Caffe NekoNov 11, 2022

Dear Twitter ex-pats. When we all flounced out of Twitter loudly proclaiming we were going to Mastodon this sent a message to trolls, nazis that they could set up servers & come here.

If anyone gets harrassed with hatespeech pls note that that is not the culture of Mastodon. Please report & block those users. If you notice a pattern from the same weird domain, block that domain, write a post of the server name w/ a hashtag fediblock so your server admin can follow up & block it for everyone.

Show threadDaniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈
@caffeneko Just a small heads up, many people consider calling oneself an expat a red flag, in any context.
Nov 11, 2022 at 3:20pmWeb
Show threadCaffe NekoNov 11, 2022
@ainmosni I am seeing that. In the states some complain if white person co-opts the term 'migrant' or 'refugee.' I figured ex-pat would be fairly neutral, I guess that was wrong.
Show threadtlsmith63Nov 11, 2022
@caffeneko @ainmosni I do not think “ex pat” is a problem. The others, yes.
Show threadtlsmith63Nov 11, 2022
@caffeneko @ainmosni But I am willing to discuss this. I think of the first two terms as being about ppl who are not white fleeing their countries. I think of “ex pat” as someone just deciding they want to live somewhere else. But I will drop it if ppl tell me to. I do not want to offend. I am always learning!
Show threadDaniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈Nov 11, 2022

@tlsmith63 @caffeneko So this is my case against it.

https://berlin.social/@ainmosni/109312603984477278

Daniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈 (@[email protected])

Content warning: Case against using the word expat, discrimination

Mastodon
Show threadtlsmith63Nov 11, 2022
@ainmosni @caffeneko Okay. Thank you for explaining. That makes sense. I will no longer use it.
Show threadtlsmith63Nov 11, 2022
@caffeneko @ainmosni I think of the first two terms as people who are not white fleeing their countries. I think of “ex pat” as someone of any race who moves from one country to another with no problems in their life. But I am willing to listen to an explanation. I am always learning. If I am wrong, I am wrong.
Show threadCaffe NekoNov 11, 2022
@tlsmith63 @ainmosni I have been told by POC not to appropriate the term refugee, that it is disrespectful to use for those just leaving Twitter.
Show threadDaniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈Nov 12, 2022

@caffeneko @tlsmith63 Refugee, even jokingly, would indeed be the worst term, considering the hardships refugees go through at the hand of more privileged countries.

Maybe something more explicit like "newbies from twitter" or "extwits" or whatever would be better, and evade migration terms altogether.

Show threadFilipNov 11, 2022
@ainmosni @caffeneko Sounds like they are in the wrong there.
Show threadDaniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈Nov 11, 2022

@kaptenadhoc @caffeneko

Here's my case against using that word.

https://berlin.social/@ainmosni/109312603984477278

Daniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈 (@[email protected])

Content warning: Case against using the word expat, discrimination

Mastodon
Show threadFilipNov 11, 2022
@ainmosni @caffeneko as much as i like sticking it to racists, I'm still not sold
Show threadDaniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈Nov 11, 2022
@kaptenadhoc @caffeneko What convinced me was how different people responded to the word immigrant in comparison to expat back in Amsterdam. Immigrant made certain people whine and bitch, while expats were fine. When I moved to Berlin, I made a point to not call myself an expat, and I've caught a few people surprised that a white person could be an immigrant.
Show threadCaffe NekoNov 11, 2022
@ainmosni @kaptenadhoc in American when white ppl use the term immigrant or refugee it smacks of wanting to claim sympathy for something that is a larger economic, physical trial than just leaving a tech platform. But again these are all opinions, nothing writ in stone. I understand that white folks moving to another country often call themselves ex-pat and that it conveys a different 'class' than 'migrant' which must seem elitist.
Show threadCaffe NekoNov 11, 2022
@ainmosni @kaptenadhoc so I perhaps used the term ex-pat unconsciously in a tongue in cheek sense, b/c I feel uncomfortable using the term migrant to equate what we are, it seems dishonest. So many ways to look at these things.
Show threadDaniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈Nov 12, 2022
@caffeneko @kaptenadhoc From a tech perspective, migrant would be the correct term, but tech people also don't have a great history of using unproblematic terms.
Show threadDaniël Franke 🏳️‍🌈Nov 12, 2022

@caffeneko @kaptenadhoc Interestingly, this can be a good example of how Europe is more class conscious, while the US is more race conscious.

I never heard anybody (outside of bigots) complain that I call myself an immigrant over here.

Show threadwhetstoneJul 4, 2023

@caffeneko @ainmosni @kaptenadhoc

what about émigré(e)?

1. not appropriative of any modern immigrant group
2. old world glamour