Why You Shouldn't Use the Term 'Third World Country' Anymore

[Covertjay]

I was reading this article and it made me think of the thoughtless way the archaic expression 'third world' is used on expat forums as a dig at Thailand or other countries. It's as good a time as ever to stop using a term that is condescending, a cold war relic and adds nothing to any discussion. Article follows... 

 

Is there any way to talk about rich countries and poor countries that is both useful and forward-looking? 

 

Over at NPR, Marc Silver put together a helpful survey of the myriad difficulties that accompany any polite attempt to discuss class in the global community. The distinction between "First World" and "Third World" is on the wane for good reason, but is there any suitable replacement?

 

 

By Zeeshan Aleem  @zeeshanaleem
Zeeshan is a senior staff writer at Mic, covering public policy and national politics. He is based in New York and can be reached at [email protected].

 

https://mic.com/articles/107686/why-you-shouldn-t-call-poor-nations-third-world-countries#.C7oBdFOQN

 

Edited September 3, 2017 by metisdead
Edited as per fair use policy: 14) You will not post any copyrighted material except as fair use laws apply (as in the case of news articles). Please only post a link, the headline and the first three sentences.

[Been there done that]

Correct. Thailand is a country with a 4th world mentality where empathy, compassion and honesty a.o are not present.

 

If not for the women 

[thaibeachlovers]

Typical PC BS put forth by someone that is probably benefitting from living in a country that exploits the poor under the evil of so called "globalization"

Most people that use the term know that it is not the same definition as when it first came into useage. Meanings change.

It has also began to operate as a shorthand for extreme destitution in otherwise affluent countries

is how I define 3rd world now. Countries such as the Phillipines and China etc.

 

BTW, I never hear any country described as second world, and would any country now fit into 'first world"

IMO "third world" is just about a certain category of country that has immense wealth which is accumulated in the hands of few while the vast majority suffer poverty.

Most western countries don't, because they have large numbers of moderate to affluent middle class people, despite have many in poverty ie USA. Another factor would be presence or otherwise of welfare for the worst off in society.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I'll call it 3rd world and there is nothing you can do about it.

[jerojero]

Try a longer post, so most here will avoid reading it more. Make your point and get to it. Diatribes are less effective.

[kunfish]

It's a weird way to categorize countries when probably any nation has varying levels of development. So many people say 3rd world, but I think they tend to just think the entire country is 3rd world as one being impoverished.

[Ulysses G.]

When I first move to Thailand, 3rd world was pretty accurate, but not any more. 

[kunfish]

1 hour ago, Ulysses G. said:

When I first move to Thailand, 3rd world was pretty accurate, but not any more. 

After a few trips, it doesn't feel too much different in many ways than a lot of places in the world. All the same kinds of stores for shopping. Cars, houses, often similar. Feels pretty modern to me almost anywhere you go there in Thailand. 

[1FinickyOne]

I always preferred the term "developing world" - - 

[faraday]

On 09/01/2017 at 0:54 PM, Been there done that said:

Correct. Thailand is a country with a 4th world mentality where empathy, compassion and honesty a.o are not present.

 

If not for the women 

I almost feel sorry for people like you, when they only seem to have had bad experiences here.

Perhaps your attitude bears some culpability?

[Been there done that]

1 hour ago, faraday said:

I almost feel sorry for people like you, when they only seem to have had bad experiences here.

Perhaps your attitude bears some culpability?

Observation mate and listening to what thais tell me. Nothing more.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

Hi

 

Third world:

 

 

[Covertjay]

23 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

BTW, I never hear any country described as second world, and would any country now fit into 'first world"

The second world was communism, which is gone or has become state capitalism of a sort. 

 

Good point about how any would fit first world these days given concentration of wealth. 

[SABloke]

I find that people (not specifically the OP) that get offended by words are often not the people on the receiving end of the words. For me "Developing" is no better than "3rd World" - I mean it is quite condescending isn't it. "Look at the poor people in that developing country" It's not developing...it IS a country. Imagine if you called someone a "developing man/woman". 

