Keesters Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) what defines a third world country? basically - extrem poverty.. - lacking industry - lacking infrastructure (TV, Internet, Phone connections, electricity, water) - lacking health system - lacking education system any of these things that you would say Thailand suffers from? While Thailand doesn't lack an eduction system its education system is lacking.And if providing water in the pipe for an hour or two a day is OK then who am I to say I wish it could be more. And weekly power cuts often returning with a vengeance blowing up your computer, TV, or fridge. But I wouldn't live anywhere else. Edited February 7, 2015 by Keesters 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabid old goat Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) amazed we got this far and no one has mentioned the stinking klongs and rivers. till they get a decent pipe drainage system and treatment system for liquid effluent it will still be a third world country in my opinion,. note i havent even mention the foul air pollution oh yeah i've been to most of the places mentioned above as third world too. Edited February 7, 2015 by rabid old goat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabid old goat Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) did i mention food contamination? where in the first world you get ill from food so consistently as in thailand? yes third world for absolute sure. Edited February 7, 2015 by rabid old goat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lukecan Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) did i mention food contamination? where in the first world you get ill from food so consistently as in thailand? yes third world for absolute sure. And YET the first world is filled with disgusting obese people. They must have eaten some really healthy food eh? Edited February 7, 2015 by Lukecan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabid old goat Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) did i mention food contamination? where in the first world you get ill from food so consistently as in thailand? yes third world for absolute sure. And YET the first world is filled with disgusting obese people. They must have eaten some really healthy food eh? you must live in a different thailand than me , i see many disgustingly obese people here too in bkk. even to the extent of more fat people than not fat Edited February 7, 2015 by rabid old goat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theguyfromanotherforum Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 I wanna apologize. It's a poorly worded title. However I do think that public bus service is definitely third world country like. This does not include bts or MRT which is definitely better than where I come from.So you classify a whole countries performance solely on their bus service? How is Canada's public transport system outside the big cities classified? I have never experienced busses treating passengers like a sac of potatoes, big city or small. It does happen occasionally... Like one or twice a year, but certainty not after every bus stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrB2015 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Is the term Third World still used ? I thought Thailand was classed as a developing nation. To reach 'Developed' status a good start would be the eradication of corruption and nepotism which at current levels damage the country to such a degree issues impacting the everyday lives of the average citizen, visitor and tourist wouldn't exist. Using this as a barometer, Singapore would be absolutely third world with no doubts. Their levels of corruption goes way up high in the hierarchy. Nepotism all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendejo Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 A few years ago (maybe ten?) I was watching a program on the English-language CCTV station (all China's stations are CCTV). It stated that by 2040 China will 'the same as the US.' By this they meant all urban areas will have sidewalks, all roads will be paved and sealed, all buildings will be up to modern codes, water, sewage and electrical supply will be reliable and ubiquitous, and a few other things. Never been to the mainland myself, and have no opinion about these goals one way or another, but they might give the OP and idea at what the developing worlds sees as the factors that make the 'modern world' what it is. Generally speaking, I think the Thais are a pretty sharp bunch. Teach a young person something and they're usually quick to catch on and soon to come up with their own insights. (There are other nameless countries in the region where I don't give the natives such credit.) I think the big problem is lack of a Big Picture perspective and lack of long-term goals -- this I put down to corruption. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post FritsSikkink Posted February 7, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted February 7, 2015 did i mention food contamination? where in the first world you get ill from food so consistently as in thailand? yes third world for absolute sure. Never got ill from the food in 34 years. Don't know what you are eating. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manarak Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 There is a difference between bashing and facts. There is nothing that makes Thailand a third world country, because it isn't ! Not by the definition of what as third world country is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgemandm Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Anyone who calls Thailand a third world country probably hasn't been to a third world country before. Go to Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh , Myanmar etc, these can be regarded as 3rd world countries. Bangkok has a public transport infrastructure which rivals that of the first world. Skytrain is amazing, the highways road system is above average etc. Thailand is an emerging country, def not 3rd world. Yes I will give you it has a skytrain but that is we're it stops don't get me wrong I love going to thailand but I would never give up were I come from to live in a 3 rd world place like thailand it has it good but has a lot of bad to and so does my country and for most man who live in thailand it is for the thai woman if it were not for thai woman would most western man live in thailand ? . