Job Discussion Forums

[jfurgers]

[Prof.Gringo]

If a foreigner becomes a Mexican citizen, yes they can vote. You can have an IFE card and a Mexican passport. You can own property anywhere in Mexico. You can work for whomever and do whatever you please. You can say or do anything that relates to politics and not be deported.

It's interesting to note what you can't do: Serve in the armed forces, be a police or any other public safety official, run for or hold government office, and a number of other things are reserved for Mexicans by birth. So, in other words, you are a citizen, but a second class citizen.

Why would anyone want to be a second-class citizen of any country?

I don't know about other countries, but in the US the only government office a foreign born, naturalized US citizen can't hold is president. Pretty reasonable, but you can do just about anything else, just ask the governor of California or Henry Kissinger...

[MO39]

And then there are countries like Germany, where large numbers of people who were born there are not citizens since their parents are not German, like the sizeable Turkish community.

[Samantha]

P. Gringo wrote:

[El Gallo]

[El Gallo]

By the way if I were a she, I would be "la gallina"

[Prof.Gringo]

[Milenka]

I don't believe in unconditional love (except the one you get from dogs, seriously), not when it comes to people, not when it comes to your homecountry or country of adoption. You can only learn to love someone or some place when you've been close enough and long enough to see and experience the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is quite possible (and desirable) to discuss any of those about any country (especially one's own) without losing perspective.

Having said that, the more I live (in my homecountry and abroad) the more comfortable I feel about this truth: my place of birth is the result of pure chance. Mi patria son mis zapatos.

[Phil_K]

A thought on the previous post:

If I watch a soccer match involving Mexico, I want Mexico to win. If it were Mexico v England, I'd want England to win.

I don't inconditionally love my country, (though I do inconditionally love my wife!) but there is that something inside that ties you and won't let you go. The same in the Olympics when they raise the flag and play the National Anthem for a British gold medal winner (rare, I know!). I fill up!

[Prof.Gringo]

Strange, I always root for whoever is playing against Mexico (poor Belize!). I go nuts when its USA vs Mexico!

I spoke with a girl working at an employment agency in San Diego onetime. Even though she was born and grew up in the US, went to school and worked in the US, when I asked her if she felt more Mexican or American she said she wasn't sure. When I asked her why, her answer was: " I listen to music in Spanish".

Another time I talked to a guy that was born in the US but grew up in Mexico. Yes, he had a US passport. But he couldn't speak one word of English and he never had exposure to American culture. I don't consider him to be an American even if he does have the passport. It has to do with a lot more than that.

I could never feel Mexican. That's just me. Maybe another country I could feel closer to and hence feel more like one of them. For example: Australia or Canada. The shared British heritage and the English language are a huge thing that we have in common (Guy or Phil, please don't kill me for this one ).

[Phil_K]

I don't feel at all offended, Prof. It's good to know that you'd like to populate our colonies (Don't kill me for that one, Oreen! )