How Leaving the Country Does and Doesn't Help
I'm starting to hear it again. In blogs, in e-mails from friends: "If the Republicans win in November, I'm leaving the country."
I said the same thing in 2000, but my husband calmed me down after Bush "won" with this: "The country survived Nixon, for God's sake. How bad can it be?"
I said it again in 2004, when I saw just how bad it could be and how Nixon was about as destructive as a trolley car compared to the Bush-Cheney F-16.
And you know what? I did it. Or we did it.
My husband and I moved out of the country with our two sons. For almost three years, we have lived in San Miguel de Allende, a gorgeous colonial town in the mountains of Mexico. Sure we had other reasons to move; we wanted our boys to become bilingual. But the gun in my back as we made our border run was my despondence that an America that could re-elect Bush was an America I could no longer recognize or connect to.
For the most part, these past three years have been blissful, in the way that ignorance is bliss. It has been easier to distance myself emotionally from the GOP-created chaos. When I hear news like Cheney trying to dodge accountability because his office isn't fully part of the executive branch, I can turn off my satellite radio and revel in the heretofore-unknown comforts of sand around my earlobes.
I don't have to see opposition bumper stickers and yard signs and find my hands tightening on the steering wheel as I wonder just what kind of idiot can still be proud enough of our mess-of-a-country to advertise such slavish loyalty. I don't have to hear people make stupid comments like, "I think history will show that Bush was a great president." (OK, I did have to hear this when my mother reported on my sister's recent musings, but hearing it second-hand probably saved a few blood vessels behind my eyeballs.)
The night before the 2006 elections I actually slept soundly, something that hadn't happened on the eve of several previous national votes. I simply told myself that if the results didn't turn out right it was because that was a country I no longer knew. (I did still vote, however, since I would never give the other side the satisfaction of one less voice.)
But in many ways moving hasn't offered as much relief as I'd hoped. Mexicans and other foreigners here often ask me for an explanation of U.S. conduct or the mentality of U.S. voters. I often find myself apologizing for what we've done or become, even though I don't support the policies. I feel the embarrassment of association here, like a child whose uncle has been arrested for streaking at a little league game.
I also have a nagging sense that I should be in the mix right now, ringing doorbells and writing letters to my local paper, doing what it takes to make sure we don't take another journey down the toilet bowl. When I announced I was moving to Mexico three years ago, one friend was not pleased. "You should stay here and fight," he said. I often have twinges of guilt that I took the easy way out.
To be completely honest, now that the 2008 election is in full gear, I realize that I still care, so deeply, what happens to the U.S. Being nine hundred miles from the nearest road sign in English cannot fully ease my despair that a once-stellar country is on the brink of collapse under the combined weight of consumerism, cynicism, mental laziness and greed. It can't prevent my stomach from aching when I catch Sarah Palin spin her silky-but-saucy deceptions and manipulations.
I feel more invested in the outcome this November than ever because I'd like to be able to go home if I so desire. I want to feel that the country has woken up while I was gone and that I'll now feel like I belong again. There is a group of ex-pats in San Miguel who are waiting for a Democratic victory the same way Miami Cubans wait for Fidel's demise.
What I say about this election is, "If McCain wins, I'm not going back." And I mean it.
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Has anyone seen the movie "Idiiocrasy?" It's supposed to be a comedy, but the comedic fiction is foreshadowing the future of this country. My husband and I talk frequenty about finding a refuge where people do not consider having an education and being well read elitist. We have three chidren who are teen and young adult who have not lost hope. The two who are old enough have registered to vote and are prepared to fight. I am 53 and don't want to leave my children, but I live in the South and an Obama sticker on your car (and I have 2) can get your car vandalized. If we wind up with a McCain/Palin administration it's the end for me here and I'll have to find a way to convince my kinds to come with us.
I identify with your comment about the groups of expats in Mexico who wait for change to come to the United States as Cubans in Florida await the demise of Fidel Castro. There are many, many expats in Costa Rica who feel the same way. I will never live in the United States again - I simply do not recognize the place of my birth any longer, nor enjoy being there. It seems to be a place designed for automobiles, not people - in an age when the automobile is a major contributor to the world's problems. I still visit the U.S. occasionally because most of my family and friends are there, but most of them are quite pleased to be able to visit me here in Costa Rica. The longer I am away, the less I find myself caring about what happens in the U.S. I will vote in the election - it is still my country, too, whether anyone likes it or not. The expat vote throughout the world will support Obama overwhelmingly, be assured.
I have been saying that I am leaving ever since George W was "appointed" president by his Dad's supreme court cronies - true to our democratic ideals which we are trying to export to other nations, by force if necessary! My husband pointed this out yesterday and was sort of mocking me. But I did not have the heart to leave even after the people elected W after his first four years (I wonder whether even God knows why "we the people" did that??), but could not because I did not wish to leave my children, and, my husband will not leave the U.S. We are naturalized U.S. citizens from India, and I have already once left everyone near and dear to me and come here, hoping to make a better life, which it turns out we did not. Now to leave again, leaving everyone near and dear back in the U.S. is a really tough thing to do.
I rant and rave, stating the same things said by so many here. I do not feel that in good conscience I should pay taxes to a government that does not reflect any good ideals of humanity.
Perhaps those of us who feel this way should stay and fight to get back the country to where it should be, rather than abandon it??
Besides, the way our retirement account has shrunk, there are not too many countries in which I can afford to live. Perhaps Central America.
Heck, I thought about leaving when Reagan got elected, but I'M STILL HERE! I've lived in most areas of the country, but now, when I'm thinking about it again, I don't have any money to go anywhere.
