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thrylos
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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Stan Rogers
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
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 Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:19 am Post subject: |
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| I am a sovereign citizen. |
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ghostrider
Joined: 27 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:23 am Post subject: |
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| I'm not so sure this is an example of white privilege. An immigrant is defined as "a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence." An expat is simply someone who lives in a foreign country. Which category do you think most English teachers/ US soldiers fit into? Maybe if you have an F visa it would be fair to call you an immigrant. |
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thrylos
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:08 am Post subject: |
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| ghostrider wrote: |
| I'm not so sure this is an example of white privilege. An immigrant is defined as "a person who migrates to another country, usually for permanent residence." An expat is simply someone who lives in a foreign country. Which category do you think most English teachers/ US soldiers fit into? Maybe if you have an F visa it would be fair to call you an immigrant. |
English teachers are both, some are here for a short time, others longer.
Military is not here of their own choice, let's call them a 'welcome occupying /security force'.
The question remains valid-- why are 'better off' called expats while those seen less advantaged are 'immigrants'?
What about people who leave their place, probably not to return, but aren't necessarily tied down to one place? Whether it's economics, cultural reasons, employment, or adventure?
What ever happened to calling people simply 'emigrants', or the more mysterious 'emigre'? |
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EZE
Joined: 05 May 2012
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:31 am Post subject: |
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| I consider myself an expat and a migrant worker. I'm not trying to get permanent residency or citizenship, so I don't consider myself an immigrant. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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| The writer's trying to turn it into a race issue but to me it's more about nationality. E.g. A black guy with UK citizenship working in Hong Kong would call himself an expat, a Filippina domestic helper would be called an immigrant. It probably boils down to the fact that it's assumed people from developing countries want to live permanently in countries with stronger economies and people from strong economies are only in other countries temporarily. There are obviously loads of exceptions to this and the terms are probably used in a snobby way. Not sure it's due to racism though. |
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geldedgoat
Joined: 05 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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| thrylos wrote: |
| The question remains valid-- why are 'better off' called expats while those seen less advantaged are 'immigrants'? |
The more economically advantaged are less likely to make their migrations permanent, and so are referred to as expats. Why the author chose to erroneously turn to race is a mystery, particularly when the foundation for the claim is so blatantly without merit:
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| Africans are immigrants. Arabs are immigrants. Asians are immigrants. However, Europeans are expats because they can’t be at the same level as other ethnicities. They are superior. Immigrants is a term set aside for ‘inferior races’. |
The Italians, British, Irish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Germans, etc who permanently migrated to the Americas and left behind the descendants that now populate the land are never and have never been referred to as expats, despite their pristine European heritages. Why? In addition to 'expat' not being of common use then, these peoples were moving to a land of opportunity for permanent resettlement. Americans, Canadians, Europeans etc nowadays typically move to less-developed countries or countries with significant cultural differences only temporarily, so, regardless of race, they are assumed to be mere expats.
This is simply a forced discussion. |
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happyinhenan
Joined: 01 Feb 2015
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 3:18 pm Post subject: |
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I would say an expat is someone who enjoys the financial benefits of home whilst abroad and an immigrant is someone who migrates to another country and takes on local conditions to better their lot which may or may not lead on to citizenship/permanent residence.
A British electrician emigrating to Australia for the long term is an immigrant.
A banker working for Barclays who gets seconded to a branch in Hong Kong is an expat. I would also call pensioners living somewhere like Spain and existing on a British pension 'expats'.
Though I do understand the loaded semantics the article is trying to explain, in English - immigrant has such a negative context that actual immigrants would rather call themselves 'expats' when they are clearly not. Even though the terminology shouldn't be nationality/race based - it is turning out that way. |
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Paddycakes
Joined: 05 May 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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| An 'expat' is traditionally someone sent overseas by his/her home company or government and usually working in a professional or management job, often on a generous expat package that allows them to maintain their western standard of living abroad. |
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Stan Rogers
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| I think most foreign teachers would fall into the category of economic refugees. |
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Neil
Joined: 02 Jan 2004
Location: Tokyo
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| Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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| The guardian used to be a very good paper, sadly it appears to have copied the Mails approach only difference is choosing to troll conservatives rather than lefties. |
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goreality
Joined: 09 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2015 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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Two types:
permanent residence or citizenship: immigrant.
non permanent: migrant worker. two sub-types:
expat: no desire to live there permanently no real care to absorb the culture. Potentially paid in home/foreign currency and/or working for international company.
working holiday tourist/guest: no desire to live there permanently but want to absorb the culture. |
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nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 12:09 am Post subject: |
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These definitions don't sound good to me.
I guess we use meaning 2, but this word has negative connotations.
verb (used with object), expatriated, expatriating.
1.
to banish (a person) from his or her native country.
2.
to withdraw (oneself) from residence in one's native country.
3.
to withdraw (oneself) from allegiance to one's country.
verb (used without object), expatriated, expatriating.
4.
to become an expatriate:
He expatriated from his homeland.
adjective
5.
expatriated; exiled.
noun
6.
an expatriated person: |
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lemak
Joined: 02 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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Garbage article - amazed it got published actually.
More liberal white guilt...trying to see a race issue where there isn't one.
An expat goes somewhere temporarily to work.
An immigrant moves somewhere permanently - job or no job.
Easy.
A black person moving from Zimbabwe to Japan to work for Sony is an expat.
A white person packing up shop and heading to Guatemala to retire is an immigrant.
Skin color doesn't come into it for anyone but the most annoying, uber-PC twats. |
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nicwr2002
Joined: 17 Aug 2011
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| Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2015 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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| It could be social class discrimination. |
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