Migrant or Emigrate - What's the actual difference?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 07 Oct 2007, 18:46

Why is it called Migrant when people from Eastern Europe, the 3rd world and the like decide to live in richer countries yet Emigrate or the ghastly Ex-Pat when richer countries decide to live elsewhere?

The central reason is exactly the same: "A Better way of Life for you and your family!"

Is Migrant not an abbreviation of Emigrate?

I see it all the time on the news narrow minded individuals complaining about migrants invading their homeland taking all their jobs, yet it's considered perfectly normal when the British migrant to far flung parts of the world such as Australia and America. Are they not going to take jobs away from the locals countries they're invading into?

Take the recent Madeline McCann case for instance, what struck me as much as the sad event of a child being kidnapped was the sheer hypocrisy of entire swaths of English people living in Portugal, creating their own "English community", not speaking a word of Portuguese. They even have separate "English" schools.

Isn't this is EXACTLY the same as the Polish coming here? Not speaking English, wanting food they're used to. At least The Polish make an effort to speak the local language, it may not be quick enough for some but I'd bet the average Pole can speak way more English living in England than the average Brit living in Portugal/Spain and the like.

People very quickly forget rich European countries are the biggest migrants the world has ever known, we've turned whole countries White. The Polish, South Asians or Africans have never done this to the best of my knowledge.

To my mind an Ex-pat is a Migrant by a nicer name. Most British people are incredibly hypocritical in this respect. I suspect all Western nations are.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 07 Oct 2007, 19:23

Like import and export. People migrate here, people emigrate elsewhere. DUH!

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 07 Oct 2007, 20:05

What gasteropod said.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 07 Oct 2007, 20:13

gasteropod wrote:People migrate here, people emigrate elsewhere. DUH!

Except they don't, read what I wrote.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 07 Oct 2007, 20:22

Brad, let's say you emigrate to Uganda, you'd be an immigrant to them.

gasteropod · Post by **gasteropod** » 07 Oct 2007, 20:32

Actually, I seem to remember reading on dictionary.com ages ago that you migrate somewhere temporarily, and emigrate somewhere permanently.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 07 Oct 2007, 21:07

Yes LD obviously you're correct but you're missing the entire point of what I'm saying. Don't you have a similar situation in Germany to the one I describe above?

gasteropod wrote:Actually, I seem to remember reading on dictionary.com ages ago that you migrate somewhere temporarily, and emigrate somewhere permanently.

Possibly but that's not what most people think when they say Migrant. We've no idea how long most people plan to stay here when they move to the UK, it's assumed they're all migrants.

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 08 Oct 2007, 01:11

As Gasterpod says, migrant generally suggests moving from place to place, whereas emigrate suggests one permanent move (although that's not to say that the two terms cannot be used in conjunction with each other).

the68monkey · Post by **the68monkey** » 09 Oct 2007, 00:26

Those words must be used differently in the U.K., because in America, they are used more closely to their literal meanings:

Migrant: used to refer to workers from other countries who are only here for a limited time for a time-specific job, such as harvesting. They do not intend to reside in the country permanently.

Immigrant: refers to a person who has moved to the country from another country, whether legally or illegally.

Emigrant: well, if you are a resident of the country and move permanently to another country, you're called an Ex-Pat, since you have emigrated, or moved from the country. We don't use the word emigrant, though. Never even seen it used here. I guess they become immigrants in their newly-chosen country of residence.

Anyway, I guess none of this is relevant, though, as bradavon was speaking of terms which are apparently used differently in the U.K, to denote social status as determined by previous country of residence?

Geez, you British! Always going and mucking up the English language!

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 09 Oct 2007, 01:16

Finally a sensible reply.

If you look in a British English dictionary you would find the meaning the same as you describe but in reality they're not used to mean that, not even by newsreaders.

A Migrant is someone who is considered lower class as they have come from a poorer country than hours such as Poland or Northern Africa. Many people look down at them, including the newspapers and news channels (not specifically but it's definitely implied). As far as I know there is no public statistics if they're even actually migrants or as you explain immigrants.

An immigrant is someone who is usually white, "of British stock" and is emigrating to usually other English speaking parts of the world.

That's how I see it anyway. I just find the hypocrisy of it being considered normal for Brits to emigrate for a better life acceptable yet when foreigners from poorer countries do the same they're look down upon.

Maybe most Brits are so used to hearing the word "Migrant" banded about in derogatory terms they've become desensitised to it.

Actually you bring up an interesting point, even if you didn't mean to

. I've often thought and heard immigration is thought of entirely differently in America than it is in Europe (the Mexican problem aside). It is mostly considered acceptable and the norm, maybe less so since 9/11 but even so it's part of the national identity and is part of what it is to be American.

Europeans on the other hand feel very uncomfortable with people from other countries living in "their country" in great numbers, another hypocrisy given the European taste for travelling.

I heard on the news awhile ago that Europe is under considerably higher risk of terrorism from natives of it's own countries, it was Brits who attacked London on 7/7, Brits who tried to blow up Glasgow airport and German's who tried to bomb a German airport earlier this year. While Americans are more likely to be attacked by people not native to America.

I feel somewhat uncomfortable at patriotism in general but it does seem to work to an extent. My American friend told me every morning at school they would play the national anthem and pledge their alliegence. That is shocking to me, but also way off topic.

We don't use emigrant either.

Geez, you British! Always going and mucking up the English language!

He he well worded

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 09 Oct 2007, 02:44

Monkey.... can I marry you for a green card? Or does that only work in the movies?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 09 Oct 2007, 02:52

It never worked for Gérard Depardieu

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 09 Oct 2007, 02:58

bradavon wrote:It never worked for Gérard Depardieu

Yeah but he was French. No-one likes the French, even when they stay in their own country, let alone if they cross their borders...

(I'm just kidding, Tom...

)

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 09 Oct 2007, 08:38

I thought he falls for Andie mCDowell in that movie, no?

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 09 Oct 2007, 16:02

Yes, and?

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 09 Oct 2007, 16:40

But don't they get married..? never mind

the68monkey · Post by **the68monkey** » 10 Oct 2007, 02:27

Yi-Long wrote:Monkey.... can I marry you for a green card? Or does that only work in the movies?

NOOOOOO!!!!!!

Oh, wait, you're asking hypothetically?

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 10 Oct 2007, 11:15

the68monkey wrote:
Yi-Long wrote:Monkey.... can I marry you for a green card? Or does that only work in the movies?
NOOOOOO!!!!!!

Oh, wait, you're asking hypothetically?

Uhmm....ummmm.... uhm... hypo... hypothetically...!? Um... yeah... i wasking... um HYPOTHETICALLY..... yeah ofcourse ofcours... ha! umm.... HA! YEAH! ofcourse ofcourse... ofcourse I was asking hypothetically...

:confused2: