CITIZEN

 WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CITIZEN?

A citizen is a native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it 

 1. A member of a state. 

2 : an inhabitant of a city or town especially : one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman.

3 Birthright citizenship is a governmental policy under which any child born within a country's borders or territory is automatically granted citizenship in that country—even if their parents are not citizens.

4.Citizenship by marriage (jus matrimonii). Many countries fast-track naturalization based on the marriage of a person to a citizen.

5.Citizenship by investment or Economic Citizenship. Wealthy people invest money in property or businesses, buy government bonds or simply donate cash directly, in exchange for citizenship and a passport.

THE STORY OF BEING A CITIZEN

Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and the conditions under which that status will be withdrawn. Recognition by a state as a citizen generally carries with it recognition of civil, political, and social rights which are not afforded to non-citizens.

In general, the basic rights normally regarded as arising from citizenship are the right to a passport, the right to leave and return to the country/ies of citizenship, the right to live in that country, and to work there.

Some countries permit their citizens to have multiple citizenships, while others insist on exclusive allegiance.

citizenship may have begun in the early city-states of ancient Greece, although others see it as primarily a modern phenomenon dating back only a few hundred years and, for humanity, that the concept of citizenship arose with the first laws.

 Polis meant both the political assembly of the city-state as well as the entire society.^[

Citizenship concept has generally been identified as a western phenomenon.

There is a general view that citizenship in ancient times was a simpler relation than modern forms of citizenship, although this view has come under scrutiny.

The relation of citizenship has not been a fixed or static relation but constantly changed within each society, and that according to one view, citizenship might "really have worked" only at select periods during certain times, such as when the Athenian politician Solon made reforms in the early Athenian state.

Slavery permitted slave-owners to have substantial free time and enabled participation in public life. Polis citizenship was marked by exclusivity. Inequality of status was widespread; citizens (πολίτης politēs < πόλις 'city') had a higher status than non-citizens, such as women, slaves, and resident foreigners 

The first form of citizenship was based on the way people lived in the ancient Greek times, in small-scale organic communities of the polis. Citizenship was not seen as a separate activity from the private life of the individual person, in the sense that there was not a distinction between public and private life.

The obligations of citizenship were deeply connected to one's everyday life in the polis. These small-scale organic communities were generally seen as a new development in world history, in contrast to the established ancient civilizations of Egypt or Persia, or the hunter-gatherer bands elsewhere. From the viewpoint of the ancient Greeks, a person's public life was not separated from their private life, and Greeks did not distinguish between the two worlds according to the modern western conception. 

The obligations of citizenship were deeply connected with everyday life. To be truly human, one had to be an active citizen to the community, which Aristotle famously expressed: "To take no part in the running of the community's affairs is to be either a beast or a god!" 

This form of citizenship was based on the obligations of citizens towards the community, rather than rights given to the citizens of the community. This was not a problem because they all had a strong affinity with the polis; their own destiny and the destiny of the community were strongly linked. Also, citizens of the polis saw obligations to the community as an opportunity to be virtuous, it was a source of honor and respect. In Athens, citizens were both rulers and ruled, important political and judicial offices were rotated and all citizens had the right to speak and vote in the political assembly.

1. Do you think its right to become a citizen simply because you put money into a state?

2. Aristotle said "You are a beast or a God " if you take part in the affairs of your country . What does it mean in your opinion?

3. Do you think that we should rotate officers of state so that they are never in power or politics too long ?

4.Is it right that some citizens seem to become politicians simply because it pays good and maybe its an easy job?

5. I took a class to the European Union parliament during a debate and it was nearly empty . Is this the representation of citizenship ? 

6, How can we become good citizens in our own little way?

7. Should we respect our citizenship and its link to our government when we don't agree with our government?

8.What is a bad citizen?

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