For Those With Loyalty to a Country Not Their Own

I guess I'm drifting toward Canada in sentiment now. There are times I think it would be best to let the US burn itself out while I live somewhere neofascism isn't a viable political platform.

(Iwon'tmakeajokeaboutHarperIwon'tmakeajokeaboutHarperIwon'tmakeajokeaboutHarper...)

I remember once when I was a child, like only five or so, I was talking with my grandfather.

He said to me, "Tony, [my name isn't Tony, he just liked to call people that.] do you know what country your from?"

Now, I don't mean to brag, but I was VERY smart as a child, and had already asked about where I was from, where my parents were from, where my grandparents were from, et cetera, et cetera.

So, I told him, "I'm American!"

He said, "Well, technically, but do you know where your great-grandparents were from?"

I paused, and replied, "I think so…"

He said, "Okay, now, wherever they were from, it also kind of you from there! So, what would that make you?"

I thought for a few seconds and said, "I'm… Hungarian?"

He said, "And?"

"Polish?"

He laughed and said, "Oh, no, Tony, no, no, no. On our side."

"Slovakian?"

"You're getting close…"

I thought for a moment, trying to remember what country it was my mom said he was from.

"Slovenia?"

"Hey, there you go!"

He gently grabbed me by the shoulder and said, "Tony, I want you to remember something. It doesn't matter if you were born in America. It doesn't matter if you're also Slovakian, or anything else. Even if you move from America, to Canada, to Africa, or any other country in the world; Tony, you'll always be a Slovenian."

Toča Slovenija! Toča Ljubljana!

I knew a guy once whose father emigrated from France. This guy would kind of snootily claim Frenchness over Americanness until he saw how the French reacted to the war in Afghanistan (the one that caused the Freedom Fries incident), and renounced all his Frenchness.

I'm a Filipino, but I absolutely loathe my country. Would prefer to move someplace more educated, such as Deutschland, Switzerland (CERN rules!), or even America (was planning to go to MIT, but got rejected). The Philippines is the literal "hell on earth".

Oh, it can't be worse than the rest of Southeast Asia (excluding Singapore).

I don't think hell has Internet access. Not even dial-up.

Hell has internet access, but only in fits and starts, half the time pictures don't load, and if you download anything big or stream a video, it randomly shuts down for a week at some random point between 58% and 89% complete.

Seriously. The Philippines is a Paradox: the welcome sign at the airport says:

Welcome to the Philippines: the only Catholic country in Asia! And underneath that:

BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS

The drivers text, drink, and smoke while driving, routinely breaking every traffic law in existence. Rules on garbage disposal are rarely followed, leading to pileups of crap and floods due to blocked drains. Squatters are everywhere and you cannot unsee them. The government is crap, the opposition equally so. The activists have a leftward bent, the military spies on the ones in our State University. Oligarchs abound while their tenant farmers are stuck in poverty. The wealth of the country is in the hands of 300 families who control all the politics here. And you have the Church meddling here and there, sometimes where it's not supposed to be meddling. We have a massive national debt that only grows every year. China wants to annex us via Scarborough Shoal (their government might secretly want a war with ours just for that purpose). Education and healthcare are sub-average compared to the rest of ASEAN, and our military is weakest among those of the ten members.

Behold the microcosm of Crapsack World.

edited 25th Aug '12 9:26:53 AM by ArgentumUranium

I'd gladly take Harper's entire cabal if Canada will take Romney and Ryan.

edited 25th Aug '12 11:00:15 PM by TParadox

I spent the time when I was three to when I was about six in Singapore because of my dad's job. Some of my relatives live there and the others live in Malaysia.

^^ Sure, I'll go heat up the grill. Will they supply their own hickory-honey barbecue sauce or will we have to maple-glaze them upon arrival?

I am an American, but in the eloquent words of Enter Shikari:

"Fuck all borders, fuck all boundaries, fuck all flags and fuck nationalities."

Its people like you who will cause the destruction of the Flag making industry.

I hope you can live with that knowledge.

No, it should be "all nationalities live together in harmony as one unified society. Except the Filipinos because they were created to be slaves to the world." True Story, just go read up on the overseas Filipino workers who are routinely abused left and right in every continent. Filipinos have a very, very long history of being the world's Woobie.

While I love Italy,Scotland and have an odd fascination for all things Icelandic. At the end of the day I go with wherever California goes,if Mexico was to take it back,...than Mexico it is,if the Jesusland map from the 2004 election became a reality,that makes me Canada Eh.

I take state before country.

I have a fascination with finland and their culture.The finnish are hardy people and I respect them because of that.

They also have the original ColdSniper Simo Hayha.

@Argentum Uranium: While I don't hate the Philippines to that level, I can't wait to move out of this place.

I've lived in another country for a few years. I didn't even know I was Filipino 'til we had to move back. :P

I've never felt like I fit in. So I'd rather move.

I admit nothing. The Roman Empire will rise again! Veni vidi vici!

Hungary.

I am loyal to NASA and only NASA.

That being said, you cannot drag me to an anti-Communist protest.

I've always preferred to identify as Chinese rather than half-Chinese or white, even though I've pretty much been brought up as a typical white guy.

I'm American and like America (even with all its flaws), but I've always liked Scottish stuff.

^^I'm 25 % Mongol, but I look like a white guy.

I am somewhat obsessed with New Zealand, Ireland, and India.