•  froztbyte   ( @froztbyte@awful.systems ) 
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    9 months ago

    by giving up their citizenship – they gave up their right to critique the USA’s actions and policies

    respectfully, I think this is a bullshit take/perspective. example: as a ZAian, I am exposed to an incredibly wide number of USA policies and actions (both immediately and downstream, “outcomes of actions” etc). should the mere fact of me not being a USAian citizen withdraw any capacity for me to critique those things? I think not

    (edit: I realize you also remarked on the “rest of world” aspect of this, but … the scope of decisions in-US tend so broad and long-term relevant, I don’t think it really makes sense to argue the point that you made)

    • @froztbyte How many US citizens actually renounce their citizenship, though? It’s been deliberately made into a difficult and expensive process, especially under Trump, because they have an obsession with the idea that the only reason any US citizen would want to stop being one is to evade tax.

      And as a UK citizen who hasn’t lived in the UK for 15 years UK domestic policy still very much affects my life - not least a few years ago when the lunatics pushed us out of the EU and my family and I lost a whole load of basic rights in the country in which we now live. And I reserve the right to critique any government I want if it’s behaving in a shitty manner - why should the US be immune from criticism while it’s perfectly acceptable to slag off awful regimes like Saudi Arabia, Iran and yes, even that in our next door neighbour, Hungary? The US isn’t immune from criticism just because they wear clean shirts while mistreating marginalised folk.

    •  corbin   ( @corbin@awful.systems ) 
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      29 months ago

      No worries. I agree with you that the USA’s policies often affect other countries.

      I’ve talked to more than a few expats who simultaneously believe that they are allowed to influence the politics of their new home, and also that USA’s current citizens should care deeply about their opinions; these folks read as colonizers to me, and I am eager to dismiss them.