Why We Can’t Help But Compare
Long before social media, South Asians have felt trapped in a pecking order they can’t escape.
In a viral video, TikToker Jeremy Franco wears a colorful pink dupatta as he takes on the persona of a South Asian mom. “Rasha became a lawyer today. What have you become?” And later, “You know Raju’s kids do all of the housework and she doesn’t have to ask them once?” with a “Why can’t you be like Sneha?” thrown in. Franco’s video alludes to an all too familiar experience.
“Approximately 10% of our daily thoughts are social comparisons,” psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma told The Juggernaut. Almost everyone experiences the phenomenon. So why does it feel especially rampant in South Asian communities? We spoke to historians and psychologists to find the answer.