[thaibeachlovers]

On ‎9‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 6:30 AM, kunfish said:

After a few trips, it doesn't feel too much different in many ways than a lot of places in the world. All the same kinds of stores for shopping. Cars, houses, often similar. Feels pretty modern to me almost anywhere you go there in Thailand. 

 

Feels pretty modern to me almost anywhere you go there in Thailand. 

Never been in the country areas then?

[kunfish]

 
Feels pretty modern to me almost anywhere you go there in Thailand. 
Never been in the country areas then?

Many times. Most every road is paved but not all has to be for farmland. Most all areas have electricity but not every piece of land require it. Most all places have modern plumbing but not all need it. Some toilets require water scooped up and poured into the bowl. It's as modern as most anyplace.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bill59]

I don't let any of the thought control police tell me what I should or shouldn't say.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[tomwct]

Third World Country and not improving! When are they going to make selling votes illegal and/or enforcing existing laws. Both the candidate and the buyer need to be given 6 months in jail and candidate permanently banned from politics. 

Quote

 

 

 

[Pilotman]

On 04/09/2017 at 6:49 AM, kenk24 said:

I always preferred the term "developing world" - - 

and therein lies the issue with places like the UK, who should be developing modern infrastructure and upgrading what they have,  and are not doing so.  In fact in terms of IT ,  health provision, roads, railways, they are almost going backwards.  Maybe its a case of how the lower reaches of a country's society are treated and provided for, in that case  LOS is certainly  'developing', but all too slowly,  maybe stalled would be more accurate.   How do you fit in political development?  China, India and LOS among many others  are not 'developing 'i n that regard  at all, although India could be said to be trying the hardest to do so.  

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, Pilotman said:

and therein lies the issue with places like the UK, who should be developing modern infrastructure and upgrading what they have,  and are not doing so.  In fact in terms of IT ,  health provision, roads, railways, they are almost going backwards.  Maybe its a case of how the lower reaches of a country's society are treated and provided for, in that case  LOS is certainly  'developing', but all too slowly,  maybe stalled would be more accurate.   How do you fit in political development?  China, India and LOS among many others  are not 'developing 'i n that regard  at all, although India could be said to be trying the hardest to do so.  

patience is a virtue... England did not develop overnight either - - come back in a hundred years - - or look back a hundred years if you prefer... and much of the 'old world' and 'new world' might be soon be better called the 'deteriorating world' - - 

 

as someone once told me in Atlantic City - Las Vegas wasn't built in a day... 

[Pilotman]

45 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

patience is a virtue... England did not develop overnight either - - come back in a hundred years - - or look back a hundred years if you prefer... and much of the 'old world' and 'new world' might be soon be better called the 'deteriorating world' - - 

 

as someone once told me in Atlantic City - Las Vegas wasn't built in a day... 

Um, not sure that is too much of an indicator as The Siam dynasty's ( and the Chinese of course) was up and running 3,000 odd years ago when the savages in the western world were running around in loin cloths and sacks. Its what they are doing now that counts. 

[1FinickyOne]

14 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Um, not sure that is too much of an indicator as The Siam dynasty's ( and the Chinese of course) was up and running 3,000 odd years ago when the savages in the western world were running around in loin cloths and sacks. Its what they are doing now that counts. 

well, I see deterioration in the west and I see development here - - I see new and decent roads, al least where I live, I see new shopping malls in Bkk, CM, and elsewhere, some that are pretty spiffy - not that I am into shopping malls but it surely is a measure of something?? I would guess commercial development comes first - in my village, in the last 15 years there are many new houses, the village is expanding, people seem to be doing well... and that is what is happening now... development. 

 

I see continued development in the 20 years that I am here full time... and it does have a feel of rapidity. 20 years ago, nobody had tractors and a pick-up truck was rare - now, it seems so many of my farming neighbors have them... 

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, kenk24 said:

well, I see deterioration in the west and I see development here - - I see new and decent roads, al least where I live, I see new shopping malls in Bkk, CM, and elsewhere, some that are pretty spiffy - not that I am into shopping malls but it surely is a measure of something?? I would guess commercial development comes first - in my village, in the last 15 years there are many new houses, the village is expanding, people seem to be doing well... and that is what is happening now... development. 

