u/comments83820

It's fascinating to look at some of the discussions on the canadiancitizenship sub, which is mostly Americans applying for recognition of Canadian citizenship by descent under the new law. Now that processing is taking years instead of months, people are already talking about lawsuits against the Canadian government. Others are complaining about the staff or how they're processing the applications, suggesting that they should be digitized or whatever.

Fine. Everyone complains. Everyone wants stuff done as quickly as possible.

But when Americans start lawyering up and harassing the Canadian government over citizenship recognition that many Canadians see as more of a "gift" or "privilege" than a "right" or "recognition" of "denied Canadian citizenship," not only will public opinion start to turn against the program, but bureaucrats and politicians will start having second thoughts as well.

Patience is a virtue.

At the current exchange rate (MEX$17:US$1) after years of brutal inflation, Mexico is not a "cheap" or "budget" destination. Indeed, it's arguably more expensive to visit the tourist hot spots (Oaxaca, CDMX, San Miguel de Allende, Tulum, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, etc.) than it is to visit Japan or a number of European destinations (where you can use public transit more easily and reliably, groceries are cheaper at supermarkets, and the water is potable). I'm not saying this to discourage anyone, but simply to set expectations.

Since I was forced from my old unlimited plan to the new one ($5 increase), I’ve gotten texts for two months. The first one is a warning that I’m approaching a 2gb cap and the second tells me I’ve hit it. My service throttles to 2mbps on an iPhone 16e that has five bars of 5g. T-Mobile couldn’t fix it on their end. What is going on?

It's incredible to me how many (mostly estadounidense) people post about Mexico City with stuff like "mellow" or "soft life" or "so calm," "so quiet" or "Brooklyn but cheaper." Do you have any idea how tough life is for the people serving you? How hard their lives are with two-hour commutes from Edomex to Condesa and Juarez (places they can no longer afford to live due to your Airbnbs)? Mexico City isn't Tuscany or Provence. Grow up. If you want to visit Europe, go there instead (but, oh wait, they will actually make you follow immigration rules and you can't indefinitely live there on 180-day tourist stamps...bummer).

How would you feel if wealthy Norwegians started posting about how they've come to Brooklyn or Chicago to live off of dividends and social media income?

This toxic behavior from so many U.S. travelers and social media influencers has made Mexico a less inviting place -- a less welcoming place -- to visit for normal, respectful, sane travelers. And, since 2020 and 2021, there's been an absolute tsunami of this kind of behavior from low-quality, disrespectful tourists. You might think I'm joking about this, but the vibe has totally shifted from the mid-2010s, because of a relatively small, outspoken demographic of truly entitled people.

Those of us who love Mexico, love the culture, and respect the Mexican people need to do what we can to restore the tourism industry to a healthier place. One where there's a healthy relationship between locals and tourists. Visitors should come to enjoy Mexico -- not to use the country as a stage for psychobabble nonsense and its people as low-wage servants.

I just saw another post on here about an FA who shouted at a passenger for putting their bag in the overhead bin. On multiple flights, I've had FAs speak to me with condescension and a totally unacceptable tone, like a child being chastised. Note that I am extremely polite. I am actually polite to a fault. Repeatedly apologizing for things that aren't even my fault. I am not loud and always get out of the way when someone is coming. I don't sigh or roll my eyes. I make sure my trash is always in perfect shape to hand to the person collecting it. But, at baseline, many Delta FAs will make sarcastic or condescending comments about the most benign stuff imaginable: taking a bottle of water from the wrong place during the middle of a long-haul flight or asking for an extra snack (like a couple cookies) to hand to a child. It's totally ridiculous.

Not all Delta staff and FAs, absolutely not, but the problem is so widespread (especially from Atlanta-based crews) that it seems like there is a need for some serious retraining. It is unlike anything I've experienced at any other airline -- including Ryanair, Spirit, and Frontier.

Between the pre-tax menu prices and the tipping for take-out or counter service, it feels like abuse on top of high prices ($5 for fries or $6 for a chocolate croissant). When you add tax and tip to those prices, you're paying more than people spend in Oslo or Copenhagen. The entire U.S. restaurant industry needs a dramatic reset. I'm no longer going to keep rewarding their greedy behavior.

And, sorry: "just tap no tip" is not a satisfying response. I don't like being put in the position where I have to feel that social pressure and friction just to buy a sandwich from a deli or pick up a pizza.

