From Boy Meets World to Whiplash: Movies and shows referenced by Vivek Ramaswamy while explaining 90s' immigrant parents explored

On December 26, 2024, Vivek Ramaswamy took to X to put forth his perspective on the hiring practices in Silicon Valley, which has become a topic of debate concerning H-1B visas. In his post, Ramaswamy drew comparisons between immigrant parents and American culture to prove his point about how the latter has glorified "mediocrity over excellence".

Using movies and shows as references, Vivek Ramaswamy mentioned sitcoms like Boy Meets World, Saved by the Bell, Friends, and Family Matters. He also mentioned the 2014 film Whiplash to illustrate his point in the X post.

For the unversed, the current H-1B visa program allows US employers to hire foreign professionals with specialized skills. However, the program is reportedly being criticized for displacing American workers and suppressing wages. On December 27, 2024, Ramaswamy called the H-1B visa program "badly broken", stating that it should be based on merit rather than the lottery system. He said:

"It shouldn’t tether workers to just one corporation. Same principles I favor today."

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Movies and sitcoms mentioned in Vivek Ramaswamy's tweet explored

While justifying the hiring practices of top tech companies preferring first-generation and foreign-born engineers over native Americans, Vivek Ramaswamy said in his X post that the practice isn't because of "an innate American IQ deficit".

Vivek Ramaswamy added that the phenomenon of mediocrity over excellence starts young. He stated that a culture celebrating "the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers." Ramaswamy then mentioned that a culture that respects certain sitcom characters won't produce the best engineers.

The characters and sitcoms Ramaswamy referred to included:

Cory from Boy Meets World:

In the 1993 ABC series, Cory Matthews was the main character who was a witty, sports fanatic. However, throughout the series, Cory was shown as someone who disrespected and disregarded his seniors, be it his parents or authoritative figures like his teacher Mr. Turner.

Zach and Slater over Screech in Saved by the Bell:

The cast and creator of NBC sitcom titled Saved by the Bell (Image via Getty)

In the 1989 sitcom, Zack and Slater constantly messed with each other. Zack ruined Slater's school assignment and potential dates, resulting in Slater retaliating in similar ways. Vivek Ramaswamy's X post implied that the American culture valued such troublesome characters over Screech Powers, who was a good-natured geek.

In the sitcom, Screech's character played the keyboard in a band and also had been a member of the chess team and photography club.

Stefan over Steve Urkel in Family Matters:

While Stefan was Steve Urkel's alter-ego in Family Matters, his character was self-centred and shallow. Steve, on the other hand, was a nerd who was respected by the supporting characters for his kindness.

Among the sitcom characters that Vivek Ramaswamy referred to, he drew comparison between the ones who showcased kindness and commitment to education and the ones who were a portrayed as disrespectful. The latter were perceived as cool by young children.

Expanding on his point referring to sitcoms, Ramaswamy's post read:

"(Fact: I know *multiple* sets of immigrant parents in the 90s who actively limited how much their kids could watch those TV shows precisely because they promoted mediocrity…and their kids went on to become wildly successful STEM graduates)."

Additionally, he also compared the movie Whiplash to the 1994 sitcom Friends, given the 2014 film was about an aspiring jazz drummer who was pushed to his limits by an aggressive trainer to bring out the best in him. The movie focused on the importance of discipline and accountability.

Friends, on the other hand, revolved around the life of six friends in Manhattan, featuring comedic episodes.

In his post, Vivek Ramaswamy emphasized the importance of fewer sleepovers and more math tutions, weekend science competitions, fewer cartoons on Saturday morning, more books and less TV-like activities. He stated that if people grow up aspiring to normalcy, they'll achieve normalcy.

He also added that normalcy isn't meant for the "hyper-competitive global market for technical talent" and if people pretend that it does, China would take advantage of it.

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Concluding his tweet, Vivek Ramaswamy said that Trump's election was going to prioritize "achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness". He added that the focus should lie in improvement instead of victimizing oneself or wishing for alternative hiring practices to exist.