this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2024
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No Stupid Questions

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IMO, The US has crumbling infrastructure, corrupt government, dangerous cities, and a lot of homelessness, among so many other problems. Hell, millions of people in the US don’t even have power right now.

What’s the difference?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

Personally, terms like 'first world' and 'third world' are pointless to me.

No country is without flaws, I'd say, because most countries are inhabited by people.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Did you figure it out yet?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Because the original concept of “ordinal world country” came out of the Cold War:

  • “first world” was US/Western affiliated/allied
  • “second world” was USSR affiliated/allied
  • ”third world” just meant “none of the above” for a very long time

However, since then, understanding of the term in popular discourse has somewhat shifted from geopolitical affiliation to a vague amalgam of socioeconomic status/GDP/“are you a pariah state”/etc.

On a less serious note: the US is really just several dozen 3rd world countries in a trenchcoat essentially relying on (but also politically backstabbing) the economic product of like 5 or 6 states that could be first world economies in their own right

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago
[–] [email protected] 95 points 4 months ago

Third World is an outdated term to refer to neutral countries in the cold war.

Unless there was a sudden dramatic shift in US geopolitical policy it would literally be impossible for it to be considered third world, as the very definition of third world as the definition inherently implies that the country in question is not allied with the US and the broader Western World.

Austria and Switzerland were third world, technically Yugoslavia was too. China became third world for a decent stretch after the sino-soviet split since the other half of the definition relies on not being allied with the Soviets in particular.

The use of third world as an insult for poor countries is a neo-colonial mindset that just takes for granted that anyone who isn't an outright ally of the west or of the Russians must just be too poor to be worth considering as anything but uneducated people in dirt houses living subsistence lifestyles and who's main interaction with an apparatus of state is occasionally seeing a humvee loaded up with the child soldiers of this warlord or that drive by.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 4 months ago

I don't like the government system, I don't like the police, I don't like anything to do with this country's government. I just don't like it, because... they're sneaky, like I said - they're deceitful, they're lying, they're cheats, they rip the people off. That's the American government for you. 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

[–] [email protected] -1 points 4 months ago

Because of their modern and huge airforce and army, along with all the big tech companies, and Hollywood.

The PR image of America is quite nice. The reality, not that great.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago

Because of their GDP. People are incredibly rich there. But one false move and there are no safety nets. You can get bankrupt in an instant.

[–] [email protected] 65 points 4 months ago

Because "first world" means NATO, not having a high standard of living.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Several reasons.

  1. The US is largely responsible for defining what 1st, 2nd, and 3rd World countries are.
  2. It has the largest economy in the world.
    (I think? That may have gone to China by now. Not sure. But it was true recently.)
  3. Even with everything you said being true. It's still the wealthiest country in the world, by a large margin. Epically when you compare incomes, lifestyles, and infrastructure to actual 3rd world countries. It's not even close.
[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 months ago

Looks like the USA is still about $10 trillion higher in GDP than China.

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