expatriots
MsExpat proposed getting drinks at the People's Republic largely because it was her favorite bar when she lived in Central Square and she wanted to drop in on the place one last time before she left for Australia. For out of towners, the bar takes its name from the monicker that adorns a city known to harbor many an aging hippy and aspiring anarchist, and the place plays up the reputation with aplomb. Soviet propaganda on the walls, red stars by the bar, and old Cold War kitsch everywhere. It's strangely appropriate for an evening with MsExpat which, in more cases than not, tends to involve us drinking beer, talking politics, and getting more ornery as we swap sobriety for outrage.
I've known a few folks who, at various points in the last year talk about leaving America in the way that other young people talk about getting a better job, or a better apartment -- as an expression of general dissatisfaction, but in reality, it's a difficult announcement to follow up on. Becoming an expatriate is an arduous task, and most immigrants have had their fate at least partially forced upon them. Many Americans probably griped about Vietnam, but most of those who left were the ones dodging the draft. Amongst all of the folks I know who've at one time said that they've had enough with this country, Ms.Expat is the only one who's actually going through with it and switching her allegiances.
So it wasn't much of a surprise that we spent most of the evening swapping notes on our governments, both adopted and former. I asked her what mainstream Australian opinion on the war was like, noting that John Howard seemed to be getting off lightly compared to Blair and Bush. She just shook her head and said, "Australians are scared. There's this sense of vulnerability, because they're so close to everything, relatively speaking. Howard rode to victory after 9/11 because he had this tough policy on illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. After Sept. 11th, everyone thought the Boat People were all terrorists, that there were al-Qaida operatives in every shipping vessel."
"They're probably all the more scared after Bali."
"Yes and no. It's kind of like the way Sept. 11th touched America. Australia has this proud tradition of accepting refugees, like Canada, but Howard started shutting that down and some took Bali as a sign that the tough policies were backfiring, creating resentment and fraying relations. Others thought that they weren't tough enough. So it jarred some people out of their paranoia, but it made others even more paranoid.
"More than anything else, though, Australians are scared of America. Our economy's dancing on a razor's edge of sustainability, and the last thing it needs is to get kicked in the nuts by Bush. Germany's learning that now, and I'm kind of surprised Canada isn't getting screwed over by being neutral."
"eh, we signed our soul away ten years ago with NAFTA. Both the American and Canadian economies are so intertwined, it'd be impossible for them to really screw each other over. But Chretien's still getting flack from conservatives about jeopardizing trade. Poor Mexico, though ... ain't no way Fox is going to get Bush to reform immigration laws now. Still, it's funny, in both Canadian and Filipino newspapers, talk about trade with America tended to eclipse the Saddam administration in arguments about war, like , 'oh, we can't jeopardize our economy, and we don't want to piss off America, yeah, btw, Saddam's a bad guy too.' "
"Yeah, it's so frightening how much power this nation has. They can just squeeze other countries in to going along with them."
"Remember all of those 'economic incentives' that were being passed around when the US was trying to push a resolution through the UN. All of a sudden America's like, 'hey, Cameroon, you're now our best friend. Can you vote for this ultimatum on war?'"
"yeah, like excuse me, Coalition of the Willing to Get In Line for the American Gravy Train. I don't remember England paying off the Canadians to fight Hitler."
"So, why leave? I mean, doesn't it bother you that an American President that you may have been able to vote against might be able to compel Australia to do things that you'd disagree with?"
"Hah. you think that we can change the system from within, whereas I say that's bullshit. Bush is going to get elected in 2004, barring a miraculous reinvention of the Democratic Party. He's going to continue to destroy the nation's civil liberties and sow more fear in the rest of the world. I want to live in a country that doesn't make me feel shame and guilt whenever I open the paper. I want to live in a country that doesn't walk around with a big nuclear tipped chip on its shoulder, with this 'with us or bend over' bullshit. I want out."
and at that point, I quickly reminded her that I was on her side, while getting the idea that she's probably had to spend a lot of time defending her move to almost everyone she knew. We switched topics later on and got away from immigration, but I still thought about how she said "I want out". I wondered how many more of my friends might say that in the years to come, and what that might say for democracy, where the sense of futility in voting would go beyond merely ditching elections or attending protest and result in self-imposed exile, so that your voice might get a better audience.
oh, and because of Canada Day, I'd like to direct you to an example of why Canada kicks ass. Namely CBCRadio3's online music magazine. Goth kids can even check out the little feature on The Cranes, which comes with a couple of live tracks. Excellent way to kill a bit of your lunch hour, I'd say.
