I have previously tackled this topic and at the risk of repeating myself. I’ve decided, at the suggestion of one of my regular readers, to take it up again. I’m talking about that dreaded — and sometimes offensive — term often used to describe people who move to our wonderful communities from someplace “away.”
I cringe whenever I hear the term CFA, meaning Come From Away, because I hate the implied, negative connotation that often comes with it. While the label does adequately describe people who move to our region from elsewhere in the world or from another part of our great country, most times when it’s used, the undertones are often very clear — you’re not from our community so please don’t bother us with your opinions or ideas.
However, anyone with such a negative and pervasive attitude obviously fails to recognize the opportunity that comes when new people move into our communities. We ought to embrace such individuals, not push them away. We ought to welcome them with open arms and invite them into our inner circles, not shun them or attach labels to them.
I appreciate that in some cases the phrase is used to accurately describe people who have relocated to our piece of paradise for whatever reason, be it family, retirement, health, business or employment opportunity, but I also feel that in other incidences it’s used in a derogatory manner to assign blame or even to ridicule others.
Most of the time, I find its usage to be offensive and even confrontational, used to ostracize rather than to include. This is especially true in a group setting when ideas and information are being exchanged. I’ve seen this happen in public forums and functions when it’s thrown out to the gathering as a verbal form of finger pointing when someone doesn’t agree with an idea or suggestion.
How often have you heard: “What do you know? You’re a CFA.” or “that’s not how we do things around here. If you were born here, you would know that.”
What exactly does CFA mean anyway? In this case it’s used to describe people who have relocated here, but what exactly is the cut-off date when you are no longer considered a CFA? Is it five years? Is it 10? Maybe 25 or 50? My point is, aren’t we all essentially CFAs?
Yes, some of us may be second, or third, or fourth or even fifth-generation Nova Scotians, and that makes us a BRH (Born Right Here) but the fact remains that the only people who are essentially native Nova Scotians are First Nations people. Technically, everyone else is a CFA. Instead, as a good friend of mine suggests, let’s call them HBCs, meaning they are Here By Choice.
The point is, at some juncture in history, the ancestors of those who consider ourselves to be real Nova Scotians essentially came from away, but when it comes to the use of that phrase, the bottom line for me is that it really doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived here because as soon as you move to the province, you should consider yourself to be a Nova Scotian, as should others around you.
It shouldn’t matter where anyone came from or even why he or she relocated here unless they’re a master criminal or have some other nefarious background. What matters most is that someone was so impressed with the beauty, and the positive attributes of our area, that they choose to move here and we should be happy about that as it means others recognize the potential. With these new people come new ideas, new energy, new vision and a new insight that, in most cases, they are willing and anxious to share with their new neighbours. It’s up to us to embrace these individuals and to welcome them into the fold.
My experience over the years has been that we can learn a great deal from these individuals if we let them into our communities and make them feel as though we appreciate their contributions. In fact, in many cases, the ideas from these individuals have often breathed new life into local events and into the community itself. They often come with new and innovative ideas and they are willing to invest their time, energy and, in some cases, their money into improving their new home.
There are many positives about this arrangement as people who have relocated to our neighbourhoods often see things from a new and different perspective. Many of us who have lived here our entire lives may lack the ability to see new angles, and as such, our ideas may become stale and out dated. We also have a tendency to look inward and with blinders so sometimes an infusion of new ideas can breathe new life into our events and the community.
This isn’t to say that all our local ideas are bad ones, nor is it to suggest that all the ideas from people who move here are all good ones, because that is not the case. However, it does mean that we should meet in the middle and find ways to co-operate. After all, the end result is to produce success in whatever we do. The key is to end up with the best ideas regardless of where they came from or who suggested them. In that way, we all benefit.
That having been said, the onus of this co-operation does not rest solely with those of us who grew up here. In fact, it’s a two-way street and I too get irritated when new people arrive with an attitude that suggests that they believe they know what’s best for us and the communities we’ve called home for many years. That is not the way to make friends, nor is it a good way to encourage co-operation.
It’s also off-putting when these individuals suggest that they may have moved here because they were attracted to the romanticized image of a small, rural community that seems so attractive. As such, they sometimes resent change because it goes against their vision. But by the same token, we don’t appreciate anyone telling us that they know what’s best for us. Open and honest dialogue is the best approach as we work toward a solution that benefits everyone.
Most of us “locals” will agree that change is sometimes necessary for the survival of our communities and we know that if we don’t grow and evolve with new ideas and unique initiatives, then we run the risk of growing stagnant and perhaps even regressing. Instead, these individuals should be encouraged to express their views and we should welcome the input with open minds, but in the end, regardless of where the idea originated, we must do whatever is best for our communities.
Those of us who have been fortunate enough to grow up in this wonderful part of the world can take a great deal for granted, but the fact that we are attracting many new people to our province is something to embrace as it’s proof that Nova Scotia has lots to offer. That being said, we must be willing to share and accept new ideas regardless where they originated, or at least, that’s the view from here.