Why are white people expats when the rest of us are immigrants?

[G_j]

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/mar/13/white-people-expats-immigrants-migration?CMP=fb_gu

Surely any person going to work outside their country is an expatriate? But no, the word exclusively applies to white people

Mawuna Remarque Koutonin
Friday 13 March 2015 06.52 EDT

In the lexicon of human migration there are still hierarchical words, created with the purpose of putting white people above everyone else. One of those remnants is the word “expat”.

What is an expat? And who is an expat? According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person’s upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex (‘out of’) and patria (‘country, fatherland’)”.

Defined that way, you should expect that any person going to work outside of his or her country for a period of time would be an expat, regardless of his skin colour or country. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad.

Don’t take my word for it. The Wall Street Journal, the leading financial information magazine in the world, has a blog dedicated to the life of expats and recently they featured a story ‘Who is an expat, anyway?’. Here are the main conclusions: “Some arrivals are described as expats; others as immigrants; and some simply as migrants. It depends on social class, country of origin and economic status. It’s strange to hear some people in Hong Kong described as expats, but not others. Anyone with roots in a western country is considered an expat … Filipino domestic helpers are just guests, even if they’ve been here for decades. Mandarin-speaking mainland Chinese are rarely regarded as expats … It’s a double standard woven into official policy.”

..more..

[LeftishBrit]

1. One of those irregular verbs...

Last edited Sun Mar 15, 2015, 03:46 AM - Edit history (1)

I am an expat; you are an economic migrant; they are probably illegals!

However, I'd say it's more general xenophobia combined with self-centeredness (wherever I may be, it's always the other people who are foreigners!), rather than racism specifically. At least in the UK, a lot of anti-migrant prejudice currently concerns white people from Eastern Europe

[JDPriestly]

2. Having lived overseas without any intention of immigrating, I think this article and the

definition in it is utter nonsense. I was simply an American living abroad. That's the correct term in my book to describe Americans who live in foreign countries only to work there and not to immigrate.

[FreakinDJ]

8. It depends on the context

Yes the Op took it completely out of context

[LondonReign2]

14. Exactly the same here

It was a foregone conclusion that I would only be overseas temporarily, not to permanently emigrate, thus the difference in terminology

[oldandhappy]

3. an excellent observation

Having been an 'expat' I will now monitor my vocabulary. thank you

[djean111]

4. I think it has more to do with point of view, really If I was French, for example, I would probably

refer to French people who move to other lands as ex-pats, and Americans (of whatever color) who move to France as immigrants.

I think this is trying to stir up racial controversy where there is none. Also, to me, "expat" means someone has chosen to LIVE PERMANENTLY outside of their country, not just someone who is merely working outside of their country. And I do not believe that we refer to non-white Americans who move to other countries as immigrants. They are expats, too.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. Here in Japan, at least, an expat is just someone from another country

who is actually living in Japan, not a tourist. Lots of expats here are just in it for the short-term-- for example, they teach English for a few years, then go back to their home country.

[FreakinDJ]

9. +1000 for undexstanding the context

The Op doesn't understand the English language

[rogerashton]

6. Previous discussion --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6361954

[Bluenorthwest]

7. An 'expatriate' is a person who lives outside their native country, a synonym is 'emigrant',

a person who leaves one country to live in another although 'emigrant' conveys a permanence that 'expatriate' does not always suggest. An expatriate or emigrant, in relation to their new nation of residence is an 'immigrant'. 'Immigrant' relates to one's relation to the new place, emigrant refers to the person in relation to the entire process. 'My cousin emigrated to Mexico, where as an expatriate he has found that immigrants from the US are plentiful.'

[meow2u3]

13. My take is that expats are living abroad temporarily

Emigrants intend to leave their country and stay abroad. Just my opinion.

[malaise]

10. It's a very good article

We were discussing this last night

[bemildred]

11. Well the distinction is whether you plan to stay or return home someday.

Which was appropriate would be entirely at your whim.

[Nye Bevan]

12. i guess thats why people talk about the Irish and Italian "expats" in New York City.

Nothing like a potato famine to make folks want to expatriate.

[Igel]

15. And the "Polish plumber" expats in Britain.

Of course, they were called immigrants.

So presumably we now have to consider Poles to be "people of color."

I guess "pale" and "blond" are colors, come to think of it.

And I've known expats from Africa that most would call "people of color." So "dark brown" has been dropped from the list of possible "colors."

Well, by context. The OP decides when "pale" is a color and "dark brown" isn't. As necessary to support his thesis. Just the facts ... the facts that fit.

(Or we could just look at the dictionary definition and realize that as we all cast about trying to reinvent lexicography based on introspection and not usage all we've done is reinvent the wheel. Or the square, as the case may be.

[cherokeeprogressive]

16. Short for "expatriate", I always took it to mean renouncing one's citizenship.

Having not a fucking thing to do with race.