Immigrants are NOT Expats

Why do some people ( specially people who are not Expats, Foreigners , etc ) insist that every foreigner is an “immigrant”?

Because it feels good to belittle others. That’s it.

Ultranationalists don’t post stuff like this to learn or discuss ‘they already know the truth’.

But calling expats “immigrants” lets them frame all foreigners as people who don’t belong, who should feel lucky to be here, who owe something. It’s about control and superiority.

This isn't about one being better than the other, it's about the people who deliberately call everyone 'immigrants' not to clarify, but to use it as a derogatory term, to insult and belittle. Funny how they never say this to Elon Musk or Arnold Schwarzenegger, even though they were immigrants.

Let’s look at actual definitions:

• Immigrant (Oxford): “A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.”

• Expatriate (Expat) (Oxford): “A person who lives outside their native country.”

So no, they’re not the same. The difference is intent. If someone’s here short-term, working remotely, or retiring without plans to naturalize they’re not an immigrant.

But again, this isn’t about facts.

This is about nationalist ego. the same ego that says:

“I was born here, so my culture is better.” “My religion is the truth, so yours is wrong.” “You came here, so you owe us.”

These ideas are comfortable, because you don’t have to earn anything. Just being born in the “right” place or faith makes you feel superior.

But that kind of pride?

It always leads to exclusion. It breeds resentment, xenophobia, and eventually hate.

You don’t need to rewrite the dictionary to feel good about yourself.

And you don’t need to drag others down just because they made a different life choice than you.

Be proud of something you’ve actually worked, sweated for and achieved.

That’s a real pride: if you have one. ☝️