Should it be considered appropriate to leave the country if the 'wrong candidate' wins the election, according to the NY Times advice column?

On Thursday, the New York Times Magazine's Ethicist columnist addressed a reader's query regarding the appropriateness of leaving the country if the "incorrect" candidate wins the presidency.

If the wrong candidate were elected, there is no doubt that the U.S. would fall to some form of authoritarianism, as some people believe.

"The reader stated that they and their friends are white, well-educated, nonimmigrants, and upper middle class, with a wide range of financially stable and well-connected friends. Their demographic backgrounds are relevant to the reader's question, which is on the ethics of leaving a country due to its failing democratic institutions."

Should we, as members of groups who are likely to retain many tangible privileges and least likely to be negatively affected, have an ethical obligation to stay and help those who will be impacted more harshly than us, or is it ethically acceptable to leave the country? - Name Withheld

Is it acceptable to relocate outside the U.S. if the incorrect candidate is elected as President?

Kwame Anthony Appiah likened the statement "my country, right or wrong" to G.K. Chesterton's criticism that it was similar to saying "my mother, drunk or sober."

"According to him, when true patriots say "my country, right or wrong," they are expressing their loyalty to their country regardless of its actions. This is not an endorsement of the country's actions, but rather a commitment to working towards improving it. Similarly, we should feel the same way about our families and strive to help them do what is right."

He contended that national honor and shared responsibility for the country's future are the essence of pride and shame.

"Leaving your country because you believe it has deviated from the path of shared responsibility and improving things is not consistent with this mindset," he stated.

The columnist acknowledged that "skedaddling" may be perceived as unpatriotic, but it does not necessarily mean that patriotic self-sacrifice is a duty. If an individual believes that life in their current situation will be unbearable, they have the moral right to leave.

As someone who grew up under civilian and military dictatorships in Ghana, where his dad was a political prisoner, Appiah stated that he did not share the reader's concern that the U.S. was on the verge of authoritarianism.

If I believed what you believed, as a patriot, I would want to remain and collaborate with others to restore our situation from calamity, he stated.

The New York Times has endorsed Kamala Harris for president and has consistently supported Democrats for president since John F. Kennedy in 1960.

For years, Donald Trump's election as commander-in-chief has been threatened by liberal celebrities with the possibility of leaving the country.

In February, Bill Maher criticized Hollywood celebrities who had pledged to leave but were still present.

"Is it possible for a country to lose itself so much that leaving it is justified? Yes, but we're not there yet," Maher said. "Not by a long shot. And we don't need quitters. We need people who will stay and fix it."

Perhaps the issue isn't that America is unworthy of defense. Perhaps it's that many individuals today are entitled complainers who lack perspective and are unaware of their blessings.

Maher remembered certain celebrities who pledged to depart the U.S. prior to Trump's election as president in 2016.

"Miley Cyrus once stated, 'If Trump is my president, I will relocate. I do not utter falsehoods,' as Maher observed. She appeared disheartened at the Grammys last Sunday, as if she had to endure America. Perhaps she returned from Tajikistan."

"In 2016, Eddie Griffin predicted that if Trump won, he would move to Africa. However, in Trump's four years, he only made it to Van Nuys. George Lopez also made a similar prediction, stating that if Trump won, immigration wouldn't be an issue and everyone would go back. Despite this, George Lopez is still here, and it seems that the migrant traffic is not going back."

Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, stated that he would relocate outside the U.S. if Trump were reelected for a second term, due to concerns about political retaliation following his cooperation with investigations into Trump and his public testimony during the Alvin Bragg hush money trial, as well as his criticism of Trump.

What do you think happens to you if he wins? was the question posed to Cohen.

"Well, I'm out of here," Cohen said.

Planet Chronicle' Hannah Grossman contributed to this report.