citizenship
What is citizenship, really? And why do people withold it, seek it, revoke it and cherish it? What's so good about citizenship that people feel the need to do all these things to it, holding it in such revere?
Being a citizen of a country entitles you to specific perks and privileges, depending on the country. However, citizenship comes with its burdens. Citizens have to protect the country, care for and help their fellow citizens, as well as contribute to the country's progress in academia, economics and society.
Uh oh, some of you might be going, because you're a citizen but don't regularly care for and help other citizens. I mean, why would you? Most of our "fellow" citizens are strangers to us, so why should we care for and help them? Well, this is a very valid question and the answer that behavioural scientists will tell you is: you shouldn't.
From the caveman days, we have developed a way to categorize the "fellow" humans we meet, into our in-group and our out-group. Everyone in the in-group, we care for and love and would die to protect. This usually includes your family, friends, pets and celebrities. Whereas, people in the out-group, we don't really care about. Sometimes, we may even feel hostile towards them, though this only occurs in heavily prejudiced (or very angry) individuals.
Unfortunately, a cold and detached society simply won't do. At least that's what the Social Studies syllabus says. As such, the government regularly holds events meant to bring citizens together, in the hopes that these brief interactions will allow them to suddenly rapidly expand their in-group to include everyone with the same word under Nationality in their passport. It's impractical. But that's fine.
We can care for our "fellow" citizens, just not to the extent that we care for people in our in-group. The internet has made us all painfully aware of the trivialities that our fellow citizens are going through. Sometimes, exposure is the key to empathy. After all, if you don't know that someone needs help, you're never going to give it! Many citizen-led blogs and social media groups have created an online hub for citizens to care for and help one another. So, it seems like we don't need those government-led events anymore.
Moving on, some people (like me) may view citizenships like any other product on display: is there a better one? And on the other hand are overthinkers who constantly ruminate about the collapse of society as they know it: can I revoke my citizenship and flee from my responsibilities if disaster strikes? Now, if the answer was yes to either of those questions, the whole belonging and responsibility parts of citizenship would be nullified, which leaves... nothing.
Of course, some citizenships give more perks and less obligations than others. Some examples would be first-world citizenships like American or French citizenship, though this is subject to your preferences (as is everything). But it's not that easy to "trade" citizenships, especially if you and your parents weren't born in that country.
There are 4 ways to "trade" your citizenship:
1. Birth.
2. Descent, wherein at least one of your parents has citizenship in that country.
3. Marriage, wherein you have to marry someone who has citizenship in that country. This process is often labelled as a "green card" in American media.
4. Naturalisation, wherein you have to live in that country for a specified number of years to gain citizenship. In France, there is an extra step which includes having to pass a test on French history in order to gain French citizenship.
As you can see, it is pretty hard to change your citizenship from your birth country to a different country. That is, unless you're an expert manipulator or have a lot of time on your hands (referring to 3 and 4 respectively).
Some people think that this is very depressing because it makes everything seem to be based on luck, specifically where you were born. But how is that based on luck? If you've ever cracked open a biology textbook, you would know that we are born from our mother's egg and our father's sperm. Unless you were like Schrodinger's cat and existed in many pairs of eggs and sperm until fertilisation, your birth country (and parents) were already determined when half of you was produced in your dad's balls, and the other half in your mom's ovaries. Of course, another sperm could've won the race, but that doesn't mean that you'd be born in a different country in a different home. You wouldn't have been born at all. Now that's depressing. Actually, it isn't. You should be grateful you're alive. Really.
Anyways, enough about trading citizenships. Let's learn about what you should look out for if you ever plan to trade your citizenship. As I've said before, citizenship comes with perks and burdens.
I assume that you'll want to start with the perks first, so I'll start with the burdens. We've already went through caring for and helping your fellow citizens, so tick that off the list. Next up is protecting your country. The first thing that comes to mind should be serving in the military, which is valid, but there are other, more subtle ways to defend your country. For example, reporting incidences of corruption and crime can defend your country from internal conflict. As you well know, sometimes the biggest threat is from within.
Striving for academic, economic or other types of success can also defend your country's reputation, as obtaining achievements makes other countries respect yours. This can aid in defending the country's economy and society, as the citizens are proud of your their country's achievements and are motivated to be like you do more.
Now that the burdens are covered, let us take a look at the perks. Common privileges of citizenship include the freedom of speech, the right to not be detained (i.e. thrown into prison) without trial and the right to freely move around the country. These basic privileges can often be found in your country's constitution.
Article 35 Citizens of the People’s Republic of China shall enjoy freedom of speech, the press, assembly, association, procession and demonstration.Above are 2 privileges of Chinese citizenship, obtained from The State Council of the People's Republic of China website.
Like all things, privileges can be revoked in special cases. For example, being put on probation revokes your privilege to freely move around the country, as can be seen in a few House M.D. episodes in season 8. Another example would be during pandemics, like the recent Covid-19 pandemic. In places where a lockdown was enforced, the privilege to freely move around the country was revoked for people in isolation.
More controversially, the freedom of speech can be revoked in certain authoritarian countries where the governments seek to eradicate citizens who do not agree with them or their ways. One example of a controversial use of one's freedom of speech is rioting and protesting. Technically, it should not be punished since the citizens are just voicing their views. But very often, protests turn violent and authorities have to use force to subdue the crowds (e.g. by using tear gas and mobilizing the army).
One recent example would be the South Korean martial law protests, wherein the President of South Korea declared martial law to stamp out North Korean and anti-state forces, though he didn't mention specifically what forces he was talking about. This has led to many people, including South Koreans, thinking that the President imposed martial law to gain control over the opposition parliament, and possibly also for his personal benefit.
And that is it for citizenship! Thank you for coming on this journey with me.
AI-generated summary:
1. Citizenship brings both perks and responsibilities
Citizenship grants rights like freedom of speech, movement, and protection from unlawful detention—but it also comes with duties like protecting the country, helping fellow citizens, and contributing to national progress.
2. People don’t naturally care about all fellow citizens
Human psychology tends to divide people into in-groups (whom we care about) and out-groups (whom we don't). Most fellow citizens fall into the out-group, which explains social detachment. Governments try to counter this through bonding events, but online communities might be more effective.
3. Changing citizenship is difficult
Citizenship is mostly fixed at birth. Changing it requires one of four paths: birth, descent, marriage, or naturalization. These methods can be slow or hard, making many people feel "stuck" with their birth citizenship.
4. Citizenship is partly a matter of luck
Where you’re born determines your starting privileges and obligations, which some see as unfair. But biologically, your specific existence was always tied to that outcome—another version of you wouldn’t exist elsewhere.
5. Responsibilities include defense and contribution
Beyond military service, defending your country can include reporting corruption or achieving success that uplifts national pride and reputation.
6. Privileges can be revoked
Rights like freedom of movement and speech can be suspended during crises (e.g., pandemics or martial law). Authoritarian governments may suppress dissent under the guise of maintaining order.
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