, and the Future of AI
The AI giants are going to be writing some big checks. But they may never be big enough.
The Myth of the Greedy Athlete
You'll hear a lot about "millionaire athletes." Don't buy it.
Share

TECH TIP TOP 10

In each edition of Sree’s Sunday Note, veteran tech journalist Robert S. Anthony shares a tech tip you don’t want to miss. But in case you’ve missed any, here’s my unofficial top 10 list of his tips. He’ll be back with another great Digimentors Tech Tip next time. Follow Bob @newyorkbob on Twitter and check out his 1.1 million followers on Pinterest!

Start writing today. Use the button below to create a Substack of your own

Start a Substack