A recent article on former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy from the Christian satire site, The Babylon Bee, has sparked controversy, with both conservatives and liberals calling it “incredibly racist.”
On Monday, biotech entrepreneur Ramaswamy suspended his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, after finishing fourth in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, according to the AP News. He then endorsed former President Donald Trump.
In response to the news, The Babylon Bee published an article Tuesday, joking that Trump offered Ramaswamy a position at the White House 7-Eleven convenience store.
The piece faux-quoted Trump saying, “Under Biden, the White House doesn’t even have a 7-Eleven. Not good! We’re going to bring convenience back to the West Wing!”
The article said Trump would work closely with Ramaswamy and would stop by every day for a Diet Coke and “one of those delicious warmed-up cheeseburgers under the hot light thingies.” The piece added that Ramaswamy had already begun training for the position by watching videos on “how to fix the Slurpee machine” and “offer fast service ringing up Big Gulps”.
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The article prompted several commentators on X, formerly known as Twitter, to accuse The Babylon Bee of racism.
Joash Thomas, the National Director of Mobilization and Advocacy at International Justice Mission Canada, claimed the piece was “incredibly racist and in poor taste.”
The last time I called out the Bee for anti-Asian racism, I got disinvited from a speaking engagement.
So let me be clear this time: this is incredibly racist and in poor taste. https://t.co/mTkLq6XsD6
— Joash Thomas (@JoashPThomas) January 16, 2024
In a later post, Thomas added, “It’s always hilarious when racists try to mock Indians with the ‘7-11 / gas station owner’ trope as if being a small business owner is an insult. But notice how they don’t joke about us being the CEO’s of Google / Microsoft / YouTube / Starbucks or Prime Ministers of the UK. Because bullies like to punch down. It’s all they’re capable of as insecure, irrelevant underachievers.”
7-Elevens have often been associated with Indian immigrants, according to the Hindustan Times. One of the most famous tropes exemplifying this is Apu from The Simpsons, a character that has often been disdained for stereotyping Indian Americans, the Hindustan Times added.
Renee Lynn, a Republican and founder of the publication Voice for India, echoed Thomas’s thoughts. She retweeted the Bee’s original post and commented, “This is disgusting & despicable. Shame on you @TheBabylonBee. This is racist and this is America, we Republicans respect all. Stop your Hinduphobia right now. Trump supports @VivekGRamaswamy. I’m asking my followers to please tell @TheBabylonBee stop your racist, be American.”
However, other users supported the Bee’s satirical article.
Savanah Hernandez, a Turning Point USA Reporter, posted, “Idk why y’all are mad about the time-honored American tradition of joking about Indians running 7/11s.”
Idk why y’all are mad about the time honored American tradition of joking about Indians running 7/11s
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) January 17, 2024
Additionally, Matt Walsh, a conservative commentator who’s known for his popular podcast run on The Daily Wire, said users that are offended by the Bee’s piece are “pathetic.”
He wrote, “Check the comments to see ‘conservatives’ actually offended by this joke. Absolutely pathetic. I guarantee @VivekGRamaswamy is not in the slightest bit offended. You guys really don’t need to be his white knight to protect him from Babylon Bee headlines. He’ll be okay. I promise.”
Ramaswamy retweeted Walsh’s post and wrote, “I’m a ‘survivor,’” alongside a laughing face emoji.
The Babylon Bee, with more than 3.4 million followers on X, brands itself as “fake news you can trust.” The site was founded by Adam Ford, but sold to Seth Dillon in 2018. Ford continued to work for the Bee for several years, but left in 2023, citing burnout.
Dillon responded to the current controversy by calling critics “stupid.”
Some of our readers have expressed concern about this report, suggesting it did not meet the high journalistic standards they've come to expect from us. We want you to know that we've listened to you. We've heard your voices. And they are stupid. https://t.co/7uJVsnUbYA
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) January 17, 2024
In recent years, the site has made headlines over fake news disputes.
In 2022, Twitter temporarily suspended The Babylon Bee’s account after labeling its post about transgender Biden administration official Rachel Levine as hateful content, The Roys Report (TRR) reported.
A few years before this, the site got called out by the fact-checking site Snopes over the difference between satire and fake news. Snopes accused the site of confusing people about the facts of a controversial news story.
This article has been updated to include a response from Seth Dillon.
Freelance journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.
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25 Responses
It is healthy to laugh at oneself, but this by the Babylon Bee was beyond un-Christian; it was mean-spirited and gives further proof to many that white Christian Republicans tend to be racist.
It hurts the image of the Republican party.
As an Indian immigrant myself, I was telling my wife that was mind boggling that two Indian Americans (Haley and Vivek) could run for President from the Republican party and between them, get 28% of the vote – in the conservative redneck state of Iowa. Haley almost beat DeSantis. Vivek beat Christie, Asa and the others who dropped out.
