Citizen, Denizen, Netizen

If every single Jew born anywhere in the world has the right to become an Israeli citizen, then all the Palestinians who were chucked out of Palestine by the Zionist Government should have the same right.” –Tariq Ali

The human beings are distinguished from other life forms in having the ability to utilize the mind, the body (and probably the soul) for the betterment of humanity and its environment.

However, the human beings are classified on the basis of where they were born and live: country or State or nation state, and that allows them to become a citizen of that land.

Generally, one’s national identity comes from citizenship. Which passport do you have? Indian or Chinese or British? Interestingly, one may have the citizenship (passport) of India, or China, or Great Britain (British) but they may not reside in that country.

If you are born and raised in a country, you will get that country’s citizenship: there are exceptions as people are travelling and residing in another country and when they have a child in another country, whether the child will have get that country’s citizenship or their parents’ depends on the laws of the host country.

Some countries allow dual citizenships, and many may not.

Having a citizenship of enables a person to have rights as enshrined in the Constitution or the Rule Book such as right to vote, own property, travel among others.

Some feel, they are the citizens of the world, and care for all the people irrespective of nationalities, races and religions.

“If we citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.” –Yann Martel, the author of Life of Pi

Denizen is a person or an animal or flora that inhabits in a particular place, region, country, area; someone in a neighbourhood or a regular goer to a pub or club, museum or market and have an association or relationship to a particular place.

The denizens of insular areas have a distinctive cuisine unlike those living in coastal areas.

Historically, denizen was referred to foreigners in a country who had certain rights in the host country or in the country of emigration; the adopted country gives only certain rights unlike to its citizens.

And, we have netizens!

Netizen is an informal word referring to people using internet but using the internet a lot, more than required.
Netizens are those born and raised after the Internet, and could not think of a life without it.