Agree, or Leave
A country built for protest, yet seemingly beyond reproach
“If you don’t like it, then why don’t you just leave?”
It’s a phrase we’ve all heard before, once uttered by elementary school children, and now the rallying response of the conservative American right.
It was only weeks ago — during a moderately heated back-and-forth that began with the United States’ impending election — that a family member first volleyed this retort in my direction.
“If you aren’t proud to be an American,” she snapped, “then maybe you should leave.”
The Privilege of Leaving
At its origins, the “just leave” rejoinder is problematic on many levels — not the least of which is the implicit assumption that folks have the means to just pick up and abscond.
Revisiting memories of childhood trips to my paternal grandparents’ home, I am reminded of my family history — relics that adorned near every wall: a map of County Clare, Ireland, where my great-great-grandparents emigrated from; the watercolor painting of Knappogue Castle, said to have been built and inhabited by the McNamara’s, my powerful and influential Irish ancestors; a bronzed and weighty coat of arms.
