america is a third world country, and people don't recognise it and i think that that's pretty god damn sad, that they don't recognise their own country as a third world, third rate, third class slum.
Third world doesn't really mean as much now. First world used to mean the US and its allies; second world was the Communist bloc and third world was the rest. But we don't really have second world countries now. And some of the third world countries have had higher living standards than first world countries (like Singapore).
Even so, the United States has a much higher standard of living than many of the third world countries.
We do need to stop thinking of ourselves as at the leading edge of the curve because we're doing badly in a lot of things - like in technology, education and the social welfare. And our income distribution is the most extreme of the first world countries. The rich get richer and the poor ... don't. And by failing to fix these things, we're making ourselves less relevant, but we're still a very big fish in a very small pond (which is getting a bit away from your point).
I think it's obvious that Amanda was speaking of developing countries when saying "third world countries," making the vocab lesson irrelevant.
Also, obviously the United States isn't a developing nation, but large portions of the country are comparable to, and even worse off than, some of the world's most impoverished nations.
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Third world doesn't really mean as much now. First world used to mean the US and its allies; second world was the Communist bloc and third world was the rest. But we don't really have second world countries now. And some of the third world countries have had higher living standards than first world countries (like Singapore).
Even so, the United States has a much higher standard of living than many of the third world countries.
We do need to stop thinking of ourselves as at the leading edge of the curve because we're doing badly in a lot of things - like in technology, education and the social welfare. And our income distribution is the most extreme of the first world countries. The rich get richer and the poor ... don't. And by failing to fix these things, we're making ourselves less relevant, but we're still a very big fish in a very small pond (which is getting a bit away from your point).
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I think it's obvious that Amanda was speaking of developing countries when saying "third world countries," making the vocab lesson irrelevant.
Also, obviously the United States isn't a developing nation, but large portions of the country are comparable to, and even worse off than, some of the world's most impoverished nations.
I get you, Manda :)
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yeah we may have the leading edge to other countries but most of the slums can be compared to a third world country
thanks steff ;)
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