Being An Immigrant From The UK: How It Changed My Perspective
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ม.ค. 2025
- A ten minute session of me explaining what has been going on in the UK lately: hate crimes, riots, and a new wave of hatred towards immigrants, and how it makes me feel as a person who has recently become an immigrant themselves. The UK has been under a Conservative government for my entire adult life, and I have seen the attitudes of the people who live there become progressively less open towards embracing multiculturalism, and there is less societal empathy towards those who are fleeing war and coming to our country.
It got me thinking about how countries across the world treat those who plan to seek a new life somewhere other than the place in which they were born. Moving abroad is always an absolute headache, a decision that costs a great deal of money, and there are countless barriers preventing all but the most privileged from doing so in a way that doesn't involve great sacrifice. Many people pay smugglers to risk their lives, countless people die in boats and lorries, and it all seems unnecessary once you take a look at the reasons they are forced to do so.
Why should people sacrifice so much in order to simply live wherever they want to? Perhaps, if it was easier to move around, governments would suddenly find themselves with far less power over their own people. If they enacted cruel policies, people would be able to move away. Companies would lose their monopolies. Controlling people's movements is about safety to some degree, but surely by making it harder for people to be free, we are making the world a less safe, more insular place, where vulnerable people have less options and are more likely to be radicalized, support wars, and view foreigners as 'others.'
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
I appreciate your comments, your perspective is an echo of the state of the European times. As an outsider I can relate to your struggle, I think you know that the government is always going to want there share, no matter what government. The road to Oz is filled with twists and turns. Keep your head up luv.
Also I love that you open up discussions like this
Love your content
Besitos
I myself am an immigrant. I have moved to the UK almost 10 years ago and while I haven't had many bad interactions due to me being foreign (apart from being told Poland is a lovely country. I'm sure it is. I've never been though, but that's being from the eastern block in the UK for you I guess). I think it only got bad for a while after the Brexit referendum but the reality is I am privileged in the fact that I am white and so racist don't tend to have that much of an issue with me since they've got "bigger fish to fry". After they "fry the bigger fish" they will come for all of us one by one and that's why it is so important so stand up to these political extremists. It could be any of us, any day, for something that is not at all in our control. Would I take it back if I could and never move here? Absolutely not. Eastern block is significantly worse when it comes to extremists. But mainly, UK is a multicultural country which has let me to explore many different foods, cultures, practices and outlooks on life and that is what makes us all human.
@@lenaluptakova5845 you are correct: I fee immensely lucky to have my privilege but nobody is as safe as they think they are! And the UK is very multicultural, many of my friends there are from eastern bloc also, what these extremists want would be detrimental to the entire country, which is already getting worse since they stopped letting people in after Brexit
Zo Slovenska ? 🧐
I agree. I've been completely dehumanised by the British government. Almost 8 years waiting for them to finish processing my residency, delayed artificially by Brexit making me jump through all the hoops over again. I often wonder what the point is, however, I also have a lot of things making me take root here, so after so many years I want to finish it. When it comes to the government and dealing with immigration, It's like a marathon of humiliation.
That is ridiculous, I’m so sorry that you’re being forced to wait so long. Nobody should have to put their life on hold for simply wanting to live elsewhere: I hope that it all works out for you soon enough
hi, talking from our own experience is the best thing anyone can do, rather than being a sheep of which there are too many in the UK, it seems. Sincerely hope you persevere, Im sure you will, you obviously have a determination about you and know your own mind. Great video
Well, as also an imigrant, and someone from a second-third world country, I have an opposite comment. Not trying to make any excuse for goverments being ignorent and hostile to both internal population and foreigners, it is important to protect local state of culture and social agreement for every particular land. Creating borders and regulations in many cases is nessessary to prevent unfolding of organised crime, civil wars and ethnic cleansings. It is not just about a little chaos, it is counteracting the forces capable of throughong the civilization hundreds years backward. Examples would be the civil war in India after Gandi succed in the liberation from the British, look it up, millions of victims, and the war has not stoped untill this day. More obvious thing - the organised crime, it is usualy only controlled by more organised crime, banditism violence is only limited by the more organised and powerfull mafia bosses. When communities from the places organised by the principles of the violence hierarchy (more than half of the world) show up in places regulated by more advanced civil affairs and human rights, they naturally begin to clime the hierarchy of violent power, they inavitabely concure the local sosiety for dominance, just intuitevly because this is how they learned to persuade success in life. Later is very relevant to UK as for my knowledge. Obviously there are good and well civilized people everywhere, but it is deffinately not everybody at all. Whenever you start treating general public just like you would do it about the friendliest and most cooperetive individulas, the hostile ones will immediately exploit such situation to their apportunisitc benefit, not becaus they are bad, but just as a consequence of previous (historic) chain of events. Without showing ones power and bounderies, no society will be able to withstand this same temptation of primitive xenophobia - the one you are so critical about. Without the borders, and migration regulations, people would more often commit acts of terror against each other and become very consistent about it.
Yet organised by the authority and law xenophobia (like with Hamas) not to be excused either, it is another problem, but very much not the one we are actually observing now in the context of the UK riots.