I've known a few folks who, at various points in the last year talk about leaving America in the way that other young people talk about getting a better job, or a better apartment -- as an expression of general dissatisfaction, but in reality, it's a difficult announcement to follow up on. Becoming an expatriate is an arduous task, and most immigrants have had their fate at least partially forced upon them. Many Americans probably griped about Vietnam, but most of those who left were the ones dodging the draft. Amongst all of the folks I know who've at one time said that they've had enough with this country, Ms.Expat is the only one who's actually going through with it and switching her allegiances.
So it wasn't much of a surprise that we spent most of the evening swapping notes on our governments, both adopted and former. I asked her what mainstream Australian opinion on the war was like, noting that John Howard seemed to be getting off lightly compared to Blair and Bush. She just shook her head and said, "Australians are scared. There's this sense of vulnerability, because they're so close to everything, relatively speaking. Howard rode to victory after 9/11 because he had this tough policy on illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. After Sept. 11th, everyone thought the Boat People were all terrorists, that there were al-Qaida operatives in every shipping vessel."
"They're probably all the more scared after Bali."
"Yes and no. It's kind of like the way Sept. 11th touched America. Australia has this proud tradition of accepting refugees, like Canada, but Howard started shutting that down and some took Bali as a sign that the tough policies were backfiring, creating resentment and fraying relations. Others thought that they weren't tough enough. So it jarred some people out of their paranoia, but it made others even more paranoid.
"More than anything else, though, Australians are scared of America. Our economy's dancing on a razor's edge of sustainability, and the last thing it needs is to get kicked in the nuts by Bush. Germany's learning that now, and I'm kind of surprised Canada isn't getting screwed over by being neutral."
"eh, we signed our soul away ten years ago with NAFTA. Both the American and Canadian economies are so intertwined, it'd be impossible for them to really screw each other over. But Chretien's still getting flack from conservatives about jeopardizing trade. Poor Mexico, though ... ain't no way Fox is going to get Bush to reform immigration laws now. Still, it's funny, in both Canadian and Filipino newspapers, talk about trade with America tended to eclipse the Saddam administration in arguments about war, like , 'oh, we can't jeopardize our economy, and we don't want to piss off America, yeah, btw, Saddam's a bad guy too.' "
"Yeah, it's so frightening how much power this nation has. They can just squeeze other countries in to going along with them."
"Remember all of those 'economic incentives' that were being passed around when the US was trying to push a resolution through the UN. All of a sudden America's like, 'hey, Cameroon, you're now our best friend. Can you vote for this ultimatum on war?'"
"yeah, like excuse me, Coalition of the Willing to Get In Line for the American Gravy Train. I don't remember England paying off the Canadians to fight Hitler."
"So, why leave? I mean, doesn't it bother you that an American President that you may have been able to vote against might be able to compel Australia to do things that you'd disagree with?"
"Hah. you think that we can change the system from within, whereas I say that's bullshit. Bush is going to get elected in 2004, barring a miraculous reinvention of the Democratic Party. He's going to continue to destroy the nation's civil liberties and sow more fear in the rest of the world. I want to live in a country that doesn't make me feel shame and guilt whenever I open the paper. I want to live in a country that doesn't walk around with a big nuclear tipped chip on its shoulder, with this 'with us or bend over' bullshit. I want out."
and at that point, I quickly reminded her that I was on her side, while getting the idea that she's probably had to spend a lot of time defending her move to almost everyone she knew. We switched topics later on and got away from immigration, but I still thought about how she said "I want out". I wondered how many more of my friends might say that in the years to come, and what that might say for democracy, where the sense of futility in voting would go beyond merely ditching elections or attending protest and result in self-imposed exile, so that your voice might get a better audience.
oh, and because of Canada Day, I'd like to direct you to an example of why Canada kicks ass. Namely CBCRadio3's online music magazine. Goth kids can even check out the little feature on The Cranes, which comes with a couple of live tracks. Excellent way to kill a bit of your lunch hour, I'd say.