Today was a fasting day (yes I'm still doing those on top of all the other constraints).
So France is through to the Final of the World Cup. Interestingly this year I have some kind of association with all four of the finalists: France (I was born here), Belgium (I'm half Belgian), England (I grew up there) and Croatia (My children's Nanny for 7 years was from there). Despite these multiple connections I am still hoping that France will win on Sunday. Some of you might point out a certain inconstancy since I have repeatedly spoken out against Borders, Nationalism, and Patriotism. I spent formative years of my childhood in Yorkshire, I grew up in Alsace which is the least French region of France, I read more books in English than in French, I am married to an American and I choose to write my blog in English (using the excuse that some of my readers don't read French). And yet I still feel French. What that tells me is that feeling part of a social group does not need to be linked with where you were born, where you live, what you look like, what you think, what you eat and drink or what you believe. It seems to me that nationality should be treated like gender is today (you are the gender that you feel irrespective of biology). Why not have the same system for nationality? If you feel French, Brazilian, Afghan or Kenyan then you should be recognised as such.
In the mean time: Allez la France
So France is through to the Final of the World Cup. Interestingly this year I have some kind of association with all four of the finalists: France (I was born here), Belgium (I'm half Belgian), England (I grew up there) and Croatia (My children's Nanny for 7 years was from there). Despite these multiple connections I am still hoping that France will win on Sunday. Some of you might point out a certain inconstancy since I have repeatedly spoken out against Borders, Nationalism, and Patriotism. I spent formative years of my childhood in Yorkshire, I grew up in Alsace which is the least French region of France, I read more books in English than in French, I am married to an American and I choose to write my blog in English (using the excuse that some of my readers don't read French). And yet I still feel French. What that tells me is that feeling part of a social group does not need to be linked with where you were born, where you live, what you look like, what you think, what you eat and drink or what you believe. It seems to me that nationality should be treated like gender is today (you are the gender that you feel irrespective of biology). Why not have the same system for nationality? If you feel French, Brazilian, Afghan or Kenyan then you should be recognised as such.
In the mean time: Allez la France
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