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

[Printer Bandit]

 

[Ancalagon44]

Really we need more than just 1st, second and third world terms to describe the relative advancement of a country. South Africa is 3rd world and so is Somalia, but I'd rather live in South Africa.

In the same way, the USA is 1st world and so is Hong Kong, in this example, but the guy that the OP cites argues that Hong Kong is a better first world country than the USA. Maybe a better example would have been something like Sweden?

In any case, whether your politicians are all bought and paid for need not necessarily mean that the living conditions of the average American are worse than the living conditions of the average Hong Kongese (sorry!). It could be argued that this is the case though, with the sheer number that are corrupt.

 

[DCal430]

Really we need more than just 1st, second and third world terms to describe the relative advancement of a country. South Africa is 3rd world and so is Somalia, but I'd rather live in South Africa.

In the same way, the USA is 1st world and so is Hong Kong, in this example, but the guy that the OP cites argues that Hong Kong is a better first world country than the USA. Maybe a better example would have been something like Sweden?

In any case, whether your politicians are all bought and paid for need not necessarily mean that the living conditions of the average American are worse than the living conditions of the average Hong Kongese (sorry!). It could be argued that this is the case though, with the sheer number that are corrupt.

The average American is far better off than the average Hong Kong resident, also their is far more corruption in Hong Kong than in the U.S . To say other wise is a show vast ignorance.

 

[rchiu]

Wow really? Being able to drink, smoke and getting drug freely is a sign of developed country? I thought that's more of a sign of a third world country......

 

[Nintendesert]

Really we need more than just 1st, second and third world terms to describe the relative advancement of a country. South Africa is 3rd world and so is Somalia, but I'd rather live in South Africa.

In the same way, the USA is 1st world and so is Hong Kong, in this example, but the guy that the OP cites argues that Hong Kong is a better first world country than the USA. Maybe a better example would have been something like Sweden?

In any case, whether your politicians are all bought and paid for need not necessarily mean that the living conditions of the average American are worse than the living conditions of the average Hong Kongese (sorry!). It could be argued that this is the case though, with the sheer number that are corrupt.

As already mentioned the terms were never created to describe economic development but instead which sides in the Cold War a country fell in on. It's the general ignorance and group think of the internet that has allowed the misuse of these terms to spread.

 

[Doppel]

To quote Anonymous poster No. 421360718:

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

Your link doesn't work.

As somebody who also has traveled a lot I think the guy's full of sh*t. US, Canada, Western Europe, and a small smattering of countries elsewhere (e.g. Japan) are worth living in, the rest are not for anybody with the means to avoid it.

 

[Rastus]

... the means to avoid it.

That's pretty deep. Kind of like Marx's means of distribution or production. Develop that idea and you might have something to chew on.

Kudos

 

[Londo_Jowo]

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.

So in other words you've never been outside the US much less to a third world country.

 

[boomerang]

It's hard to take someone seriously who starts out a diatribe railing about drinking and smoking. Now, them's some serious issues...

 

[SandEagle]

until you visit the slums of India, you have no idea what a 3rd world country is like. homeless people in america have it much better than them. i've seen it first hand.....

 

[Jmman]

I have travelled all over the world, and this has to be one of the stupidest posts I have ever seen........

 

[nextJin]

Here are my thoughts on this pretty much verbatim:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__uutzcQXc

 

[feralkid]

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

But you've shown us we have some of the finest internet trolls in the world.

 

[Exterous]

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.

Nope - you're right. This was the first clue that the author had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

Even if it were to refer to some under-developed, poor country I think we still have quite far to go considering that ~2.3 billion people survive on less than $2 a day. That's over 7x the US population. Our average salary is over 3x the world wide average

Smoking ban? Not like Ireland, UK, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands have similar bans or that the EU is trying to push for an EU wide ban or anything! Damn - look at all those 'third world' countries!

 

[rudder]

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

This. I don't see too many eight year old kids digging through trash heaps here in the U.S. to find scraps of plastic and metal to sell to earn fifty cents a day for the family.

And in many of these people in third world countries are ruled by dictators. We have corruption in the U.S. government.... but not on the level of some of these real third world crap holes.

 

[PricklyPete]

This is such a joke. As someone who has also traveled a lot, the US is FAR from a third world country. Is it perfect, hell no, but stop complaining and try to make a difference instead of praising other 1st world countries that have their own mess of problems.

 

[Moonbeam]

This. I don't see too many eight year old kids digging through trash heaps here in the U.S. to find scraps of plastic and metal to sell to earn fifty cents a day for the family.

And in many of these people in third world countries are ruled by dictators. We have corruption in the U.S. government.... but not on the level of some of these real third world crap holes.

Of course not. Can't have any fucking worthless kids stealing valuable garbage from the garbage corporations.

 

[cybrsage]

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.

Yeah, it changed a few decades ago. Basically, the economic status of the first, second, and third world nations took over as the meanings since they align very well with the already created sets from the cold war.

Western nations are far richer, etc., USSR aligned nations are in the middle, while the unaligned nations are very poor. They were mostly unaligned because neither side really gave a crap about them since they had no strategic importance.

 

[Texashiker]

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

I am not going to defend anything.

The christian right is doing a good job of forcing its beliefs on others, such as not being able to buy whiskey on sunday. If I want to get drunk sunday morning instead of going to church, then I should be able to do so.

Its as if the U.S. is run by a bunch of control freaks.

In all honesty, American culture sucks. Our nations infrastructure is falling apart while companies like apple and exxon reap record profits.

 

[PricklyPete]

Here are my thoughts on this pretty much verbatim:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h__uutzcQXc

Please. America has always had it problems. Slavery, Child Labor, Destruction of Native Americans, etc. We are not suddenly the worst generation ever. We are just dealing with different problems. Stupid "nostalgic" stuff like that makes me sad and makes me think someone writing it doesn't read up on history.

 

[blackangst1]

Coming from someone with 13 countries stamped in my passport, the OP has no idea what a 3rd world country actually is.

 

[blankslate]

Well, the OP is right about one thing relatively few Americans travel outside the country.

Of course that is probably as much a consequence of the same geography that has kept American relatively safe from invasion as well.

People in Europe for instance have the advantage of having foreign countries not much farther than what taking a road trip to a couple of other states would be for an American.

However, America is still an industrialized country with an economy that still compares favorably with the other top economies relatively speaking. But our middle of the pack results when it comes to grade and high school testing on math and science doesn't bode well for this country in the future, especially when "critical thinking" is criticized by a major party in a state.

 

[DougK62]

Look, it's fine that you like European countries better than the United States. Really, no one cares. They all have pluses and minuses. Having the arrogance to suggest that one is just so far superior to the other, so then the inferior must be some underdeveloped crap hole is more than just stupid - it's a slap in the face to the billions of people on the planet that really do live in squalor.

 

[RearAdmiral]

After having visited Africa, I'm pretty okay with living in America regardless. I'm with Dcal430 here, go to a 3rd world area to see how bad your life is not, instead of a nice city.

 

[Exterous]

with 13 countries stamped in my passport

Places still do this? Granted I have only been to Europe recently but the last two times I have gone I've visited 6 countries and I have 0 stamps to show for it. They all just look at it and then hand it back