"...not actually working or settling down?"
In the previous comment, I was answering your question of "where americans can travel" to.
If you want to work or settle down abroad, you can do that.
If you want to travel indefinitely, you can do that too.
Travel is up to the traveler.
yes, because it is fun, and we don't have to make it different just to be different.
how to make a martyr
hahaha thanks
Thank you, it was hide read posts.
Haha, OH MY GOSH thank you I've been trying to figure it out for...way too long.
thank you so much.
public baths in Japan got me comfortable with being naked and i wholeheartedly agree that there are some cultural activities like saunas that obligate nudity.
and are far more comfortable when nude, anyway.
that's usually why those activities are done nekkid in the first place.
"...filthy and dirty in public.'
they really have been for a while now.
you got your wish.
"planning on living as obnoxiously and proudly as possible."
go for it, my concern is that you won't achieve what you want this way.
"I want queer people to be an issue no one can ignore,"
I think this is another goal you've already achieved, queer people in general are an issue nobody is ignoring already.
on the good side, the prevalence of queer culture is higher than it's ever been, even in conservative enclaves like the US.
on the bad side, the most powerful people in a few countries like tge US are so afraid of glitter that they're trying to override the other two branches of government in a vain efforts to shove the fancypants genie back in the bottle.
but that's the thing about genies and bottles, though.
"being visible in today's world is very very dangerous"
in some places, it is.
in other places it's totally normal and accepted to be as visibly queer as you like, as it has been forever because other cultures have never been binary.
I support whatever course of action fulfills you and hope your activism achieves the further goals you are working toward, and also hope you're aware that becoming a martyr is not the only or possibly most effective way you can be useful to your movement.
"Are you speaking from direct experience?"
i am speaking from direct experience.
"Where did you end up"
I've been traveling over a decade; started in china, went to a few dozen countries, still going.
"how?"
came across an ad for teaching english, flew over to China. kept going.
"Fascism is a growing trend."
it's certainly a very popular topic within a few countries these days.
i daresay it's much easier to comprehend from out here.
"America has changed pretty significantly"
it might seem like that standing on the pulse there but again, things look different from out here.
"bit cat and mouse with the direction other nations are also headed."
there are 200 countries, none of which are static.
you may feel confined because you're living in one of them, and it could be that you think you're only supposed to live in one of them.
"retreating"
protesting, not retreating.
if you live outside of the states for more than 330 days per year, you aren't required to pay earned income tax up $125,000.
administrations and policies I don't agree with don't get my tax revenue, and haven't for a long time.
Withholding funding from the system is preferable to participating in and contributing to the system.
Vote with your feet.
Americans can travel to most countries in the world(180 of them, give or take) either visa-free or with a visa on arrival.
Almost all remaining countries accept online visa applications. You fill out an online form (15 minutes or less), pay the fee, and they email you the Visa a day or two later.
nobody is going to make you leave, I'm offering advice and encouragement for people who do want to leave or feel hopeless about their prospects.
couple things here:
"I'm gonna stay and I'm gonna enjoy myself until the bullet passes through my brain. I'm gonna make sure it stains their nicest carpets and finest dress,"
it's much easier to die for a cause than to live for a cause.
you can do a lot more damage alive than dead.
your life is worth a lot more than inconveniencing somebody's carpet.
as an example, if you travel for 11 months out of the year, you don't have to pay earned income tax, and taking away revenue from the government is going to do a lot more harm than you being dead.
especially because I don't see any evidence for this:
"they love seeming civil and clean."
I don't think they like being clean so much as they don't care about being dirty in public anymore.
"This is not entirely true."
I'll check.
"Malaysia...English teaching industry...Most countries...standards...VIetnam requires...employ illegally...risk...very high"
yea, solid disclaimer, most of that looks less than entirely true. Honestly, a lot of that is barely half true.
real quick: ESL is still booming in April 2025 with thousands of currently available ESL positions, pay rates are higher than ever, outpacing inflation significantly, the requirements are about the same as they were 15 years ago; native english fluency, college degree or TEFL certificate sometimes required based on the position and location for 25 hours of teaching a week, not including the breaktimes each class.
Most countries certainly do not have enough of an english speaking population to have affected the ESL market, hence the thousands of currently available ESL postings and dozens of platforms for teaching online.
Vietnam does not require "TESL diplomas" to teach English.