America is a "third-world" country...

[GTaudiophile]

To quote Anonymous poster No. 421360718:

America is a third world country. I never realized this (like most Americans who never travel outside of their bubble.) until I actually visited a real first world country, Hong Kong.

America is a police state with a barbaric drinking age and controlled substance policy that, depending on which polls you look at, between 60 and 70% of all Americans are against. There is no drinking in public and no smoking lounges in any airport.

America is a backwards country that touts its superiority with nothing but a thinly-veiled jingoism and arrogance whose only real source is the ignorance of the American people who are constantly told by their government that they live in the best country in the world, which they don't. There is a difference between patriotism and dignity; being blindly "proud" of your country and carrying yourself in a way that ought to make your country proud. Americans take no part in the latter.

Our elected officials are really chosen by the top-bidding billionaires and now they've even managed to have one of their own run on the republican ticket. Furthermore the republican party has turned into a religious fanatical group whose policy comes from the bible rather than from reason. On top of that, the unemployment rate here is embarrassing and a minimum wage job puts you below the poverty line. Seems like the middle class is on borrowed time.

As someone who travels and has always traveled frequently, I have to agree with this poster. The US is failing because of its uncultured masses who don't know any better. The best way to destroy the status quo would be to arm each and every US American with a passport and enough money to go ANYWHERE outside of North/Central America for at least two weeks. Send them abroad in combination with some sort of cultural education program where showing their own ignorance would be frowned upon. We'd have real change when they came back...if they came back.

Click if you want to continue the debate on /b...

EDIT: LINK IS NOW 404!
https://boards.4chan.org/b/res/421360718

 

[HamburgerBoy]

lol, he cites Hong Kong as a great example of a first world (once-)country (FWIW I basically agree), and then complains about a low American minimum wage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in_Hong_Kong

 

[Steeplerot]

It's the TV, people are lazy and assume that by watching the crap canned messages a few suits put out in NYC/LA in a few studios makes them somehow culturally relevant or exposed to the outside world.

The most blind are those (too lazy) to see. Personally I see the TV brainwashed consumerist mindset is a dying privilege for the baby boomer generation, one less are able to afford without having to actually get out in real life or from their smallish towns where they see the shit is all a lie to pacify America into buying more useless junk while they rob us blind for our trouble before the corporations peace out on gutting the middle classes wealth.

They can retire to a nice warm island somewhere.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Maybe said person should travel to a real third world country before claiming the US has become one.

 

[nehalem256]

So the fact that we can't drink in public and there are no smoking lounges in airports is proof of America being a 3rd world country how?

 

[Rastus]

So the fact that we can't drink in public and there are no smoking lounges in airports is proof of America being a 3rd world country how?

Barbaric, isn't it?

 

[Steeplerot]

And right on cue, the Texans and southerners come in to defend third world shittiness.

I get a lot of amusement out of this forum sometimes.

But then I like watching old steam engine trainwreck pileups on youtube also. Same mindset.

 

[SparkyJJO]

And right on cue, the Texans and southerners come in to defend third world shittiness.

I get a lot of amusement out of this forum sometimes.

But then I like watching old steam engine trainwreck pileups on youtube also. Same mindset.

If you hate it so much, leave

 

[a777pilot]

America is a third world country because we have a fourth rate "leader".

 

[SparkyJJO]

America is a third world country because we have fourth rate "leaders".

Fixed for you. Not just the president but 99% of congress are also to blame. But we also have every reason to blame the general masses for voting them into office in the first place.

 

[Steeplerot]

If you hate it so much, leave

Whats the alternative? OT? Blasphemy. Those rabble are barbarians.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

And right on cue, the Texans and southerners come in to defend third world shittiness.

I get a lot of amusement out of this forum sometimes.

But then I like watching old steam engine trainwreck pileups on youtube also. Same mindset.

So what third world countries have you visited? Been to Tanzania? Kenya? Congo? How about Bolivia? Venezuela?

 

[LegendKiller]

As somebody above pointed out, it's laughable that this guy uses such arbitrary and skewed metrics for measuring a "third world" country. To then say that America is "third world" because billionaires control the government is even worse, the wealthy and powerful control a disproportionate amount of the influence in every country. As if Hong Kong is purely a 100% democracy without any billionaire, or ChiCom influence upon it.