I was telling her that this could only happen in America and proves Americans are not racist.
Would the Babylon Bee dare to taunt Muslims? How about something similar on Elon Musk whom they pushed words into his mouth to claim he was ‘saved’. I think not – no, I bet not.
You say that the voting trend for Haley and Vivek “proves Americans are not racist”. Let’s be careful. Americans have always been self-interested FIRST and FOREMOST.
Remember the same Americans who would hire Black “help” (nannies, gardeners, maids, etc) and “consider them part of the family” would vote against integration and the end of Jim Crow. (The same Americans who marched in favor of the Civil Rights Act completely changed their tune when it extended to the Fair Housing Act, as they were ok with Black people voting, but NOT as neighbors!
Boston may be a “liberal” city, but look at the violent, destructive riots (yes, by white conservatives!) when Black kids were bused into white schools, complete with yells of racial slurs and Black people needing to “stay on their side of the city.”
And you only need to look around our metropolitan areas to see that our cities are among the most racially segregated IN THE WORLD.
So it’s not quite as linear as one would like to believe. And let’s not relax; we STILL have work to do. After all, we’ve had a Black President, and STILL struggle with racism (even within our church pews) and the basic understanding that all lives can’t matter until Black lives do too.
Anil:
…”conservative redneck state of Iowa” is a racist comment. It is often racists who yell the loudest about what they perceive to be racism. Apparently, Mr. Ramaswamy is fine with the comments on the Babylon Bee because he is highly intelligent and understands satire. If he is not offended, why are you?
@Cynthia The Babylon Bee’s racist taunt wasn’t against Ramaswamy alone, but against Indians and South Asians in general. It is a “brownface” taunt from Apu of the Simpsons TV comedy. It is not about Ramaswamy, it is about the rest of us from his race. (If you were to actually sit down and talk to Ramaswamy or his wife in private, I am sure they will say it was offensive).
I have had many colleagues and friends who are Hindu and Muslim, who firmly believe that white evangelical Christians and Republicans are racist. So it was heart-warming to see the vote-count for Haley and Ramaswamy. It is really sad that a supposedly Christian website would demonstrate by their behavior that those suspicious of conservative evangelicals are correct. I can assure you, that websites and TV stations in India will carry this “news” to prove that white Christians in America are prejudiced.
I did not know that “redneck” was a racist term. I have heard it refer to country folk. I apologize if it was offensive. But it strikes me how white people get angry at the term “redneck” when I have heard the same persons use racist and derogatory language.
Come on “doctor.”
If the Babylon Bee did a story on Senator Tim Scott opening a watermelon stand, you’d be ok with it?
Should Christians, whether an employer, a teacher or just a citizen, ignore racism as long as the victim says “Its ok. I don’t mind”?
Wow, but it’s ok to say “redneck states”??
@Chris, There are people who wear that title as a badge of honor. They claim the title for themselves and identify themselves that way.
You know, there used to be a definitive line between where the believer stood and culture. Sadly, in the postmodern society we live in today where truth is subjective and one can basically define their own truths that line doesn’t seem to be as strong as it once was.
While yes, the BB is a satire site and it is considered an Evangelical type group this article is out of line with the beliefs it claims to represent.
I don’t care what political ideology it subscribes to, it’s the belief system it’s claiming to represent that it’s degrading. A racist joke is a racist joke, no matter if the party you made the joke about is bothered by it or not. Why? Because there are others that will and can be because of the platform that the BB has. Their social media megaphone is bigger and louder than most and they should be more responsible with it, especially if they claim to represent Christ to the masses. Be it satire or not.
I guess these days you can be as crude, rude and inappropriate as you want to be and hide behind the veil of humor to do it and get away with it.
Acknowledging that the BB is a satire site, it appears that they are struggling on where the line is between comedy and offense. For example, just recently the BB posted a very offense article mocking those harmed by purity culture. https://baremarriage.com/2024/01/purity-culture-babylon-bee-not-funny/
Lighten up, people. It’s only satire. The Progressive Left wannabe comics and talk show hosts routinely satirize and mock the Right and Conservatives.
The Babylon Bee used be an equal opportunity offender and was quite witty in its satire. But ever since Dillon took over it has become a MAGA-cult,Trump worshiping, populist (which is not conservative by the way) bunch of skubalon that is nowhere near funny and witty. To borrow from a BB satire piece back when it was good, Dillon is competing with Robert Jeffress and Franklin Graham to sit at either the left or right hand of Trump (his true Lord and Savior).
