Giving expats a break
When I conduct research about living and working abroad, I come across scores of thoughtless generalizations about expatriates. When they are not being called imperialists and colonialists, they are described as aimless drifters, or snobbish embassy-types, or drunken English teachers. Disagree as we might about politics, religion, and the relative merits of Crocs footwear, it seems everyone agrees on one thing: expats are a sorry lot. As one article succinctly puts it, “What motivates the American Expatriate? The answer is relatively simple: failure and resentment.”
Really?
The above article also contains this nugget of wisdom: “[Expats] are predominantly affluent and alienated leftists and they tend to be “writers,” i.e., they don’t actually write… [T]hey nurse their hatred of America during leisurely hours in cafes and kid themselves into thinking that they are writers and patriots.” The above article is taken from a website called “Iconoclast,” whose masthead declares that it is “Puncturing Today’s Prevailing Wisdom.” I find this very ironic– what is actually being done is not “puncturing” the prevailing wisdom about expats but mindlessly regurgitating it. In fact, I’ve heard this stereotype far more frequently than I’ve actually met any of the expats it supposedly describes.
Now, I’m not saying that I’d want to share a drink or spend a day at the zoo with every expat out there (this guy in particular is low on my list). But many expats are like you and I– adventurous, open-minded, willing to soak up a new culture despite its difficulties. Others have agreed to move abroad for work, and don’t possess any real desire to learn the native language or culture. And I think, hey, that’s fine too. It’s not how I would choose to live, but it’s best to resist that impulse to criticize others for not traveling the “right” way. Traveling is about developing tolerance and open-mindedness– not just toward host cultures, but toward each other.
October 19th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
I agree fully with the main point of your post, but you’ve taken that article out of context. The author, whether one agrees with his point or not, was criticizing a particular sub-group of expats, not all expats (and he doesn’t like the word expatriate for the reasons he states).
It is interesting to some of us expats how many young Americans feel the need to distance themselves from all things American, while the Italians, Irish, Thais, Filipinos, Chinese, etc. around them don’t tend to feel such a need to run way from their respective flags–and this is lost on those Americans.
True tolerance and open mindedness require a sympathetic consideration of all points of view, including that of the author of that article.
I would love to share a drink or cup of coffee with you or him. Both would be interesting conversations.
October 19th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
I agree– the article wasn’t about all expats, but rather those who move abroad out of rejection or hatred of their home countries (in this case, America).
Still, the America-hating expat is a cliche in itself. I can count on one hand the number of Americans I’ve met who have moved abroad purely because they hated America. I too get annoyed when Americans criticize their home country while abroad, but I’m not sure calling them resentful, leftist failures makes anything better.
October 20th, 2007 at 4:47 am
Having been an expat most of my life, I’ve had my fair share of encounters with the expat community in a couple of countries. There are always a handful of people who attempt to run away from where they came from, and there are always some that are under the illusion that their host country has no cultural/economic flaws, but overall I’ve found that expats are open-minded and adventurous. You sort of have to be to make your home in a new country.
Also, in regards to the leftish comments. Why do people think that right-wing Americans a) aren’t expats and b)don’t criticize America? I know this isn’t the place for this discussion but couldn’t help but comment on that.