Eine Einladung

The other day we received a notification informing us that we’re now eligible to apply for citizenship.  The letter even included an invitation to a presentation led by Mr. Bashi Dürr, a member of the Basel City Council.  Of course, I obviously already knew about our eligibility but I took this to represent a personal invitation.  How nice, I thought, that they’re encouraging us.  It made me feel special.  A few days later I mentioned this to our Dutch neighbor who said that she’d also just received the same letter.  Hmm, I reflected, feeling a bit deflated.  Maybe we’re not so special after all.   She then went on to cynically opine that both of us had probably received the letter due to the lofty status of our western passports and that those from developing countries may not have received the same encouragement.   Suddenly, I not only no longer felt special but felt, dare I say it, profiled, and while this might represent “positive” profiling, it still felt wrong and for us it could quickly turn negative due to association with the deviant currently occupying the Whitehouse.    Sadly, these are the kinds of thoughts that float through our minds these days owing to the frequency with which we must parry inquiries from people we don't even know about the Obergroper’s last tweet.  Would our upcoming interviews with the immigration committee turn into a grilling session during which we would be asked to defend his narcissistic behavior and, by extension, his decisions putting the climate and our entire planet at risk?  In an effort to be rational, I tried to think this through as would a Swiss and decided that my friends and neighbors here wouldn’t take either of these positions.  Our adopted country would have certainly sent this letter to everyone who became eligible this year, including the tired, poor and huddled masses and I was equally sure that we would not be held responsible for Voldemort’s narcissistic behavior.  This perspective immediately lifted my spirits and re-inflated the balloon of enthusiasm I’d been enjoying as we worked through the naturalization process.   And before I forgot, I made a note in my calendar to reserve the evening of May 2^nd to be at the Rathaus to hear what Mr. Dürr has to say.