I always thought expats had to live in little expat communities, keeping themselves aloof from the rest of the population. It’s a level of snobbery beyond even still caring where you’re originally from. That was my understanding from all the little compounds I saw in the global south.
Typically “expat” communities are much wealthier. Poor white immigrants live in pretty shit conditions too and the areas are considered ghettos, at least historically
I agree, that’s why I went with typically, but many aren’t allowed to live near the future “expats” so that property values aren’t negatively impacted.
I’d personally argue against it. I’ve a British neighbour old-man who I walk with and he’s very nice and world travelled. He even said that he chose to have the British retirement fund over my country’s because that’s where he paid taxes in.
I’ve always assumed it depends on what your context is. If your perspective is the country that the immigrant is from, then they would be an expat. If you are in context of the other country they are an immigrant.
Ie
“My friend is an expat who went off to The Netherlands.”
“My friend is an immigrant that came here from The USA.”
Emigrant. That’s the kind of migrant who leaves a country. They’d be an immigrant in their new country.
But, IMO there’s a difference with an expat. An expat is often someone who isn’t moving permanently, and as a result is often not trying to integrate into their new country.
From my observation when living in The Netherlands as an immigrant (from Portugal) sometimes working in companies with lots of foreigners, most of us said of ourselves as being “immigrants”, except Americans and Brits who often said they were “expats”.
Curiously, generally the other people from different nations, including the Dutch, would use immigrant rather than expat when refering to the status of the self-proclaimed “expats” in that country - “expat” was very much their label for themselves.
The Americans and Brits were there in average for just a long as the rest.
I don’t think it’s really length of stay, at least not directly, I think it’s about the immigrant believing or not that their country of origin is a “greater country” than the country they’re living in. You can see this for example in places like Spain where British retirees have retired to and live the rest of their lives in their own Little Britain communities calling themselves “expats”.
This also matched to how some of the British immigrants most pissed of about their homeland (for example, a gay guy who had to move to The Netherlands to marry his partner, as back then that was not allowed in Britain) made a point of using “immigrant” for themselves instead of “expat”.
That’s what I’ve always assumed too, but I only ever hear it in reference to other Americans, so I could absolutely believe that it’s just some weird shit they use to separate themselves from immigrants.
I always assumed that ‘expatriate’ meant that you gave up citizenship in the old country to get citizenship in the new country. Like it’s a type of immigration that a lot of people like to pretend they’ve done because it’s pretty hardcore.
Can someone tell this bitch to go back to where she came from?
For those unaware, an expat is an immigrant, but white.
I always thought expats had to live in little expat communities, keeping themselves aloof from the rest of the population. It’s a level of snobbery beyond even still caring where you’re originally from. That was my understanding from all the little compounds I saw in the global south.
I mean some people typically called immigrants do that too
When brown, they are inmigrantes anda those are ghettos. When white, they are expats in expat communities.
Typically “expat” communities are much wealthier. Poor white immigrants live in pretty shit conditions too and the areas are considered ghettos, at least historically
Typically because that’s where they’re ALLOWED to live.
I mean income directs it a bunch but some communities are just very insular and like to keep to themselves.
I agree, that’s why I went with typically, but many aren’t allowed to live near the future “expats” so that property values aren’t negatively impacted.
We should call them extracts and their communities “extractor communities”
Don’t forget to mention why they left their own country.
I’d personally argue against it. I’ve a British neighbour old-man who I walk with and he’s very nice and world travelled. He even said that he chose to have the British retirement fund over my country’s because that’s where he paid taxes in.
I think Japan also gets ‘Expat’ credentials too.
we should call the us ones immigrants though. i think it would bother them a bit.
Not an expat, an immigrant. I hate the term expat.
I’ve always assumed it depends on what your context is. If your perspective is the country that the immigrant is from, then they would be an expat. If you are in context of the other country they are an immigrant.
Ie
“My friend is an expat who went off to The Netherlands.” “My friend is an immigrant that came here from The USA.”
Emigrant. That’s the kind of migrant who leaves a country. They’d be an immigrant in their new country.
But, IMO there’s a difference with an expat. An expat is often someone who isn’t moving permanently, and as a result is often not trying to integrate into their new country.
From my observation when living in The Netherlands as an immigrant (from Portugal) sometimes working in companies with lots of foreigners, most of us said of ourselves as being “immigrants”, except Americans and Brits who often said they were “expats”.
Curiously, generally the other people from different nations, including the Dutch, would use immigrant rather than expat when refering to the status of the self-proclaimed “expats” in that country - “expat” was very much their label for themselves.
The Americans and Brits were there in average for just a long as the rest.
I don’t think it’s really length of stay, at least not directly, I think it’s about the immigrant believing or not that their country of origin is a “greater country” than the country they’re living in. You can see this for example in places like Spain where British retirees have retired to and live the rest of their lives in their own Little Britain communities calling themselves “expats”.
This also matched to how some of the British immigrants most pissed of about their homeland (for example, a gay guy who had to move to The Netherlands to marry his partner, as back then that was not allowed in Britain) made a point of using “immigrant” for themselves instead of “expat”.
It’s about national delusions of grandeur, IMHO.
That’s what I’ve always assumed too, but I only ever hear it in reference to other Americans, so I could absolutely believe that it’s just some weird shit they use to separate themselves from immigrants.
I always assumed that ‘expatriate’ meant that you gave up citizenship in the old country to get citizenship in the new country. Like it’s a type of immigration that a lot of people like to pretend they’ve done because it’s pretty hardcore.
We don’t want her back. Throw her into the sea and let nature take its course.