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsocr Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 THE TERMS FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD WORLD ARE OBSOLETE SINCE THE 1990'S!!!! Nobody use it now except old books and outdated professors. The terms used now in the modern and politically correct global community is DEVELOPED, NEWLY DEVELOPED and DEVELOPING countries. Thailand, according to the WorldBank is in between Newly Developed and Developing. Thailand's economy surpassed that of Malaysia (the second richest in Southeast Asia after Singapore) in 2005. Thailand is the second richest economy of the 10 Southeast Asia Economic Community at this point in time. Third World DEFINITION OF 'THIRD WORLD' A phrase commonly used to describe a developing nation, but actually started as term used to describe a country's allegiance. A Third World country is a country whose views are not aligned with NATO and capitalism or the Soviet Union and communism. The use of the term Third World started during the Cold War and was used to identify which of three categories the countries of the world aligned with. The First World meant that you aligned withe NATO and capitalism, and the Second World meant you supported Communism and the Soviet Union. INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'THIRD WORLD' Developing nations are commonly referred to as Third World. These developing countries can be found in Asia, Africa, Oceania and Latin America. These countries were at one point colonies which were formally lead by imperialism. The end of imperialism forced these colonies to survive on their own. With lack of support, these colonies started to develop characteristics such as poverty, high birthrates and economic dependence on other countries. The term was then affiliated to the economic situation of these former colonies and not their social alliances to either capitalism or communism. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsocr Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 With that said, Thailand I believe, is still in still in the Developing Phase. Yes the major cities infrastructure has come along way and the major Universities world ranking is increasing. I live in northern Issan and we are finally seeing some major road improvements. I'm not talking about highways, but the roads people in the area use everyday. Education here, although better, is still a problem. I continuously donate time and learning material to the neighboring villages to help in the education system. Education and world knowledge is what will bring any country forward. OP the bus experience you had has nothing to do with a countries status. I myself have been in all the countries listed above that were called 3rd world and had better experiences in taxis then in NY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsocr Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Sorry I meant a worst experience in NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirtless Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Ask any Thai this country is the best . everything is perfect, equality, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabid old goat Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) do you know of any first world country that is regularly run by a military junta? how many first world countries have an ongoing violent debacle like in the south of thailand? how many people from neighbouring countries are regularly shot without public outcry at the borders of any european country? how many environmental and social activist are regularly shot without public outcry in any first world country? Edited February 8, 2015 by rabid old goat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyumiii Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 For a long time I have been interested in just what defines a first ans third world country..and what about the second world?? After searching a lot on line, I found out that the second world was considered the Soviet block of countries, no longer an issue I guess. An interesting statement I found about the third world was that the two things third world countries have in common are: 1) a corrupt government and 2) a lack of a middle class...only the wealthy and the poor. Interesting huh? My question is, if the rating went as low as 4th, 5th........or 50th world, What countries would fall into what world classification? When you think about it, since there are only first and third world countries now, They could be classified as pretty good, and not too good. It would be less confusing! For a direct answer to the OPs question.. In my opinion, what makes Thailand a third world country is the Mai pen rai attitude. I say " Pen rai mak mak!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malt25 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 did i mention food contamination? where in the first world you get ill from food so consistently as in thailand? yes third world for absolute sure. Never got ill from the food in 34 years. Don't know what you are eating. Maybe he's eating rabit old goat ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malt25 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 There is a difference between bashing and facts. Me thinks you should have started 2 separate posts. 1. Is Thailand a 3rd world country. 