Vikas Khanna is one of India’s best-known chefs – he is a Michelin Star chef, a judge on MasterChef India, humanitarian and more. With a huge 2.3 million following on Twitter, what Khanna says carries weight. He also uses his celebrity to call out bigotry at times; as in the case of Lauren Witzke. Here’s what happened.
Lauren Witzke is the Republican Senate Candidate for Delaware. Described as a far-right activist who has given public support for conspiracy theory groups such as QAnon, she has a strong anti-immigrant, anti-choice stance.
Witzke is of the view that ‘third-world’ immigrants never ‘assimilate’ into ‘civil societies’. Earlier she had also expressed the view that immigration ‘destroyed’ Europe and that ‘rapes murders and other heinous crimes abound’ because of this.
The many problems that currently face American society mean that there are those who feel that America itself is a ‘third world country.’
Many Americans called out the rank xenophobia of Witzke’s tweet; which, according to them doesn’t say much for her being a decent civil human being.
Many listed their achievements in response to Witzke’s offensive tweet and asked whether she had any comparable achievements to show for herself.
Celebrity chef Khanna listed has many impressive achievements. He simply listed some of them to counter her bilge without rancour.
Many supported Khanna and clarified why Witzke’s thinking is flawed. The idea that people not born in America need to prove themselves itself is flawed.
Some replies to Vikas Khanna’s tweet felt that India is not a ‘third world country’. They feel that the pejorative tag no longer applies to India.
The fact is that people from so-called third world countries are, today, some of the most successful people in America.
The tweeple appreciated the stance Khanna took in this instance and also expressed support for the humanitarian initiatives he undertakes from time to time.
What is assimilation? This is a question that many debated in response to Witzke's controversial tweet. It was pointed out that the right-wing ecosystem demands homogeneity and conformity with the majority. It makes little room for plurality. The belief system demands the erasure of diversity and the subsuming of ethnic, religious and racial identities in the name of ‘assimilation’.
There is no denying that Lauren Witzke’s statement is racist and xenophobic – particularly problematic in a country that is dubbed to be ‘built by immigrants’. One could well argue that the anti-immigrant stance stems from the desire to guard privilege. This mindset attempts to shut the doors of privilege to prevent others from accessing opportunities to the privilege they enjoy. Vikas Khanna's tweet helped - he did his bit to counter the racism and xenophobia implicit in Witzke's tweet and many expressed their appreciation.
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