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I would, but it would be extremely unpleasant, and she will accuse me of being racist. Ugh.
Any other ideas? I am really curious as to how U.S. citizenship HAPPENS -- i.e., doesn't the person have to pledge allegiance to the U.S.? Because if she did, she was lying (to say the least).
Mostly, I am flabbergasted that she would be so hypocritical as to become a U.S. citizen when she absolutely, positively HATES the U.S. It's a bit infuriating (and I am NOT, generally speaking, anti-immigrant).
So simply being accused of something has your tail between your legs?
Remember the guy who tried to bomb Times Square? He parked a old, beat up car there and a bomb was inside it. Someone saw smoke coming out of it and alerted the police. They figured who the guy was and he was apprehended after he had boarded a Qatar Airlines plane that had yet to take off. It was discovered that he was a naturalized US citizen. When he was on trial he ranted and raved about how he hated the US. I wondered since he hated it so much why he became a US citizen. SMH.
Then there was a guy who plotted to bomb Metrorail in DC. He was caught before he could carry out his plan. He, too, was a naturalized US citizen. Also, when he went to trial he ranted and raved about how he hated the US. Again, SMH.
I can't understand wanting to become a citizen of a country you dislike, never mind hate with a passion. It makes no sense.
So simply being accused of something has your tail between your legs?
Well, I'm human, so I don't actually HAVE a tail between my legs ... but thank you for your utterly brilliant contribution to this thread.
And seriously, this person is a member of my 3-person department -- she is someone I have to deal with several times a week. You really do not understand how unpleasant it could get (as if it's not unpleasant enough)? And in academia, simply being ACCUSED of racism is pretty horrendous, especially with the aforementioned "be nice" policies that are being written (ugh!).
Quote:
Originally Posted by BOS2IAD
Remember the guy who tried to bomb Times Square? He parked a old, beat up car there and a bomb was inside it. Someone saw smoke coming out of it and alerted the police. They figured who the guy was and he was apprehended after he had boarded a Qatar Airlines plane that had yet to take off. It was discovered that he was a naturalized US citizen. When he was on trial he ranted and raved about how he hated the US. I wondered since he hated it so much why he became a US citizen. SMH.
Then there was a guy who plotted to bomb Metrorail in DC. He was caught before he could carry out his plan. He, too, was a naturalized US citizen. Also, when he went to trial he ranted and raved about how he hated the US. Again, SMH.
I can't understand wanting to become a citizen of a country you dislike, never mind hate with a passion. It makes no sense.
^^^ Yep. That's it. It seems utterly hypocritical to me. (Well, not SEEMS -- it IS.)
I DO think that the next time she even mentions her U.S. citizenship (which she does sometimes at our biweekly department meetings), I will say something. Will report back ...
And believe me, I understand the Constitution (I still remember having to pass a Constitution Test in the 8th grade in California back in 1973 -- it was a California state requirement that you had to pass before going on to high school -- and I passed with only 1 tiny mistake on a 3-day test, misspelling Warren Burger's last name because a close friend of mine had the last name Berger and I thought Warren Burger's last name was spelled the same way -- my score was something like 99.8%, and I thought the Constitution was absolutely fascinating!). In fact, I just emailed a big-time administrator at my college who asked for "feedback" on a form that basically says that anyone who says anything that could hurt (psychologically) any other person or cause them to feel bad about themselves is guilty of violating our "be nice" policy (OK, we don't call it that) DESPITE the fact that the policy is clearly a violation of freedom of speech ... so yes, I completely understand having the right to criticize the U.S. I frequently do so myself ... especially the current administration!
But this particular person has NEVER, in more than 15 years, said ANYTHING even remotely positive about the U.S., in fact quite the opposite (and for that matter, she has never in more than 15 years said anything even remotely positive about our college) ... yet she still got citizenship.
So no, I don't think she could in any way "demonstrate an attachment to the principles and ideals of the U.S. Constitution." (Or if the requirements to pass are so minimal that she could PASS that, then I am simply disgusted.)
So now a requirement of citizenship is to say positive things about the country? Sounds like 1984.
So now a requirement of citizenship is to say positive things about the country? Sounds like 1984.
Yeah, OK, that's exactly what I meant.
If you really are so dense as to get THAT out of my posts (did you even READ them? do you understand what "dissent is patriotic" means and what I said about it?), then I don't even know what to say.
I mean, seriously:
If I absolutely hate Mexico ... should I be able to get citizenship there?
If I absolutely hate the UK ... should I be able to get citizenship there?
And if someone absolutely hates the U.S. ... should she be able to get citizenship here? Is that really a difficult question?
Last edited by karen_in_nh_2012; 10-10-2019 at 07:16 PM..
Reason: correct typo
I tried to explain to a friend one time that for certain individuals the only reason they became US citizens was the financial rewards. He didn't seem to get it but this thread reminds me this is so true (and probably happens the world over in developed countries). Imagine an orthodox Muslim going to Germany for the first time and seeing rowdy bar patrons drinking alcohol and flagrant nudists at the park, e.g. Munich's park. Then they are forced to buy auto insurance despite it the fact that insurance is prohibited.....So yes it is often about quality of life that is related to the wealth of a particular country, and nothing to do with the culture, traditions or laws that other value so highly.
Sorry for the bizarre thread title, I am just really a bit flabbergasted by this.
I have a colleague who absolutely HATES the United States ... as in, I've known this person for more than 15 years and have NEVER heard one good word about the U.S. (and have heard a zillion words saying why it's a disgusting, horrible, racist country).
I knew she had a green card (which honestly, I thought was bad enough), but at a meeting a few weeks ago she mentioned that she had just become a U.S. CITIZEN. I was so horrified that I was literally speechless. Of course when I thought about it later, I wished I had said, "Wait a minute, all you have done for the past 15+ years is say how much you HATE this country, so how on earth did you get citizenship?"
And honestly, if I had KNOWN she was applying for U.S. citizenship, I would have protested (as if it would have made any difference). But I didn't.
Note though that there are people born and raised in the US who hate our society. But that may just mean they want to change it in a more positive direction. Freedom of speech includes the right to criticize the country.
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