When i was a teen i took the process to emigrate to australia, and much like you i was just stuck in limbo, (however i was able to work for my dad as he had previously emigrated) visa supposed to take 6 months, then 6 months, they said 6-9 then 9 they said 9-12 then at 12 they said 12- 15 months, and by that point i had just given up and left minus £3k (of my dads money) for the displeasure. I don't know anything about the visa application process for spain, but in australia i could get a 'bridging' visa to leave the country and return during my application process, it could be worth looking into whether there is something similar if your'e looking to visit home etc. for a bit.
our southern border is a mess and needs fixed.IV personally been to two different parts of it Texas and Arizona and seen it with my own eyes.Sorry your path has slowed down and put you in limbo.I still enjoy watching your Spain travels.I enjoy your voice and accent.It makes me wonder what my Scottish ancestors sounded like when they Immigrated to Virginia in the mi 1700’s
As a fellow traveller (in the past sadly) ive been the outsider in alot of places around the world and you simply HAVE TO assimilate to some extent wherever you go and to be upset that you cannot go and do whatever and wherever you want is naive at best although you are correct to say Governments will jump on any opportunity to gain power or wealth regarding borders or visas or any aspect but that unfortunately IS the way power systems work more or less depending where you go as Culture does play a huge part in attitudes and behaviors regarding sex, religion and ideology. As sad as it sounds and as sad as it IS the general global neo liberal agenda permeating our lovely wee planet is only worsening any of those freedoms we used to have especially to the free spirits like yourself who just wanna fly so until that changes we'll just have to take the ride....(you did buy the ticket??) PS I can hear a Scottish twang in there and since seen you were at Uni in Dundee. Anyway love watching you and your adventures, lovely lassie. Maybe see you on the road down the line. X
Couldn't agree more with the open border idea. I imagine a lot of people wouldn't even move anywhere. We created these artificial lines ourselves and it's total bullshit, you don't choose where you're born. I'm in the UK, midlands to be more precise, my home town is FULL of close minded racists and I cant stand it. I've only ever lived here and I Southampton. That city is far more multicultural in comparison being a uni city. And it was amazing, naturally even there the British were racist. But I loved working with so many more diverse people. I'm currently building a SWB Vivaro and I cant wait to finish it and be able to travel more! Vandalf will be paid off in October. And then I plan to bust my ass through the winter ready for some real adventures in 2026!! As much as I adore the odd weekend away in the UK. I NEED to get out of here!! Much love to you 💚
Hi. I have my own story. I emigrated from Russia after living my entire conscious life in Saint Petersburg. In the 2000s-2010s, culturally and in terms of nightlife, this city was, in my opinion, on par with Berlin. Various acid music festivals, such as "Solar Sisto" and Trimurty, influenced my worldview. Everything changed gradually but inevitably. I became a witness to the step-by-step and methodical establishment of a dictatorship.
Now I live in Israel, a wonderful multicultural country with almost no racial or gender discrimination and less police misconduct. It's worth noting that I visited the EU for the first time as a tourist a couple of years ago. It’s sad to see tents with homeless people on the streets, but for many, these conditions are better and safer than in their home countries-this is a question of migration policy.
But only those should stay who came here and said to themselves, "Oh yes, I know it will be difficult, but I want to stay here, to walk these streets, to see the architecture. I don't care who I was. I reject all gods and religions of the world. I let go of my past, and I am a free person of planet Earth. There is no Allah, no Buddha, no Christ. There is only this place, soaked in the vibrations of the past, and now I am part of my new world." Only in this way.
You had me nodding in agreement with you the whole way through like one of those Chinese cats! Im with you and im 52 so im not young and naive as you've been made to feel, about the whole border siruation. I have talke about this fir years. You are right that it is run by corruption and gangsters because that is politics! Geopolitical borders are for nothing more than control. And like you said, if these didnt exist at first it might be chaotic but it would then settle down and when you remove borders you remove the whole point of people smugglers suddenly they would have no income because if people can move freely they wouldnt need to risk their lives. Our last government fed the anti immigrant agenda and racist beast because as long as the poorer people were pointing fingers at eachother, they were facing the other way and blaming the government for their predicament. Brexit was one big anti immigrant campaign, but idiots who voted for it with the narrow minded biggoted little brains never stopped to think how it would affect them directly and now that has become more apararent they regret their vote. Ultimately, governments want to control free movement because they want to control people, but this does not stop at borders. Watch as tgey control us more and more into smaller spaces with congestion charges, banning certain vehicles, ulez, and trying to create 15 minute cities where. I describe myself as awake not woke. There are big scary agendas going on and idiots are walking blindly into the hands of those in power and doing their bidding. This is why im opting out, going off grid and almost becoming a prepper! People need to wake up and unite against the true enemy not eachother.
Well I think when we talk about migration we need to understand the different reasons for migrating. And those determine most of your experience in the country you're moving at.
In Spain there's a real estate crisis because of the enormous amount of northern Europeans coming here as digital nomads. Making northern salaries but paying half of what they pay for living in their own countries. And, as we all know, the prices go up and we're all fucked.
As an immigrant from Chile in Spain, it's also been hard for me to understand that while (like you) I feel oppressed in some ways, I feel privileged in others.
There's also the racism perspective, where they're not only discriminated against for not belonging to the culture, not speaking the language, being poor, etc.. but also for looking racially different...like not white...
I'm not very aware of what's happening in the UK but I could tell you that the media, like news and stuff (sorry I don't know all the terms in English) is playing a crucial part in all this
I can totally understand the perspective of people in Spain being totally fed up with people raising prices: in Edinburgh the same thing is happening but for slightly different reasons. Ironically the situation in Spain affects me and other migrants who are not making a northern salary, same as the locals, government change is needed to make things better for everyone, then migrants won’t be blamed