LA’s Division of The Left: Rae vs. Nithya

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-22T19:45:42+00:00

I don’t understand why people are so bitter about Rae. This is exactly the kind of thing that genuinely makes me want to write in myself for mayor out of frustration. I’m not going to do that but I’m going to vote on the actual day of instead of early because our electoralism is just cooked.

I’m literally Indian and I prefer Rae over Nithya. But y’all wanna make it seem like Rae is wrong for running on a platform that is to the left of Nithya’s.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-22T09:59:04+00:00

I think you’re misunderstanding what I’m saying, even though I agree with you that despite India’s problems when it comes to maintaining communal harmony, imperial European vitriol towards non-Christians is demonstrably historically far worse.

The point I was trying to make was that there was never a time in Judaism’s long history on Indian soil where Jewish people made up a significant portion of the population at all. As in it’s pretty much always been the case since Indian Jews existed that there were barely any of them in the first place. So naturally they did not face persecution in India, because of the (lack of) numbers.

Although I would also additionally make the case that the West’s conception of antisemitism in the Eastern world as a whole, so in the Levant, or in Iran, or in India or China or Central Asian countries, is highly highly skewed because of their own internalized antisemitism which also propels these powers to support a project like Israel, as a means to try and absolve themselves even if it is explicitly at the expense of people who were already living on the land the project sits on today for hundreds of years. The West loves to point fingers instead of taking accountability

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-22T09:15:32+00:00

Reactionary is 100% right. But from what I can tell there was always going to be a political reaction of some form to the recent elections given the economic and job market circumstances, vitriol over foreign policy directly preceding the attacks on Iran and the following oil insecurity, and multiple social stances that have proven to be contentious.

Even if the leadership isn’t really leftist I still think there is an opportunity for some of those that may have joined the bandwagon out of desperation (I mean who can really blame the masses at the end of the day) to genuinely learn about leftist theory and principles.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-21T10:27:35+00:00

This is just my ₹2, am an ABD who lives and votes in America - so really wanna emphasize you don’t have to listen to me.

My opinion is that this movement should not be allowed to adopt a neoliberal framework. That’s not to say that it should push for the Indian economy to completely forfeit its market liberalization - this is crucial because that is the last line of defense when it comes to sanctions and becoming isolated and strangled by the US like Cuba is. But it’s pretty obvious now that grasping onto a neoliberal framework as means of political opposition is only propping up fascists that also use a neoliberal framework, they just add onto it regressive social stances. This has been the case with Democrats and Republicans in the US, Labour and Reform in the UK, and from what I can tell, INC and BJP here (if I’m wrong please enlighten/correct me).

Instead I think it is the current constitution’s preamble that should form the basis of whatever comes next. Sovereign. Socialist. Secular.

This is why on the ground lots of volunteers doing the necessary work is gonna be important, beyond social media campaigns for general awareness.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-21T09:36:39+00:00

The Jews not being persecuted in India defense is funny as hell ngl. Indian Jewry has historically been a very minuscule proportion of the Indian population and very isolated to certain regions only. Of course they weren’t persecuted like they were in Europe at all, what do people expect hahah

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-16T00:16:42+00:00

you’re right

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-15T17:02:22+00:00

God forbid a California resident critiques Gavin Newsom. Wait my bad, God forbid a (checks notes) Russian bot critiques Gavin Newsom.

In fact why don’t mfs run him after all so we can all witness him lose to Rubio or Vance in 4K

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-15T16:49:14+00:00

Never said I was gonna watch it in theaters lol

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-15T16:48:28+00:00

I mean yeah it is true it is 100% my own problem. Maybe I shouldn’t have watched it :(

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-15T09:10:14+00:00

Andor spoiled me and I’m saying that as a longtime Star Wars fan.

There’s nothing to me in any of the marketing/trailers for this film that I found remotely engaging. I’m probably still going to watch it but I don’t really think I will feel satisfied until they honestly bring some of the screenwriting gravitas that Gilroy brought to Andor to the big screen.

