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I remember when Brexit happened, every time I got chatting to someone in Europe they would, politely, try to figure out where I stood on the issue. When they fi

by moomin 2y ago

I remember when Brexit happened, every time I got chatting to someone in Europe they would, politely, try to figure out where I stood on the issue. When they figured out that I was pro-European they wanted to know my take on what was going on in the UK. I imagine that if I'd been pro-Brexit they'd have just avoided the subject and discussed the weather. I imagine you'll experience the same thing as an American coming to Europe right now.

lo_zamoyski 2y ago
I find it odd to opine about the political business of other countries. That is, I might perceive a subject matter a certain way, or I may recognize the moral issues with a particular policy (if serious enough, I might even endorse some form of intervention, if prudent). Heck, I might even, in principle, offer a dispassionate analysis of a given policy if I were a political analyst. But what I don't understand is how a foreigner can be "pro-X" as it the issue were personal. In the case of Brexit, as someone who isn't British, I have no opinion one way or another. I might have a view of what the relative trade-offs are, perhaps te impact of Brexit on my country, but to claim to be pro- or contra-Brexit seems as ridiculous as supporting or opposing my neighbor's choice of furnishings or home building material. The question doesn't belong to the common good I share with the neighbor. Brexit, like many issues, was more of a litmus test for gauging "political purity", whether someone is in the political in-group or out-group, kosher or treif.
- moomin 2y ago
  But neither Brexit nor the US foreign and trade policy _are_ just other country's politics. All of these things directly affected/affect the EU27. It's not just a football game. e.g. You'd best believe the average polish person cares pretty deeply about what's going on in Ukraine. In any event, I found they didn't want to tell me what they thought about it, they wanted to hear my perspective on why these things were happening. Obviously I claim no great political insight, but I could tell them what it looked like at ground zero.
- bryanlarsen 2y ago
  > I find it odd to opine about the political business of other countries AFAICT, they weren't opining, they were asking questions. I think that's very natural. "My media is telling me that there's some weird stuff going on over there, can you tell me what's really going on?"

by moomin 2y ago

lo_zamoyski 2y ago

I find it odd to opine about the political business of other countries. That is, I might perceive a subject matter a certain way, or I may recognize the moral issues with a particular policy (if serious enough, I might even endorse some form of intervention, if prudent). Heck, I might even, in principle, offer a dispassionate analysis of a given policy if I were a political analyst. But what I don't understand is how a foreigner can be "pro-X" as it the issue were personal. In the case of Brexit, as someone who isn't British, I have no opinion one way or another. I might have a view of what the relative trade-offs are, perhaps te impact of Brexit on my country, but to claim to be pro- or contra-Brexit seems as ridiculous as supporting or opposing my neighbor's choice of furnishings or home building material. The question doesn't belong to the common good I share with the neighbor. Brexit, like many issues, was more of a litmus test for gauging "political purity", whether someone is in the political in-group or out-group, kosher or treif.

moomin 2y ago
But neither Brexit nor the US foreign and trade policy _are_ just other country's politics. All of these things directly affected/affect the EU27. It's not just a football game. e.g. You'd best believe the average polish person cares pretty deeply about what's going on in Ukraine. In any event, I found they didn't want to tell me what they thought about it, they wanted to hear my perspective on why these things were happening. Obviously I claim no great political insight, but I could tell them what it looked like at ground zero.
bryanlarsen 2y ago
> I find it odd to opine about the political business of other countries AFAICT, they weren't opining, they were asking questions. I think that's very natural. "My media is telling me that there's some weird stuff going on over there, can you tell me what's really going on?"