Interesting! I’m new to this, this is really valuable! What made you choose this approach?

Understood, yes it’s a kill switch. I’ll test your set of rules in a bit and let you know!

Except that that set of rules doesn’t work, or do you mean defining a default gateway?

Interesting, but by the time I apply the rules the VPN connection has already been established. Wouldn’t that remove the necessity for the last line?

I guess what I’m really trying to do is make sure that whatever happens, if the vpn fails (tun0), there is no more communication with the Internet.

Hmm, but wouldn’t that allow applications to communicate on wlan0 without using the vpn?

Thanks for your help and excuse my ignorance.

I see, but then how would I disable everything else? Should I not use the default rules?

It does, but later I have the rules to counteract those, for the VPN specifically: sudo ufw allow in on tun0 sudo ufw allow out on tun0

So that would open that up again, or am I wrong?

That makes sense, but it’s possible that the VPN connection drops for a second, and then it can’t re-establish it, right? How would I deal with that?

I installed MX Linux on an old tablet/ laptop with 2GB RAM AND 30GB storage. Works very well except for the webcam, but that’s because the hardware is made so that only windows can use it correctly.

There’s group accommodations all over Europe, we use them frequently with my family

Linux isn’t that far behind anymore in terms of gaming. Business applications are a real issue though. I use Adobe Premiere Pro, as far as I know there’s no good alternative on Linux

I just switched everything over to a European provider: cloud, email, office programs. I’m also seriously considering using Linux now

In what way does it look outdated?

So when does the heritage end? As I said, they don’t have much Irish anymore

I understand the cultural grouping that happens when large migrant communities form. What I don’t understand is why Americans portray themselves as Dutch when coming to the Netherlands. Their customs, language, culture, and nationality are different. They’re not Dutch whatsoever.

Use it to identify yourselves within the USA, that makes sense. Don’t use it to claim being part of a culture that you know nothing about.

I understand the different cultural groups, though factually it’s incorrect. The main issue is Americans coming to their respective country of descent, and portraying themselves as, for example, Dutch. They’re not Dutch whatsoever, their language, customs, culture, and nationality are different. It’s incorrect and frankly pathetic.

I believe the USA would be better off if people would just drop the grouping and start being Americans.

Speaking a heritage language or celebrating occasional holidays doesn’t justify claiming a nationality you don’t possess.

Most “hyphenated Americans” cherry-pick pleasant cultural elements while remaining disconnected from the contemporary realities of those countries. The vast majority don’t speak their ancestral languages or meaningfully participate in authentic cultural practices.

There’s a significant difference between recent immigrants maintaining strong cultural ties and 4th/5th generation Americans with minimal connection claiming the same identity. Americans also inconsistently apply this logic, often identifying with only one ancestral line while ignoring others.

When “Irish-Americans” visit Ireland, locals don’t recognize them as Irish in any meaningful sense—revealing the fundamental disconnect between claiming an identity and being accepted as authentic by actual members of that culture.

These hyphenated identities ultimately function as American cultural constructs rather than genuine connections to the nations they reference.

Your comparison between “European vs Dutch” and “American vs Irish-American” is fundamentally flawed.

Nationality vs ancestry are different concepts. Dutch is my current nationality, defined by citizenship, language, culture, and shared social experience. Being “Dutch-Norwegian” would mean I hold dual citizenship or were raised in both cultural contexts simultaneously. Most Americans claiming to be “Irish-American” have no citizenship, language fluency, or authentic cultural immersion in Ireland.

The cultural disconnect is stark. What Americans call “Italian-American culture” has diverged dramatically from actual Italian culture over generations. It’s become a distinctly American phenomenon with superficial cultural markers rather than authentic representation. When Irish-Americans visit Ireland, locals often view them as simply American tourists because the cultural gap is so evident.

With each generation, the cultural connection weakens substantially. By the third or fourth generation, what remains is often reduced to stereotypical elements like celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or eating pasta on Sundays. This selective cultural picking isn’t equivalent to genuine cultural identity.

European identity framework differs fundamentally. In Europe, identity is primarily based on where you were born and raised, your language, and your lived experience – not distant ancestry.

Many Americans who claim hyphenated identities have minimal knowledge of their ancestral country’s modern culture, politics, or social realities. They cling to outdated or stereotypical notions that no longer reflect the actual country.

Comparing a continental identity (European) to a national one (Dutch) is not the same as comparing a national identity (American) to a hyphenated ancestral one (Irish-American). The Netherlands exists within Europe; “Irish-American” does not represent a legitimate political or cultural subset of America in the same way.

I always find this kind of silly. You were born and raised in the USA, so you’re American, whether you like it or not. There’s people saying they’re Irish American despite 3 generations having passed, so when does it end? Am I Dutch-Norwegian because my great grandmother was Norwegian and came to The Netherlands?

No, I’m Dutch, I was born and raised here without influence of the Norwegian culture.