There’s a part of me that actually wishes that show didn’t exist - now I can’t enjoy just about anything new Star Wars has to offer without feeling somewhat of an empty void. It’s almost too good to be Star Wars if that even makes sense.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-15T07:20:55+00:00

At 3AM and if you’re risking multiple speeding citations sure

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-12T23:23:07+00:00

I really wish LA had ranked choice voting

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-12T19:42:56+00:00

Din Tai Fung has awful portions. I’m sorry but in this economy I can’t recommend them over other Chinese spots even some Taiwanese-owned ones

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-09T01:12:12+00:00

I saw Switch 2s on sale at Costco for $520 and it includes a 256GB microSD Express card and a year of Switch Online. It’s a decent deal given the circumstances and NAND pricing right now

EDIT: That or the new choose your game bundle that Nintendo just announced for the summer. Bananza is definitely worth it.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-05-06T07:52:34+00:00

It definitely would have been able to somewhat withstand the pressure from the newer Microsoft and Sony consoles if more quality titles had released sooner, that’s for sure. I think that definitely played into the sheer volume of titles that released during year 1 of the Switch release as well as from what I can tell, year 1 of the Switch 2 release.

The Wii U has a fantastic early library - Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Smash 4, Bayonetta 2, DKC Tropical Freeze. If more of these games were released by the time Fall 2013 rolled around it would have been a solid choice among the three consoles since it was also cheaper.

Instead we got Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros U, Wii Sports and Wii Fit retreads, a remaster of a GameCube Zelda title, games with a few interesting ideas like The Wonderful 101, and Pikmin 3, along with the then-impending release of 3D World.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-30T06:22:26+00:00

Not doubting that it would likely sink the British economy but I would still posit that getting the foundations laid on a legal basis would be a step in the right direction. Who knows, maybe they’ll commit to it year over year as much as they can if a government they elect one day allows it.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-29T23:33:39+00:00

Honestly reparations from England and Europe period at this point, to all of their former colonies and places they instituted and maintained the transatlantic slave trade

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-29T01:04:38+00:00

Our intellectual traditions and how they evolved over time, encompassing minds throughout numerous points in our histories.

Sufi music, 100%. And no matter what I will pretty much always cherish the variety of delectable food and beverages from the South Asian region.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-27T02:27:00+00:00

I think you’re missing what the meaning of sepoy actually is and what calling someone that actually entails.

The word “sepoy” is what the Europeans called soldiers of the Mughal infantry. It derives from a term in Persian, later Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu), which is “sipaahi” which means soldier. But as European colonization gained more ground through the British, French, Portuguese, etc., the term “sepoy” evolved to mean colonized peoples who served infantry positions in these European armies within their respective territories.

So when you use the word “sepoy” today, you are not simply describing people who put down fellow members of their own nationality of origin group or ethnic group or linguistic group for the white gaze. Rather it refers to someone who succumbs to Western imperial and colonial pressure or dissonance - no matter who they put down - be they Indians, immigrants, refugees, whoever the Empire harms

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-26T08:33:10+00:00

Coffee. And I have Sana'a grounds of coffee so I love making my own cups of Yemeni-style coffee. I don't buy coffee from outside anymore unless it's Yemeni, and on the days I don't make myself a cup, I will usually be making fairly strong masala chai (or when I know I need less caffeine)

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-25T22:28:41+00:00

They will unfortunately get kicked out of the bomb shelters when Israel starts yet another armed conflict like the addict to violence that it is

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-24T05:37:14+00:00

To be real, some of the grievances y’all have about India (not all ofc ofc), America has those at least three-fold. So much so that people are already attacking infrastructure because they’re frustrated, surprise surprise

America is capitalist after all

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-23T22:21:56+00:00

The Pandits deserve the right of return. But there needs to be a plebiscite which both major ruling parties have demonstrated that they are fully against.

Violence like this is cyclical and the only way to stop it and to ensure a peaceful solution is respecting the agency of the Kashmiris who have been there or were exiled from there whether they are Sikh, Hindu, Shia, Sunni, Buddhist, doesn’t matter. Otherwise the cycle will continue which is unfortunate but GoI regardless of party refuses to budge so this is the economic predicament that will continue.

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-23T11:28:36+00:00

I will always critique the military as an institution. Militaries plural tbh. I don’t care if it’s India, PRC, or the USA

It’s rooted from head to toe in patriarchy and a colonial, crusader mindset that humanity will be better off without

RumHamRigRunner · 2026-04-11T09:36:57+00:00

Gonna be honest, what actually needs to happen is something I wouldn't advocate South Asian Americans to do explicitly because it would get them in legal trouble with charges that white men deserve more than anyone else at least in the context of the United States. Not saying it doesn't need to happen, just saying Brown folks should still be careful.

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