Expats vs. Immigrants: what's in a name?

nilonilonilo wrote:

Interesting piece in the Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/global-devel … ?CMP=fb_gu

trying to avoid a political answer is going to be extremly difficult but suffice to say anyone who moves to another country is an immigrant as in they have migrated. 

the problem is the word immigrant has a lot of negative connotations especially where the media is concerned where as an expat is a much nicer way of putting it ....

anyway intresting article , they are right to an extent but they are also part of the problem

Thats very true, a word means a lot

For example when i lived on the isle of lewis, i was called an incommer  and didn't like that, nothing was meant by that from the locals but to me the word expat has a warm ring to it BUT immigrant doesn't sound nice. Were a funny old lot human beings arnt we.

i dont like, in fact hate....the word foreigner......

nilonilonilo wrote:

Interesting piece in the Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/global-devel … ?CMP=fb_gu

I just find it amazing that there is an 'interesting piece' in the Guardian!!

Ray

am sure papers appeal to the different types

Toon wrote:

i dont like, in fact hate....the word foreigner......

immigrant blog?
Foreigner blog?


I'm normally English, but I'm a foreigner here, or an expat, or an immigrant - sort of depends who wants to label you.

It is rather simple.
A person from a poor or a poorer country is called an immigrant. A person from rich, richer or equal country in the terms of wealth is called an expat.

Hyperthon-
I'd say it depends who is using the word. I call myself an expat. In Korea I was a Meguk saram (American person), in Taiwan a weiguoren (outside country person:foreigner) and on my ID card in both those countries, an 'alien'. Haha
The Maltese don't think of me as an expat. I'm a foreigner or tourist, though at this rate I'm turning into an immigrant!

Just find your responses so absolutely spot on!!!  ALWAYS.

Guess its a sad old world when we have to label someone, my son who has lived in Australia for a good while and has only just got his residency (much tighter requirements there) will ALWAYS be called a pommie - a lot of the labels are either the colour of your skin or where you come from and ignorance of the person using it.

Funny, at work, i work with people from all over the world, i just don't look at the colour of their skins etc so they just don't get labelled, infact the people who make comments are usually from their own country.

I once asked why do you label Mr X and I was told ohh he is from a different village he is a different cast - I thought that was strange but when i think back as a child we used to have fights between village kids.

So its not just country, colour, religion, its human beings always looking for some differences.

Some time ago, I wrote a letter to The Times of Malta on the topic of water bills and ARMS. I referred to myself as an 'immigrant' and referred to 'my fellow immigrants'. This letter was published, but had been edited. The word 'immigrant' was replaced by the words 'foreign resident/s'. That makes it clear what the letters editor of The Times of Malta thinks about the word 'immigrant;'

Personally I dislike the word 'expat' and avoid its use. It brings into my mind an image of a type of British resident, often ex-forces or ex-colonial administration, drinking gin and tonic, reading the Daily Mail, with fond views of the Britain of his or her youth, with at best patronising and at worst racist views of the people and the country of residence.

(Not that there is anything wrong with a gin and tonic.)

Do other countries' foreign residents refer to themselves as 'expats' or is it just those from the UK?

I also dislike the word expat. The word expat brings to my mind someone who writes letters to the local newspapers to criticise how things are done in their host country. Often with fond views of Britain and constantly comparing their host country with Britain, with at best, patronising views of how things are done.

I agree with you on that redmik. Praise in public but keep criticism to yourself.