 

I see continued development in the 20 years that I am here full time... and it does have a feel of rapidity. 20 years ago, nobody had tractors and a pick-up truck was rare - now, it seems so many of my farming neighbors have them... 

While I am no economist, I believe the new stuff you see in the village is bought with easy credit, and easy credit is the cause of bubbles. Bubbles always collapse, and easy credit only benefits bankers or the moneylenders in the long term.

 

Such apparent wealth is, to me, a danger sign of bad times to come. As Shakespeare said "all that glisters is not gold".

IMO there is a storm coming and it's name is not Irma.

[kunfish]

On 9/7/2017 at 2:35 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

While I am no economist, I believe the new stuff you see in the village is bought with easy credit, and easy credit is the cause of bubbles. Bubbles always collapse, and easy credit only benefits bankers or the moneylenders in the long term.

 

Such apparent wealth is, to me, a danger sign of bad times to come. As Shakespeare said "all that glisters is not gold".

IMO there is a storm coming and it's name is not Irma.

Anecdotally, my wife has a couple of friends in serious debt in Thailand. One in gov't, the other a school teacher (not sure if gov't job). Anyway, serious financial problems in Thailand. Not unlike Korea in the 1990s when credit was not so hard to come by.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, kunfish said:

Anecdotally, my wife has a couple of friends in serious debt in Thailand. One in gov't, the other a school teacher (not sure if gov't job). Anyway, serious financial problems in Thailand. Not unlike Korea in the 1990s when credit was not so hard to come by.

When I first went to work in London in the start of the new century, there were adds everywhere trying to lend people large sums of money with zero collateral. Had I been braver, I'd have borrowed as much as possible from as many sources as possible and done a runner to Thailand. I could have lived a high life for a very long time and then gone back home ( not the UK ) to escape the debt collectors.

[Thai Ron]

Bangkok ain't third world.

Decent transport infrastructure, fast internet, great restaurants, hotels, shopping.

Most people slagging the people and the culture to the ground are just unhappy with their lives and the choices they've made.

 

[thaibeachlovers]

19 minutes ago, Thai Ron said:

Bangkok ain't third world.

Decent transport infrastructure, fast internet, great restaurants, hotels, shopping.

Most people slagging the people and the culture to the ground are just unhappy with their lives and the choices they've made.

 

Decent transport infrastructure

55555555555555555555555. I presume you mean the skytrain. Tried a non AC city bus recently?

Try getting away from the big roads and into the places where the poor people live. Try the big slums to start. The railway line near Sukhumvit Soi 1 is a good place to look for wannabe 1st worlders.

 

Who's really happy with their life anyway? We all make terrible choices, unless we spent our whole lives hiding under the bed. It's human nature to stuff it up.

[Thai Ron]

On 9/9/2017 at 3:02 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

Decent transport infrastructure

55555555555555555555555. I presume you mean the skytrain. Tried a non AC city bus recently?

Try getting away from the big roads and into the places where the poor people live. Try the big slums to start. The railway line near Sukhumvit Soi 1 is a good place to look for wannabe 1st worlders.

 

Who's really happy with their life anyway? We all make terrible choices, unless we spent our whole lives hiding under the bed. It's human nature to stuff it up.

The Skytain, the MRT, the taxis/motosais are all part of the public transport system.

There are rough parts in all major cities - doesn't make the whole city 3rd world

 

Who's happy with their life anyway? Speak for yourself, chum

[thaibeachlovers]

16 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

The Skytain, the MRT, the taxis/motosais are all part of the public transport system.

There are rough parts in all major cities - doesn't make the whole city 3rd world

 

Who's happy with their life anyway? Speak for yourself, chum

LOL. I can only assume you stick to the upmarket areas. The vast majority of Bkk is not "1st world".

However, yes, all cities have rough areas, which is why I prefer to refer to entire countries as 1st world or 3rd world, rather than tiny parts of the country.

 

Happy with life? No one I ever met. The best most people have is OK.

Everyone I know worries about stuff like the direction the country is going, their children, Trump being elected, IS, North Korea, etc.

Edited September 12, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[marko kok prong]

Compared to when i first came here 1989, i saw the change through the 90,s as working in Hong made Thailand a qiuck and cheap destination,it's a lot better today than when i first came for most of the population.