US - India Parallels

Tim Marshall’s book, Divided, talks about the increasing divisions that are arising and asserting themselves world-over, from the usual suspects (the Middle East) to China, India, the EU (and Brexit) and the US.

The chapter on the US was an eye-opener for me, both in terms of the more nuanced aspects of Trump’ism (no, it’s not all racist) as well as its parallels to some of the things in India. Take the (in)famous wall that Trump wants to build on the Mexican border. Critics look at only the literal aspects of the wall: the cost, the difficulty (impossibility?) of the terrain etc, and whether it would really prevent illegal immigration at all.

But, as Marshall writes:

“Trump’s wall is attempting to define what America is – both physically and ideologically.”

Let’s get into the ideological aspects. The percentage of Hispanics (Spanish speaking) is expected to rise from 17% today to 29% by 2050. More importantly, by 2050, the white population would fall below 50%. In other words, all non-whites put together would be the majority. Notice how the Hispanics won’t even be close to a majority at 29%? But they would be the single largest group of the non-whites, thus becoming the face of what whites fear… and the target of their actions. See the parallel with what’s happening in India: the largest minority is feared and targeted, even if it’s nowhere near becoming the absolute majority?

What the whites fear isn’t religion (Hispanics are Christians), or denomination (Catholics v Protestants). Remember America is a “melting pot”: everyone plays baseball, speaks English, you get the idea... On this front, the Hispanics are somewhat an outlier: why else is Spanish an official language in an increasing number of states closer to the US-Mexico border? And if Hispanics are not aligning with American values and beliefs, would they change the very concept of the country when whites are no longer the majority? This resonates with the irritation and fear in India with one particular minority, the fact that they don’t seem to assimilate, that they insist on their own laws (which in turn drives the demand for a Uniform Civil Code)?

Illegal immigration is a problem, regardless of ethnic or religious aspects, for any country. So yes, while a decent chunk of Trump’s vote bank is indeed racist, not everyone is. A large chunk votes for Trump due to a fear of job loss and/or reduction of wages. And that risk/problem can be laid at the doors of illegal immigrants and yes, China. Suddenly Trump’s trade war with China doesn’t seem so crazy, does it? By the same token, the NRC in India will unearth a lot of illegal immigrants who come not for terrorism, but for jobs. See why a lot of supporters of the NRC aren’t necessarily advocates of a Hindu nation?

All of which suggests ideological and structural issues being at the heart of what’s going on in both countries. Calling it all racism (Hindutva) is a sign of ignorance.