2. Why I hate the Thai bus system, operations. I'm not much into ladyboys..... so Thailand must be a 3rd world country. I don't like the loud communal music played at 5:00am every morning..... so Thailand must be a 3rd world country. Just coz you don't like something doesn't make the country 3rd world. Just sayin..... Cheers..... Mal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stradavarius37 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Threads like this, on forums like this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digbat Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) Weren't you going home in your last post, Because this "Third world country" was more expensive than Canada.? If you do that you could join Neversure & a few other posters, that explain that they certainly don't want to live here, but then spend there lives penning letters by the 1,000 on what is wrong with Thailand & what we should all do about it. Edited February 8, 2015 by digbat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 A post containing profanity and replies have been removed or edited. Food safety is a concern for many. I work in Thailand and one of the biggest problems we have with employees is food poisoning and it is a major factor for absenteeism. Once you've been around for a while, you develop an immunity to some of this, but for new arrivals, tourists, elderly and the young it can be a problem. I should also add that food poisoning is a problem for the Thai employees as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy chef 1 Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 you guys know that i love this country but even beloved ones need to be criticized(constructive) in order to develop... here my two satangs: -education reform -RTP(self explanatory) -law enforcement -accept that there is a world outside -learn from previous mistakes -eradicate this cast/feudal system -everybody deserves the same chances based on abilities not connection ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 did i mention food contamination? where in the first world you get ill from food so consistently as in thailand? yes third world for absolute sure. And YET the first world is filled with disgusting obese people. They must have eaten some really healthy food eh? you must live in a different thailand than me , i see many disgustingly obese people here too in bkk. even to the extent of more fat people than not fat Yes indeed YOU must live in a different Thailand... or maybe you just eat somewhere different. In my cumulative +20 years here, eating whatever I want, whenever I want, never had a issue with food making me unwell. Maybe you have irritable bowel syndrome? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerryBScot Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 This is a great place to live in, a great place to bring up kids if you are a foreigner but the frustration arises from the entrenched corruption. This works well for the locals who have a fine appreciation of how it works but it is challenging for people like me. To me it is really wrong for instance for a teacher to be recruited to a teaching position without the requisite skills and then to keep their position by virtue of making a monthly payment to the boss. Everyone it appears is working an angle and it appears that any form of status is used for one's personal advantage - this seems to be the expectation. The locals, it seems, would only be surprised if plod, for instance, wasn't on the take. Add in the lack of a free press - this really means there are serious restrictions about what can be reported and if nothing else it means much more cautious media. But look on the bright side: I don't think anyone will die of hunger today in Thailand. Health care of some sort is available to most people. There is universal schooling, which is hugely problematic and is crying out for fundamental reform. At present this system works well in teaching children to learn how it works in the current state of crookery but it is a mirror of the wider society and can't actually change until there is a shift in the wider society's values. Roads are inherently dangerous here but that is because of human factors: driving standards and design. But as a general rule the main roads with a few notable exceptions are good and fast. Public transportation is in general excellent and cheap, albeit dangerous because of these human factors. In many parts of the developed world local transport save for private cars is a thing of the past. If you really want to see how developed Thailand is take a trip to Aranyaprathet and cross the border into Cambodia - it goes from the sublime to the ridiculous, you leave Thailand and walk past the manicured country club neatness of the big casinos in no man's land and then you hit Cambodia and once you are through that gate it is filth and squalor; it seems as if you have crossed a continent not a border. So Thailand has its fair share of problems but in comparative terms it is not such a bad place to live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabid old goat Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 did i mention food contamination? where in the first world you get ill from food so consistently as in thailand? yes third world for absolute sure. Never got ill from the food in 34 years. Don't know what you are eating. Maybe he's eating rabit old goat ??? never seen comments as denialist as these in the decades i have been in this country, a real feat in a country that is so renowned for its denialism 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hhgz Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 "I guess I should have phrased the question differently. " As in "less biased and more intelligently"? Yes. Many TVers believe that everything that differentiates Thailand from his home country, or every inconvenience real or imagined, makes it a "third-world country". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weegee Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 Everything here is getting better by the year in some cases... I am at present watching a house being built next door by a Thai Myanmar crew. What a top job of building they are doing. The Thai builder went to college and learnt, and now builds probably the best construction, I have ever seen so far. It's straight and even overbuilt in many ways. The Expat building the house KNOWS how lucky he is....he can relax and let it happen. AND there is no ripoffs with things. The house will be completed in under 3 months, at a cost which is more than fair. SO!...nah, not stalled anymore.. This place is going ahead...I see it more now, which is good for Thailand. Yeah sometimes, we, living here get cranky with things and have a rant...But we would be doing the same in our Mother countries...hey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onemorechang Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 (edited) 34, 20 years never had the shits. What a joke !!!!!!! pull the other one guys. we all get sick a little bit no matter who or where you live in the world at some point in time. Edited February 8, 2015 by onemorechang 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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