As an immigrant from South Asia I am of course familiar with the model minority myth that surrounds that community, that we are high achievers in many areas (other than sports), from mathematics to science to business to spelling. But Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has created a new frontier, that we can also be world-class assholes.
Desi Lydic of The Daily Show has a nice compilation showing how Ramaswamy tries to be everything to everyone, to ingratiate himself with diverse groups of people while at the same time having a repellent personality.
I do not normally use words like ‘asshole’ but frankly, I could not find a better descriptor for him. The word ‘jerk’ simply does not do justice to how disgustingly smug, arrogant, and annoying he is. My ire may be also greater because he and I share the same ethnicity of being Tamils, although he is from India and I from Sri Lanka. I would hate for people to think that he and I are alike in other ways too, which is what ethnic stereotyping tends to do.
He is a truly awful person, but that is the objective.
Once Donald Trump keels over from cardiovascular disease VR will have established his bona fides as the Number One Asshole, aka the natural successor of Donald Trump.
I saw this around a month ago: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/11/vivek-ramaswamy-nikki-haley-gop-debate.html
“Vivek Ramaswamy and the Scourge of the South Asian Model Minority
If you—like me—are a South Asian person, you’ve met this exact type of person a thousand times.
By Scaachi Koul Nov 09, 2023″
I suspect Ramaswamy saw how “Bobby” Jindal wasn’t accepted and how hard Nimrata Haley tries to be the model immigrant so people will forget her parents immigrated here, and decided he wanted no part of that.
I know it shouldnt bpther me either , but it does. So many people of Indian origin , in politics , in other countries turn out be such a$$0’s (Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel, Suella Braverman /..). Then I remember that so many Indian politicians in India are also a$$0’s.
“Asshole” certainly works here, but so does “pipsqueak.”
Ramaswamy.
Is that who he is or what he does? I mean, I could picture him running over people in a giant SUV.
jimf, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivek_Ramaswamy
“Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy (/vɪˈveɪk rɑːməˈswɑːmiː/;[1][2] vih-VAYK rah-mə-SWAH-mee; born August 9, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and presidential candidate. He founded Roivant Sciences, a pharmaceutical company, in 2014. In February 2023, Ramaswamy declared his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination in the 2024 United States presidential election.”
&
“In August 2023, Forbes estimated Ramaswamy’s net worth at more than $950 million; his wealth comes from biotech and financial businesses.”
(Ain’t the Internet grand?)
Thank you, Mr. Literal.
Geez.
jimf, I nearly posted that after Raging Bee’s “pipsqueak” thingy. But you tipped me over the edge.
(Thank you, other Mr Literal — I mean, you did take me literally, no? 😉 )
jimf: I just call him Ramaslimy — that’s a better descriptor of what he does.
I think this back and forth slip sliding shows desperation. I’m not too worried about him. I was actually more worried about DeSatan as he’s just as toxic as Dolt45 and is a little smarter . (I refuse to use their names as you don’t call the devil unless you want him to appear )