Yes, I know you can logon with your SkyMiles account and get a personalized experience, whatever, but the actual choice of films is worse than ever. Perhaps they've decided to cut costs? AA blows them out of the water. I could barely find something to watch on an 8-hour return flight after having flown Delta to my destination (and slept half the time on that flight). Just another example of Delta's post-Covid mediocrity at sky-high prices.

Had a layover at Dulles and decide to grab some dinner at Chick fil a. Ordered a sandwich and large waffle. Pulled out my card for contactless payment and lo and behold the dreaded “Would you like to tip” message popped up. Noped outta that quick.

I've lived in and visited Charlottesville on and off for a couple decades now, and the only thing that's really gotten better is the quality of the suburban sprawl immediately north of the university (i.e. it looks better than it did some years ago). West Main between the university and the downtown mall still has a lot of empty lots and isn't a pleasant place to walk. The bus station is gone. Intercity rail service hasn't dramatically improved. The downtown mall itself is degraded, probably worse than two decades ago: the same unfinished hotel, surface parking lots not turned into buildings, empty storefronts, more antisocial behavior, and low-quality retail/dining. The university itself has had a lot of new development and construction, but I don't think that the overall experience of walking around the grounds really feels that much better, and there are obvious maintenance issues in a lot of places. All of this and yet housing costs more than major European cities with world-class transit/social infrastructure and thriving pedestrianized centers.

What's gone wrong?

I was recognized as an adult in the mid-2010s in a jus soli country. My grandfather naturalized just a month or so after the birth of my dad, so the line wasn't broken.

Obviously, the "minor rule" has been cancelled. That's no longer an issue.

But my sister would no longer qualify for recognition via the same the line because my grandfather held two citizenships at the time of his death, right? This is because of Tajani decree, yes?

And her minor children wouldn't automatically become citizens (even if the above issue weren't blocking her own recognition) because of the Tajani decree, yes?

So basically one barrier for her has been cleared ("minor rule" removal), but there's still the Tajani decree and waiting for the ECJ ruling?

I am a citizen for years now, but my sister is not. I was recognized via a simple grandfather line. The minor issue would have blocked my sister's recognition, but now that's apparently resolved (let's pretend it's simple). She has children ages 4, 7, 10, and 12 (the last born in 2022). If she were to be recognized herself now that the minor rule has been resolved (again, let's pretend it totally goes back to how it was before at consulates and in courts), would her children automatically become citizens? Or would they be blocked by the Tajani decree? Thanks!

UPDATE: what information is missing to help respond to my question? my sister would have an identical line to me. thanks! happy to provide.

It's pure cope for Americans to claim that their "tipping culture" produces better customer service. That's simply untrue. The service you get at a coffee shop, bakery, pizzeria, quick-service restaurant, or food stall in Europe (or East Asia) is just as good as in the United States, despite the fact you don't "answer a few questions" after tapping your card. Similarly, sit-down service is comparable. And, arguably, a carafe of free water on the table (like you receive in France or much of Northern Europe) is superior to being constantly harassed during your meal (to generate the "service" for a tip) with a personal water cup being refilled. America's abusive, backwards, exploitative, and economically inefficient "tipping culture" preys on the ignorance of Americans who haven't spend significant time abroad.

I was recognized a long time ago, but now have family members who don't qualify because of 1) the minor issue and 2) if they age out, potentially the generational limit. I'm curious if there's any chance that the European ruling will potentially address the minor issue as well? Could they argue that shouldn't be retroactively applied? If not, any other hope for minor issue relief? Thanks!

Flew on a flight with a MSP crew today and the service was excellent: respectful interactions with passengers, more drink services than required (constant drinks on offer, honestly), all meal services provided, and good humor.

Felt like a normal, high quality airline and not the degraded experience one associates with Atlanta.

Anyone else notice this?

It's hard for me to do this because I do feel like many American employees have a sort of sociocultural expectation that customers will leave a dollar for a coffee, but I just couldn't do it today. A small victory.

I want to begin by saying I have tremendous sympathy for the applicants (mostly Americans) having their Canadian citizenship by descent retroactively evaluated. That said, as someone with some experience with these programs, I have some thoughts and observations that won't necessarily be comfortable, but I think will helpful. Here we go, no particular order:

