The Mainstreaming of Anti-Indian Bigotry
A Republican schism over a social-media post by a Texas politician revealed that the party’s defense of a color-blind meritocracy has its limits.
The conservative activist Christopher Rufo, known for opposing critical race theory, used to promote meritocracy as a means of treating all Americans equally regardless of their background. However, a recent incident involving Bo French, a right-wing activist and Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, has led Rufo to shift his stance.
French's post about the predominance of South Asian students at a University of Texas football game sparked a wave of anti-Indian sentiment on social media, with accusations of bigotry and slurs directed at individuals of South Asian descent. This situation highlights the emergence of anti-Indian bigotry in mainstream Republican politics, which has divided the party along similar lines as when the response to Trump initially unfolded.
While some Republicans, such as National Review, John Cornyn, and Karl Rove, condemned the bigotry, the MAGA right defended French's post, viewing it as a sign of their support for traditional Republican values. Trump also sided with the MAGA right, attacking Rove and labeling those who condemned the bigotry as outsiders. Conservative activists like Rufo have now had to navigate this shift in party dogma, attempting to justify their previous opposition to race-blind meritocracy in light of the growing anti-Indian bigotry within the Republican party.
Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