It really doesn’t matter what “the other side” does- we should not measure our behavior by what others allow themselves to do. We should do what is right. Winning apparently is more important than behaving as we ought? If that is truly our philosophy, it doesn’t matter who wins; it’s the same thing. Christ calls us to follow Him- not to guarantee the voter base.
Some of these comments remind me of an old “Far Side” comic strip. A man walks up to the information desk at a bookstore to ask a question. The woman behind the counter yells at him, “This is a feminist bookstore. We don’t have a humor section.”
This doesn’t sound like a Far Side comic. I’ve read them all and can’t remember this one. Can you provide a link?
Biden is the true 7-11 racist.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EwqkpwV8j_A
The film doesn’t lie.
And your Cheeto Jesus Trump’s comments about Nikki Haley (both recent and earlier) aren’t?
Providing additional background on this topic is this non-satirical tidbit from then-Senator Joseph Biden: “In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”
As the self-appointed, final arbiter of humor {an award bestowed upon me by The University of Comedy} I declare that comment to be funny!
Mark, It is still a racist statement. As a minority. Calling me an African American is racist. You are obviously identifying my skin color prior to my character. Besides, I’ve never been to Africa. If your skin color (By the sovereign will of God) is different than mine. Yet, we believe that Jesus is the end of ethnocentrism. Then we need to stop this race stuff. It’s killing the church and this country. It is not a racist country. There maybe some who do not like my race. But I have never had men in blankets at my door from the KKK. Please stop telling people that pigmentation engenders stupidity. Gavin Newsome said Blacks do not know how to get a bank account or an ID. These talking points are racist. Joe Biden has eclipsed the other candidates with his plethora of racial remarks. Mark, that’s one of many racially tinged statements. I didn’t vote for him. I’m still Black.
James –
Calling you African-American (or Black, which is what I prefer to be called) is NOT racist, any more than calling me a woman is sexist. It’s just an acknowledgement of fact. That is, unless you believe being called Black IS a statement about your character; then the problem lies within YOU. There’s nothing wrong with being Black.
Racism has been around since the beginning of time (Jews vs Samaritans, Miriam disliking Moses’s wife Zipporah, etc). And Jesus is the answer. But when going before Him, you have to acknowledge who and where you are. That means admitting the US has a race problem. It has since our Founding Fathers wrote “all men are created equal”, then said only white men who owned land could vote, and endorsed and enforced laws that established slavery and segregation (or we can even look back to the treatment of Native Americans, who were called “savages”; THAT is a reference to lesser character).
We HAVE to stop letting sneaky Satan win by thinking racism only comes in one form. Just because you personally haven’t had “men in blankets at your door” doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist – go check out the directory of STILL ACTIVE KKK chapters. Racism continues to evolve into various attitudes, beliefs, and actions that permeate our society today. Let’s confront it head-on with the power of Christ.
So Babylon Bee is doing satire and people are upset… where as the leading Republican is mocking Nikki Haley’s Indian heritage… and we hear nothing from the white evangelical crowd who loves Trump and claims to “love” Jesus….
There many of us (like me) who think the BB was over the line on this piece and who loathe Trump for his ongoing racism, mocking, dog whistling, and truly despicable comments of Nikki Haley and others over the course of many years. His embrace of Birtherism and Replacement Theory are particularly loathsome and hypocritical. But then his so-called “Evangelical Christian” Kool-Aid drinking cultist followers either don’t care or are completely ignorant fools.
Case in point. It is rather hypocritical of Trump and other birthers to say that Nikki Haley, Ted Cruz, and others can’t be POTUS because both of their parents were not born in the US when Trump’s mom was not born in the US either (Scotland). But I guess they overlook that if they come from white European countries and of white European ancestry.
Yet another reason why I think Christianity in the US and most so-called Christians are bunches of skubalon.
There are charges you can make against Trump. Not Racism. Facts are stubborn. Biden is a racist. There is plenty of proof. I didn’t vote for Biden. So what… I’m not black? Biden is evil. Trump is a blowhard at times. He’s not bought and paid for like these others. Biden has made racist remarks towards individuals with my pigment. However, only Jesus is the sovereign. He is the only one who can make things right! He has recorded statements over the decades. On 2 prior articles. I’ve listed the link of Biden’s evil and racist remarks. I always ask if data disproves your narrative… Are you open to changing your mind? Your retouched talking points? The sad thing is you’re wacky if you do not repeat the government or mainstreams talking points. It used to be the opposite.
The Babylon Bee responded to these concerns on its podcast called “The One About 7-11: Did The Bee Go Too Far?” Fast forward to 41:30 near the end. The speakers dismiss criticisms as “hate mail” over “edgy” remarks and a “joke about stereotypes.”
https://babylonbee.com/podcasts/the-babylon-bee-podcast/418