I've never been to a third world country but I have been through several countries in Europe and I didn't think they are any better overall. All of them have positives and negatives but theres no huge difference.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I bet you can smoke and drink anywhere you want in a real third-world country. The guy is an idiot.

 

[a777pilot]

Fixed for you. Not just the president but 99% of congress are also to blame. But we also have every reason to blame the general masses for voting them into office in the first place.

I'll agree to that.

 

[davmat787]

Has the definition of "third world country" changed? I thought it stems from the cold war, having to do with countries that were neutral or not involved with the confict between the US and USSR. Based on how it used the past several decades, it seems like the term is now used to describe a "shithole country" for lack of better words.

 

[MovingTarget]

And right on cue, the Texans and southerners come in to defend third world shittiness.

I get a lot of amusement out of this forum sometimes.

But then I like watching old steam engine trainwreck pileups on youtube also. Same mindset.

Texas and Southerners nothing. If it were just us, then we wouldn't seem so bad in yours and many others' eyes. Idiocy knows no geographic bounds, but we always get the bad rap for it.

The OP is right though. The conservatives that believe that we are the best thing ever don't seem to realize that their static thinking keeps us from improving, thus we remain stagnant on many issues. The rest of the world has not remained similarly idle.

 

[shadow9d9]

Texas and Southerners nothing. If it were just us, then we wouldn't seem so bad in yours and many others' eyes. Idiocy knows no geographic bounds, but we always get the bad rap for it.

The OP is right though. The conservatives that believe that we are the best thing ever don't seem to realize that their static thinking keeps us from improving, thus we remain stagnant on many issues. The rest of the world has not remained similarly idle.

They do not have static thinking. They have regressive thinking...

 

[Svnla]

Maybe said person should travel to a real third world country before claiming the US has become one.

This.

Go somewhere that people are struggling to survive for less than $2 USD/day, if they are lucky.

 

[dmcowen674]

America is a "third-world" country...

and now this is news?

What did you expect when you let people die on street corners because they can't get health care.

 

[OCGuy]

Sneak drugs into Hong Kong and see what happens.

The funny part is that OP has no idea what "First world" v "Third world" even means.

 

[Steeplerot]

Bolivia? Venezuela?

We do stop by from time to time with Comrades to resupply the muttnik space fleet. And receive our secret orders. We are always busy with the logistics of the endless task in itself of helping Castro and Chavez provide the pure liquid DNA needed from ground capitalist bones to sustain Obama's Pharoh cloned body. Oh no..is this thing on? dang...Comrade Beck is gonna be mad I spilled the beans.

 

[davmat787]

Sneak drugs into Hong Kong and see what happens.

The funny part is that OP has no idea what "First world" v "Third world" even means.

Yep. IIRC, those terms originated during the cold war, to describe a countries relation to the US and USSR respective ideologies and/or associations. Now it seems to be used to describe a countries level, or lack thereof, of GDP, technology, .etc.

 

[Steeplerot]

Yep. IIRC, those terms originated during the cold war, to describe a countries relation to the US and USSR respective ideologies and/or associations. Now it seems to be used to describe a countries level, or lack thereof, of GDP, technology, .etc.

Personally I find banana republic more fitting, be it a tinpot soviet (or wanna be) dictatorship or a south american government that is owned by a fruit corp literal slave plantation to some guy soldering cables all day for cheap computer equipment choking on fumes. It's still miserable for most working people. Democracy being bought out or bludgeoned out of society always end badly. Happens more often then most Americans think around the world once a society loses faith in democracy or government by the people for whatever reasons.

Just musing here.

 

[DCal430]

The OP is really clueless. He talks about drug policy of the U.S, but calls Hong Kong a shining example of a real 1st world Country. Hong Kong executes people for marijuana.

He speaks of poverty, when in fact Hong Kong poverty level many times worst than the U.S.

By calling the U.S a third world country he make himself seem truly ignorant. As a person who has family in a REAL third world country, what the OP said is really offensive. GTAudio your comments make it seem like 3rd world countries are well off, and just like the U.S. Really GTAudio as someone who family has lived in a 3rd world country, and who still has family in a 3rd world country, fuck you for making light of suffering of these people.