If you were told to leave a country would you?

[davsand]

Poll question: If you were told to leave a country would you?

I am curious:

If you were working in some country other than your own (Assuming you aren't military--in which case you have no real say-so), and you were warned by our State Dept. to leave--told it was unsafe for you to stay--would you follow advice and leave?

The issue comes up given the fact that State Dept has issued warnings on several places they feel are unsafe for Americans to be, and we've seen folks ignore that advice and then get killed. (Some in horrible or spectacular ways...)

Would you stay for your job?


Laura

[clydefrand]

1. Staying is suicide

If one wants to die, then I guess one can stay. But I wouldn't be there in the first place just for a job.

[formernaderite]

2. Depends on the job....

...I've known many who worked for NGO's in terribly unstabile places....they chose to stay...it's their vocation. <br>I think the contractors in some of these countries like Saudi probably have ties there as well....heck, it's an individual choice bottom line.

[davsand]

5. After all that's gone on I understand your point.

From my viewpoint, my ass would be on the next flight /bus /train /donkey cart out of whatever country it was. Maybe I'm just a real coward, but NO job is worth that to me. By extension, I'm having a tough time getting more worked up about this latest killing.

I'm sorry for the family--what happened is a terrible loss, I'm sure. My heart to them in this time of sorrow.

I'm sorry for the guy--it had to have been a terrible way to go--but didn't he PLACE himself in the situation by staying there in Saudi after the State Dept issued warnings to get out?

Berg was in a similar situation, as well...

I dunno-maybe I deserve to get flamed for this, but it seems to me that at some point I have to live and die by my own decisions.


Laura

[Nevernose]

3. How much am I getting paid? What am I doing?

If I'm working for the Peace Corps or Doctors Without Borders, I'm staying. If Exxon/Mobil is paying me more than a million bucks a year to be there, I'm staying.

[davsand]

7. I do understand humanitarian reason for staying.

Those are incredibly sad and horrible decisions, IMO. Wanting to save life or help--THAT may be the only possible reason to stay someplace that is unsafe.

The cash doesn't mean enough to me to ever risk my life. Maybe I'm just a bad "Amurr-i-kun."


Laura

[quinnox]

4. depends

on many factors, what is the pay, is there real danger, have there been recent kidnappings or violence, etc.

[Aidoneus]

6. If I was living in another country,

I wouldn't be in a position where I'd give a damn about what the State Dept says. So I guess it's a moot point for me?

[davsand]

8. You can't envision ever working out of country? n/t

[Aidoneus]

10. Indeed I could

That's not what I said. What I said was that I cannot imagine myself to be in a position where I'd care what the State Dept, or the related alphabet agencies, would have to say if that was the case.

[mike1963]

9. Had to go with "depends"...on the circumstances and the country o'course

I've worked in some 40 countries over the last 35 years, mostly briefly but quite a lot in S. America and Japan - not much the last 5 years though so I'm not really hep to the current climate...I think it might be just a tad different from what it was then in lots of places.

I'd like to think I could still establish a good rapport with native folk as I always managed to...never had a bit of problem in a foreign country except a few encounters with rude Americans. ;-)

But I wasn't maintaining military equipment; nowadays that seems to have potential for risk.

[Senior citizen]

11. If I was told to leave THIS country, I would.

I was a runaway when I was a kid. People told me, "You can't run away from your problems." But I had relatives in Nazi Germany and the only ones who survived were the ones who got out while the getting was good. I've turned down jobs in hot spots, even when told, "We've got helicopters ready to evacuate you at a moment's notice." Trouble can, and often does, come to me, but I don't go out looking for it. I'd rather be an expatriate than a dead patriot. I'm a coward, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.