causeandeffectworld.com Blog

Do immigrants = pioneers?

A wave of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 are going abroad ‘in search of new challenges, opportunities, and more congenial ways of life,’ sez U.S. News and World Report.  Many still go to Europe, but more are going to Canada, Mexico, and parts south.  It’s hard to count them (and our government is not even trying), but some estimate that from 4 million to 7 million non-government-employed U.S. citizens are living abroad
Some are artists and bohemians, but many more are entrepreneurs, teachers, or skilled workers.  Others are retirees seeking to stretch their savings by living in cheaper locations.

What opportunities do they seek?  Less economic competition.  More room for error.  Better lifestyle.  Something different.
It’s all part of “a global economic shift that is fostering real economic growth in heretofore-neglected areas of the world, like Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia,” writes John Wennersten, author of “Leaving America: The New Expatriate Generation.”

Funny to think that many Americans were/are in such a lather over immigration.  While much of the concern focused on illegal immigration, you also hear cries from opponents about hiring Americans, speaking English, and other concerns.  They certainly don’t call them pioneers.  Yet, when reading this article about Americans venturing forth, the image of pioneer not only comes to mind, but is explicitly stated.

Seems to me that it’s all part of globalization that really got it’s start when we left Africa, a long, long time ago.