Former 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley reignited her ongoing dispute with fellow candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday, criticizing him for his disparaging remarks about American culture.
According to Mediaite, Ramaswamy had earlier taken to social media to express his views on why top tech companies often prefer hiring foreign-born and first-generation engineers over native Americans. He wrote, The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over native Americans isnt because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. He went on to argue that American culture has long celebrated mediocrity over excellence, a trend he believes starts from a young age.
Ramaswamy continued his critique by drawing on popular culture examples, stating, "A culture that venerates Cory from Boy Meets World, or Zach & Slater over Screech in Saved by the Bell, or Stefan over Steve Urkel in Family Matters, will not produce the best engineers." He claimed to know multiple immigrant families who limited their children's exposure to such TV shows, resulting in their children becoming successful STEM graduates.
He further advocated for a shift in cultural values, calling for more educational and creative activities and less leisure time. He argued that the pursuit of normalcy would not suffice in the face of global competition for technical talent, warning, "Normalcy doesnt cut it in a hyper-competitive global market for technical talent. And if we pretend like it does, well have our asses handed to us by China."
Ramaswamy concluded his post with a call to action, urging a cultural awakening that prioritizes achievement, excellence, and hard work over mediocrity and laziness. He expressed confidence in America's ability to rise to the challenge, stating, "This can be our Sputnik moment. Weve awaken from slumber before & we can do it again. Trumps election hopefully marks the beginning of a new golden era in America, but only if our culture fully wakes up."
However, Haley took issue with Ramaswamy's assertions, countering on social media, There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers.
This is not the first time the pair have clashed. During the Republican primaries, Ramaswamy had labeled Haley as more fascist than the Biden regime, to which Haley responded by calling Ramaswamy scum. This latest exchange underscores the ongoing ideological differences between the two former presidential candidates.
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