1. Ordinary Canadians (including most politicians and the working-class people processing your applications) don't see you as "unrecognized citizens from birth," but as "foreigners applying for citizenship." Yes, the letter of the law says the former, but the latter is how it's interpreted by almost everyone.
2. Think of what Canada is offering you as a "gift" or "privilege" rather than a "right." This goes back to my first point. Acquiring a second citizenship in another powerful rich country (whether Ireland, Italy, Canada, or Greece) simply by virtue of one's bloodline (having never lived in that country) is an incredible privilege, and significantly easier than how most people will acquire citizenship in foreign countries. Trade entitlement for humility. This includes when you post about the policy online.
3. Many (the majority of?) Canadians do not think you should have this citizenship. They think it's a bit cheeky for someone whose great-great-grandfather migrated from Quebec to Maine to be able to easily and quickly acquire Canadian citizenship. These people are thinking about how they've their entire lives in Canada and how their citizenship is deeply personal them. Or they're thinking about how vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees -- actually living in Canada and paying taxes -- struggle to acquire citizenship while privileged Americans simply submit some documents online and collect a passport at the consulate. Again, I'm being descriptive here -- not personally judging.
4. Be careful about how you discuss your citizenship online. It is intensely offensive for Canadians (or Irish, Italians, Greeks, whatever) to hear that your citizenship is a "back-up plan" because you "fear Donald Trump" or want "options for your children." Canadians don't see their citizenship as a "back-up plan" and they think it's unfair that you can have a back-up plan with their passport while they don't have the same access to the United States (indeed the U.S. government is threatening their country with annexation).
5. It is crazy to think you can submit uncertified documents from genealogy websites in support of your application. No other citizenship-by-descent program in a wealthy country would tolerate this -- they only accept certified copies or originals (and usually with the hassle and expense of an apostille on top).
6. The people acquiring citizenship through great-great-grandparents or even great-great-great grandparents should be especially humble and respectful. Canadians view their claims as especially suspect and problematic. And when these applicants get loud and entitled, they can wreck the program for those with more reasonable grandparent or great-grandparent claims (i.e. people who actually knew their Canadian ancestor while alive).
7. The U.S. is a uniquely litigious country. Flooding Canada with lawsuits -- or threatening them -- will not help your case. Rather, it will accelerate the end of the generous policy that currently exists.
8. Yes, Canada can (and maybe will) find a way to end this program or impose metering (slowing processing) or restrictions on applicants. Refer back to my points about public opinion and politicians. "But the law" or "but the Canadian constitution" won't stand in the way of bureaucratic or legal "innovation" to slow a flood of applications.
9. Most (the majority of?) Canadians do not see Americans as oppressed and endangered like Ukrainians, Haitians, or working-class Mexicans fleeing cartel violence. Expressing fear of this-or-that-Trump-tweet won't carry much currency in Canada.
10. Canada is a big country, but only has a handful of economically significant cities. When Canadians see tens of thousands of Americans (with a lot more money than they have) applying for citizenship, they worry about housing prices. The average American can outbid the average Canadian for a nice house in suburban Toronto or Vancouver. And because Canada is an English-speaking country adjacent to the United States, a lot of American applicants will actually move there (unlike, say, applicants for Greek or Italian citizenship).
11. Citizenship lines must be meticulously documented. When you don't have a document, you must document why you can't find it. Yes, this may take a lot of time because certain Canadian bureaucracies and small towns won't drop what they're doing to help you. The people who thought they could get around this reality are now seeing their citizenship questioned by the authorities.
12. It was totally unrealistic for early applicants to go from application to passport in a few months. New applicants should expect years. If a significant number of Americans start suing the Canadian government to speed this up, expect even more domestic Canadian opposition to the policy.
13. Under the tightened rules (that's what the letters clearly signal), some people with great-great or great-grandparents simply won't be able to claim citizenship. The documents won't exist to effectively document a line. It is what it is.
14. If courts, small towns, and government agencies are flooded with citizenship by descent work (requests for documents, letters, etc.), the political and public opinion tide will absolutely turn against this policy, whether it's "the law" or not. There are so many eligible Americans that these requests can quickly become the majority of the work in some agencies and towns -- when that happens, the tide turns against the policy even more quickly.

I hope this helps. Again, I genuinely feel for the people who are upset now, but think many of them have entitled mindsets that are going to cause a lot of problems for themselves -- and others -- moving forward.

Charlottesville is an extremely prosperous city. It has an elite university, major medical center, and is surrounded by affluent towns and rural areas. But, on a recent visit to the Downtown Mall, it felt incredibly degraded compared to the 2000s. There were a lot of empty storefronts, low-quality businesses in places, significantly more unsheltered individuals, and the infamous hotel remains unfinished. Meanwhile, condos adjacent to the pedestrian mall cost about the same as Central Paris apartments. For comparison's sake, the Madison, Wisconsin pedestrian mall -- similar-sized city with an elite university -- doesn't seem to have as many issues. What is wrong? And what can be done? Thoughts?