Padma Lakshmi gave her first video interview after opening up about the rape she survived as a teenager, to NBC’s Savanna Guthrie and Hoda Kotb of the Today Show. Talking about how she felt more empowered with age to speak out about things that mattered she said, “Honestly I would not have said I am a very political person but I have found myself speaking out about a variety of issues. And once you have children you become much more conscious of the long term impact of all our decisions, even the decision to keep quiet.”
Saying she would like to be known as an ambassador for the causes of the ACLU or the The American Civil Liberties Union, Padma Lakshmi talked about how she was devastated to learn of how tear gas was recently used in the presence of immigrant children at the US Mexico border at Tijuana. Padma’s views however were not shared by some on Twitter . In fact, a Twitter thread in response to NBC’s post on the same tear gassing incident highlights views that are in stark contrast to Padma Lakshmi’s own.
One comment gets down-right personal and demands proof of suffering, saying that the condition of the child’s feet and appearance of the woman running with the child proved that no one was starving.
Another comment mocks the scene by saying that the image ( credited to Reuters) was photo shopped and the families running were actually situated at a Walmart Black Friday sale.
At the same time some attempted to counter those views.
The family in the picture had traveled from Honduras to Mexico and were attempting to cross the US border.
Questions on whether the tear gas attacks were prompted by rock pelting, whether these families had been offered asylum but refused and whether it was fair to those families who had come legally, were muddled with polarised and at times cruel rhetoric - which means that Padma Lakshmi as Ambassador to the American Civil Liberties Union will have her work cut out for her.
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