It feels very awkward living in a country that does not reflect my values, voting against one candidate after another and being on the losing side. The last two election results made me feel like I'd been kicked in the stomach. If it happens again this time....
That's pretty hilarious. You leave the U.S. for a narco-oligarchy in Mexico, which has unspeakable poverty, rampant pollution, a famously corrupt federal police force and where labor leaders are regularly beaten or assassinated. You dd not choose wisely.
If I was going to emigrate in the wake of McCain presidency, it would be to Japan (I speak the language and have lived there in the past), Canada, Holland or Scandinavia. I might even look into Germany since I have some ancestors from there on my dad's side.
Unfortunately, I can't afford it, though. So I'm pretty much stuck here even if things get much worse than they are now.
I agree...go ahead and move. I think its a great idea. When exactly will you be going and will yr apartmet be available?...please go soon.
Great post. I did the same after the Bush 41 disaster. I left for 4 years to live in Britain. What it does do is help you get some perspective about how the U.S. is viewed by the rest of the world. It helps you yourself get more educated about the way people live in other countries, which, surprise, surprise, don't think the U.S. is the center of the universe. I witnessed a much more measured and somber reaction to the Gulf War. I watched British right-wing idealism start to crumble. I watched the beginnings of a unified Europe. I recommend anyone who threatens to leave actually go do it. We need a lot more worldly people here!!! And if this election goes pear-shaped, then I might consider another respite abroad! It's good for the soul.
I feel so similar, Jeannie, that I did the same thing. People leave their home country all the time, for an endless variety of reasons, I thought saving my sanity while George and Dick fouled the nest was more than a good enough reason to fly the coop. How awful it's been to realize there is more going on than a hiccup of sanity. We came back to the States after three years in Mexico (with our fluent children) and are so relieved to see there is an uprising of people who truly want the country back, who want diplomacy, a healthy (insured) middle class, who want to participate in the process and make the world a better place. We live in a western State, so I'm often confronted with folks who carry a bible and shake their fists, calling for more war, more bombs, more pre-emptive strikes.... But there are plenty of thinking people who realize we've gone astray, and recognize there is serious work to be done. I've joined those ranks, and feel grateful to be able to work to make a difference (I help with the Hispanic crowd, we make chile relleno and sing mexican folk songs). Having said that, I miss Mexico, and if McCain and Palin win, I'm going back. I'll call you, we'll have lunch and cry.
Wow! What a great commentary. You expressed my feelings perfectly. I have been living here in the States for the past two years after nearly 8 years of ex-pat life in Istanbul. We are already planning the move back... I don't even recognize this country anymore. After the elections of 2000 and 2004, I have to admit that I am more than a bit concerned about the outcome in November. The fact that this race is close, given all that has happened over the past 7+years, is enough to make me seriousy question the ability of the American electorate to consider the serious issues and make informed and intelligent decisions. Really... how many times do you have to stick your finger in an electrical socket to know you're going to get shocked?? With all that is happening in the world and especially the events here in the States (financial meltdowns, mortgage meltdowns, high energy costs, and does anyone remember the two wars we are fighting(great media coverage of these, also)) and yet we are still debating who's an elitist, who wears a flag pin, gay marriage, abortion rights.... WAKE UP AMERICA... there are hard working, well-educated people all over the world just clamoring to get to the top of the economic and social ladders. We are really going to be left behind and wondering what happened. As chaotic as everyday life can be in Turkey, I prefer it to the absolute inanity that is life in America.
I just looked up average incomes. The average income in the US is over $50,000. In Mexico it's $2,000. . Sounds to me like the US is a much, much better place to live, unless you're a rich American hiring maids and cooks in Mexico for $2000 per year. I'm moving no matter who wins!
What's it like living there? I've heard how beautiful it is.
See Jeannie Ralston's Profile
It's beautiful here. Weather just about perfect. Warm in the winter and cool in the summer, which is why many Texans come here June-August (I know, it's counterintuitive that you could get cooler by going south, but that's because of the altitude here--6,400 feet). I've joked with my husband that the only possible benefit to McCain winning (this is a joke, remember) is that property values would go up here because of the rush of newcomers.
I already have a beautiful spot in Australia all picked out and waiting for me. America has had enough chances to show me it isnt a nation of ignorant slobs who re-elect the very same people who steal their livelihoods and feed their children into the war machine, chanting Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! the entire time. If the GOP wins again, then that is proof positive that America is indeed fuct.
Reason is dead in America. But not in me. There is no law that says I have to take it in the a$$ and come back for seconds.
Ive been out of school for a while but I thought they taught spanish in the states .
See Jeannie Ralston's Profile
Hi. I actually studied Spanish through high school and college; you never become fully bilingual through these types of classes--at least that's what I have found. To become bilingual, you have to be immersed in the language. I'm happy to report that our boys are now completely fluent in Spanish. Warms a mother's heart.
"From the theaters to malls, on every shore,
the thin line between entertainment and war,
The front line is everywhere, there be no shelter here"
"No Shelter," Rage Against The Machine
If you have managed to escape some of what you find distressing about contemporary America by exiling yourself to a town that is a refuge for affluent ex-pat Americans more power to you but that is not a choice that most of us can make. Wish the rest of us luck and joy in our staying here to fight the good fight.
I agree Jeannie! I moved to Ireland when I graduated from college on a student visa right at the time that Bush took his second term in office and I was lambasted by people there for being an American until I explained that I hadn't voted for him. My fiance is Irish and I am SERIOUSLY considering moving back there should the Democrats lose again. I am so dumbfounded by the ignorance and stupidity of so many Americans that I wonder how I can live in a country that thinks that way. But I do love my country and hope that it doesn't come down to that...
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