World Citizens

We have been granted dual citizenship at a time where many citizens' and residents' loyalty to the US is being questioned, particularly the patriotism of a select few congresswomen. The situation is completely ridiculous and I won't go into the racism rabbit hole in this post, and about how the president continues to conduct himself below the minimal standards of his position. Not to mention the fact that the president goes around accusing others of not being patriotic for trying to improve the lives of people in their home country, but he happily accepts election interference and money from foreign governments. The last I checked, the US was founded on the ideals of freedom of speech, assembly, press, etc., and exercising those rights is anything but un-American. But I digress.

What I do wonder is this: would the people that side with him also accuse my family of not being "patriotic enough" because we have chosen to have citizenships to two countries? To those people, I'd probably ask if they have ever traveled or lived outside of the US for more than just a short holiday, or if they feel a connection to another culture in addition to the good 'ol American way. The beautiful thing about America is that, from the beginning, it has been a melting pot of cultures. 

Having the opportunity to call two countries home does not make us any less American. We still stand for the Star-Spangled Banner and pay our taxes. And even long before I took the pledge to become an Australian citizen, I already belonged to another subculture within the US - that of Philippino Americans. Belonging to a subculture doesn't make anyone less American. We are very lucky to also be citizens of Australia - another multicultural Democratic country. There are lots of similarities between the two countries. Choosing to live in a different country for a period of time doesn't mean that you don't love America. It gives you a different perspective, and might even enforce your love for American ideals. 

It shouldn't matter if you were born in the US or outside, if your ancestors lived on US soil or not, if you have attained citizenship, you have full citizenship. Period. The last I checked, there aren't degrees of citizenship. It's honestly quite scary to live in a time where the people in power use the idea of patriotism in an attempt to weaken Democratic institutions. 

At the end of the day, I can only control so much. I am grateful for my dual citizenship. I am lucky to call two wonderful countries home.