5.02.2005

expatria

"More Americans than ever before have decided America is no longer their home."

So reports an AP article in South Carolina's The State newspaper. ('Cause remember, you can't spell ALPF without AP.)

These Americans aren't only going to Canada. They're going all over the world.
They've put down roots abroad, from Cuba to the United Kingdom. They're in Germany, in the Philippines, in Israel.

If they were a U.S. state — call it Expatria — its population, some 4 million Americans, would place it right in the middle, along with Kentucky and South Carolina.

Expatriates, citizens of this floating, far-flung state, are changing the very definition of "American."
As someone who believes that word needs some serious redefining, I'll say that's good news.

Not all the movement is political, but some of it is:
They fall in love with a foreigner, or with an exotic place or culture. They are looking for an adventure, or for a cheaper place to live. They go because their job is there, or because their heart is no longer here. Or, like Glen Rubenstein, they have given up on the American political system.

"It seemed too hopeless a future to me," battling for a liberal agenda in a country that has become so conservative, he says. And so last year, he, his wife and their two children gave up their lives in Brooklyn and moved to Montreal.
Note to self: invite Rubensteins for drink with Nick and Mason...

The article discusses what it means to be an American expatriate. Read more here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for that. After the post I had today it just reaffirmed what I was thinking.

Drinks would be lovely by the way :-)

Nick

laura k said...

Congratulations: your blog is in its infancy, and it's already attracted a nasty troll!

David Cho said...

Laura,

I am quite saddened by this trend regardless of how prevalent it is even though people who are doing this may differ from me ideologically. I realize that people have the right to vote with their feet, but the end result will be a massive brain drain, and ultimately America will be worse off for it.

How would you respond to people who might suggest that you are caving to the "America, love it or leave it" mantra? I am not saying you are and I don't buy that mantra myself, but I am sure you've come across that suggestion. If there is a blog entry that addresses this point, than could you post a link to it?

laura k said...

That's sweet of you, David. I agree - it is sad.

I don't think there'll be a massive migration. I think most people won't go through the time and trouble to emigrate. But certainly, good people - hard-working, engaged, caring citizens - will be lost.

We get it from both sides: "love it or leave it" from the right, "you're giving up the fight" from the left.

I don't respond to the right, because it means nothing to me. I've been hearing it all my life. I was raised with (and still maintain) the belief that activism is the highest form of patriotism - that through self-criticism, we build a stronger democracy.

So if goose-steppers on the right dismiss me with "love it or leave it," - well, they're part of the reason I'm leaving.

The criticism from the left stings a little more. But I've been fighting all my life. Now I want to live in a place that already shares more of my values. Like Mollie said (see the post at the right "Why not Canada?"), it's like a relationship gone bad. It hurts but it's got to end.

I should say that, on the whole, people who share my worldview have been extremely supportive - even envious.

I'll look for some past posts one evening this week and let you know what I come up with. Thanks for asking.

Rognar said...

David, it is interesting you should mention the possibility of a "brain drain". This has been an issue in Canada for decades. Although it is probably not common knowledge in the US, America has benefited from a massive migration of Canadian talent, especially in the fields of medicine and information technology. There probably isn't a single Canadian who doesn't know someone who went to the States for work. You would likely be amazed by the number of Canadians working in Hollywood in computer animation. In fact, I read somewhere that the Canadian population of Los Angeles would make it one of Canada's major cities.

I doubt there will be a major migration, but if Canada can get a few more highly-capable people from the US, I think it would only be fair. I think you guys owe us.

laura k said...

Ha! Good point, Rob. If nothing else, I'll be good for the economy. Some Toronto vet is sure to think so.