Tuesday, March 25, 2008

I'm would still be an American

So C is interviewing at a school in Canada. In fact, he is there right now, and in all honesty, this is the job we're the most interested in for a variety of reasons. But I've gotten a number of questions from various people about what it would mean for us to move to Canada. For us, it would mean a job, a cool community, and a place to live. I feel like people think a potential move to Canada correlates to some sort of political statement on our part. In fact, one good friend (who was half-joking) said "What are you just tired of being American?" Several people have point-blank asked if we would give up our citizenship, to which I have not so tactfully responded "What in the heck are you talking about?" I don't understand these sorts of questions. Yes, I am vocally unhappy with the current political climate of this country, but I have never made any statements suggesting I would renounce my citizenship--although I have repeatedly said I would move out of the U.S. if Roe v. Wade were ever overturned. I get that most of the questions are polite small-talk asked by people curious about our potential life-choices, but some people have blatantly said "Why would you want to leave America?" I mean it isn't as if we're contemplating a move to Pakistan. It is Canada, a country that isn't so different from our own (except it is generally more liberal). It isn't as though we're thinking of packing Wild Man up and moving to the Wilds of Borneo.

5 comments:

flossie said...

Maybe people who ask about it are thinking you're one of the people described on this blog:

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/02/24/75-threatening-to-move-to-canada/

I have to confess to having threatened to move to Canada--that dang blog pegs me every time.

The Reverend John Todd said...

Why do you hate America?

Lilian said...

Oh wow... What's wrong with going to work in Canada? That's where Bitch PhD was working before she decided to quit her tenure track job. Did she get these kinds of questions when she accepted her job, I wonder?

Sorry, but sometimes I think that many Americans are so provincial that they see no point or value in living in another country. That's really sad. And that's why I still feel out of place sometimes. "Where are you from?" "Brazil" "oh... yeah, Brazil... where's that again?" whatever ;-)

Now I used to think that Canada was very much like the U.S. but it's not, really, and that's actually GOOD! ;-) It's much more like Europe (like Brazil is too), so I feel more at home there than here.

sorry for writing so much, but don't get me started in subjects like this one and I hope my comment above wasn't inappropriate and/or slightly offensive.

solon said...

I would accept the job in Canada based solely on the value of the Looney rather than the Dollar.

The US Dollar will not be rising any time soon.

Think about the extras you can afford over the next few years...

And of course, the good rev., is correct, why do you hate america.

M said...

Why do I hate America, Solon and Rev. Todd ask? Could it perhaps be b/c of the asinine questions I receive from my fellow Americans, such as the two of you?