You’re in the system, now honor it. That’s the claim of nationalism or something enough like it by my interpretation. You were born American, you should die American. And not only that, you should die proud for the honor of having been there. If God or gods or the lottery of life wanted me to be something else, like French, I would have been born there and subsequently cursed for it. Cursed, because the only blessing is to be born in America.
Don’t the French people tell their French citizens the same thing. Isn’t France the birthplace of freedom? Don’t let the inclusion of France fool you, I have no claim to make against the French. I have loads and loads of ignorance, but the French have the Tour de France, and so without extreme cause, I will not be complaining about them. Except for John Calvin. France, please officially dismiss John Calvin. John Calvin incidentally gave a backdrop with which I could enjoy Spain a little better for Servertus.
If you want to live in another country get the hell out of mine. That follows the assertion that you are in the system. Sure, emigration and immigration are nontrivial processes especially due to the stressing of important familial and social bonds. Sure, the U.S. is behind other civilized countries in life expectancy according to something I heard in passing on NPR. America is a land of volunteer poor. You volunteered to be homeless. You volunteered to be handicapped. You should have studied psychology before you dated, that’s why you have six divorces, five alimonies, three child support checks, two current lawsuits, and a partridge in a pear tree. And by God, it’s an American partridge. You should be grateful to have been able to marry six American women.
But I’ve got a revolutionary idea. Real rebellious. In a global world where citizens intermingle, why can’t we go online and change our national affiliation? I mean governments can apply hurdles. But if I pass the hurdles, why can’t I change from being an American with French sensabilities in the U.S. to an American expatriot without moving? We’ve got a global economy so much more than we ever did. And in this way we citizens can compare civilized societies and pledge our allegiance where our values lie. And please remember, there are more countries to pick from than the U.S. and France. I just happen to be American and I used France as a reasonable alternative. I’m in my system, but I don’t honor it. Earn it you goddamned system.
