A University of Pennsylvania Law School professor’s comments to Tucker Carlson have ignited a firestorm of criticism.
Amy Wax told Carlson that “American Blacks” and non-Westerners feel “resentment, shame, and envy” toward Westerners for their “outsized achievements and contributions.” Wax also referred to India as a “shithole” and said non-Western immigrants shouldn’t criticize America because their countries are inferior.
Nikki McCann Ramírez, senior research director at Media Matters for America, posted two clips of the exchange on Twitter. In fewer than 24 hours, the clips are approaching a cumulative 2 million views.
The first begins with Carlson asking Wax about vandalism, which he described as “people coming in and wrecking everything that was valuable in an institution that they never built themselves.”
Wax described it as “reckless,” “angry,” and driven by “a tremendous amount of resentment and shame of non-Western peoples against Western peoples for Western people’s outsized achievements and contributions.”
“I mean, it’s really unbearable,” she added.
Wax said that “American Blacks” feel the same resentment, shame, and envy, which she described as “this unholy brew of sentiments.”
She then criticized Asian and Indian doctors at Penn Medicine for taking a stance against racism. Wax claimed that “a goodly number of them” “hate America.”
Carlson and Wax agreed that wealthy immigrant doctors don’t have the right to criticize America.
Pivoting slightly, Wax expressed disgust with diversity programs that address racism generally and in healthcare specifically, programs she said are often led by minorities.
“You see these brown faces or you see these Asian faces and you think, literally you think, so you’re coming from your country, which you’re implying is equal or better than our country, and you’re telling us how awful we are,” she said as Carlson giggled.
Referring to China, Carlson chimed in, “People from there have no right to judge the United States.”
In the second clip, Wax and Carlson spoke about Indian immigrants. Wax said that Brahmin women from India come to the U.S. and get a top education and advance in their careers. (Brahmin refers to a high-level caste in Hindu society.)
“We give them every opportunity,” she said, “And they turn around and lead the charge on ‘We’re racist, we’re an awful country, we need reform, our medical system needs reform.’”
“Here’s the problem: They’re taught that they’re better than everyone else because they are Brahmin elites, and yet on some level their country is a shithole,” she added.
Wax opined that they’re jealous because America has “outgunned and outclassed them in practically every way.”
“I think the role of envy and shame in the way that the third world regards the first world is underestimated,” she concluded.
“I think you’re exactly right,” Carlson said.
Wax went on to accuse some immigrants of feeling ungrateful. Carlson asked if she’d ever asked an supposedly ungrateful immigrant why they left their country.
“It would be considered not just a micro-aggression, it would be considered a macro-aggression, Tucker,” she explained.
“If you’re born here, you absolutely have a right to say it,” Carlson said. “…I think the deal is, you don’t just show up in someone’s country and start attacking them.”
A University of Pennsylvania Law School spokesperson told the Daily Dot via email Tuesday morning: “The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School has previously made clear that Professor Wax’s views do not reflect our values or practices.”
“In January 2022, Dean [Ted] Ruger announced that he would move forward with a University Faculty Senate process to address Professor Wax’s escalating conduct, and that process is underway,” they added.
The school declined to comment further, citing its handbook and desire to “preserve the integrity” of the disciplinary proceedings.
Wax did not respond to request for comment sent via email Tuesday morning.
Wax recently ignited a similar controversy with statements about Asian immigrants.
“As long as most Asians support Democrats and help to advance their positions, I think the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration,” Wax wrote in a piece published on podcaster Glenn Loury’s website.
The law school subsequently initiated the aforementioned proceedings to sanction Wax over those comments.
“Professor Amy Wax has repeatedly made derogatory public statements about the characteristics, attitudes, and abilities of a majority of those who study, teach, and work here,” Dean Ruger wrote in a statement in January. “In some of those instances, she has exploited her faculty access to confidential information about students in ostensible support of her inaccurate statements.”
Wax’s and Carlson’s exchange provoked intense backlash.
Their comments inspired comparisons to far-right figures, such as neo-Nazi Richard Spencer and commentator Pat Buchanan. Some noted that imperialism and slavery gave Western nations access to more wealth and increased their ability to create the developments Wax so admires. Many pointed to some of the countless achievements of non-Westerners.
“Many things she probably thinks of as ‘Western’ were created elsewhere,” wrote @Cajsa. “I mean, Europe had no concept of zero.”
Others noted that America is a nation of immigrants and that Wax herself is also the descendant of immigrants.
Many Indian Americans blasted Wax’s comments.
“Professor Amy Wax says she’s not a racist but this is pretty racist,” Anang Mittal tweeted.
Some believe that Wax should be fired over her latest comments. A few theorized that this is actually her plan.
“Auditioning for a higher paying job on Fox News?” suggested one.
