TikTok will be banned, not sold.

[Celerity]

97. I was born in Los Angeles to foreign national parents and they moved back to London when I was only a couple years old.

We shortly thereafter moved to Hong Kong for several years, then rerurned to London, which is where I grew up and remained until I rerurned to Los Angeles to read for my MBA in the mid 2010s.

After that, we (my GF, now wife, I am a lesbian) returned to London for a very short spell, then moved to Stockholm, which is where we have resided for 6 plus years now.

I am the only US citizen in my family, due to the US jus soli law (birthright citizenship). My mum is Bajan (Barbados) who is also a UK citizen. My father is Swedish and also a UK citizen. They met in London. My siblings are all London born UK citizens.

My wife's parents are both Swedish, who like my father, moved to London (separately) met there, and married. My wife is London born, and like her parents, my father, and my siblings, holds UK and Swedish citizenship. I do as well plus my US passport (accident of birth, lolol, as my mum was supposed to return to to London to give birth, but had serious complications that prevented that, plus I was born a couple months prematurely).

Hope that clears it up.

The American issues I see as threats to us that make me loathe to return arm (besides the fact my wife is vehemently against it atm) are pretty much bog standard: the violence/gun culture and then the threat to our LGBTQ rights, especially the possibility the SCOTUS reverses Obergefell v Hodges and bans gay marriage nationally.

Obviously there are racism concerns too (I am mixed race black, wifey is a white, all Swede), but racism is global (I have very little issues personally here in Stockholm though, thankfully) and we would probably end up back in Los Angeles or San Diego (adore La Jolla), never some ruby red hellscape state, nor some rural area. We are maximal city girls, lolol, other than my MIL's family sommarstuga (Swedish summer country house) we go to, it is north of Stockholm in a wonderful forested lake area.

If I had not gained US citizenship at birth, I still think I would have come there for at least one if my uni degrees, and just to see how it is to live there. I deffo would not be nearly as active on DU, especially if there was no Trump presidency ever.

Hope that answers your questions. I have always been fairly open about my background since I joined DU almost 6 years ago, and I am well aware that I am not everyone's cuppa here, but hopefully some find some value in my board contributions.

I gain insights daily on DU, but do admit it can be quite taxing as well, especially since Oct 7 and the subsequent significant bifurcation and cleavages here since. That said, I shall strive to carry on, until I deem it fit and proper to exit the DU stage or I am removed (hopefully not!).

Cheers

Cel