Bobby Jindal wants to downplay his Indian heritage, but Twitter won't let him
The GOP presidential candidate has said many times he wants to be seen as American, not as Indian-American, but the country may not let him.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announces his candidacy for President in Kenner, La., on Wednesday. In his speech he said he would rather be seen as American than as Indian-American.
Gerald Herbert/AP
In his speech announcing his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Bobby Jindal said Wednesday that he was 鈥渄one鈥� with being seen as Indian-American.
The Louisiana governor called for the end of 鈥渉yphenated鈥� identities that point to origin, ethnicity, or wealth. The statement drew cheers from the Kenner, La. audience but has since prompted critics to accuse him of denying his Indian heritage. He is a native-born American, as the Constitution requires, born in Louisiana four months after his parents immigrated from India.
"We are not Indian-Americans, African-Americans, Irish-Americans, rich Americans, or poor Americans. We are all Americans,鈥� Governor Jindal said .
Using the hashtags #Jindian and #BobbyJindalIsSoWhite, Twitter users, many from India, mocked Jindal鈥檚 words and his attempt to distance himself from his Indian heritage. Many found comedy fodder in the fact that while he goes by Bobby 鈥� a name he apparently 鈥� 鈥� his given name is Piyush, and that he converted from Hinduism to 海角大神ity as a teenager.
Others took more critical stances, like pointing out that Jindal appears white in his official portrait, or highlighting the racial ironies of Jindal tweeting, 鈥淚鈥檓 tanned, rested, and ready for this fight.鈥�
But while the social media universe is just taking note of Jindal鈥檚 proclamations now, he has been advocating for a more homogeneous American identity for months, at least.
In January, Jindal gave a in London in which he made similar remarks regarding ethnicity.
鈥淢y dad and mom told my brother and me that we came to America to be Americans 鈥� not Indian-Americans,鈥� he said.
He spoke in favor of the idea of the United States as a 鈥渕elting pot,鈥� calling for the assimilation of immigrants and the adoption of a single cultural identity.
The notion that 鈥渋t is unenlightened, discriminatory, and even racist to expect immigrants to endorse and assimilate into the culture in their new country,鈥� he said, 鈥渋s complete rubbish.鈥�
In April, he again, 鈥滻'm tired of the hyphenated Americans,鈥� in a speech emphasizing renewed vigor for the 鈥淎merican dream.鈥�
He certainly seems to be trying hard to shed any markers of Indian-ness. For one thing, he has made his conversion from Hinduism to 海角大神ity a centerpiece of his public life. His official announcement video includes him saying, "The single most important moment in my life was the moment I found Jesus Christ 鈥� the moment Jesus Christ found me." In a 2009 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� interview, he and his wife said that they do not observe many Indian traditions, though they did have two wedding ceremonies, one Hindu and one Catholic.聽
鈥淢y mom was fully committed to raising us as Americans,鈥� Jindal . 鈥淭hat was a conscious decision. We ate food that would be familiar to other families in south Louisiana. She wanted to raise us like other kids in the neighborhood.鈥