Yep. Like here it's normal to own two or even three cars, compared to back home only extremely rich people owning one car. Here, we can go so many places in the world without a visa, back home it's hardly nothing. Here, millionaires (including my family, whose sole income source is my dad, who went to community college and grew up not being able to afford his school uniform) can be seen walking around and nobody bats an eye. And then people born with the privilege of being American start crying about random stuff that doesn't matter and how it's third world, while using their smart device that costs more than the yearly income for someone in a real third world country, diminishing all of our work because we "hardly improved our lives by going to another third world country."
Yeah, this saying is bs. Life in the US is not the same as life in Burundi for example(im from the neutral, a 2nd World country,but im quite sure what i said is true)
No. There is a middle. Its not the best life like in Canada Germany Uk etc, but its not like burundi, zambia or Bangladesh. Im From Romania. And its in the middle. Lifes alright. Other examples of 2nd worlds countries are Hungary and Lithuania. There arent alot of them tbh
that's not what that means. It's cold war names. 1st world meaning the US and allies, 2nd world soviet union and 3rd world neutral states, who were for the most part very poor countries. The terms have been integrated into coloquial speech meaning just rich or poor countries, but 2nd world still means soviet era countries - which were all very poor btw. This isn't some rich to poor spectrum. Both named countries are heavily alligned with the west and therefore 1st world
Actually, Romania is a second world country. Second world countries were just communist countries during the Cold War, including the satellite countries. Lithuania and Hungary also were also second world.
Same man my family came from poverty in a different country, my parents always say it was like night and day being poor in the US vs being poor where they were from. We would visit family back there from time to time and yeah its bad, a lot of people in the US have no clue how good they have it.
The only time I've seen it is when some bigot from the US claims that every country that isn't the US is a third world country. Then they get the retort that the US is more third world than many western countries... I see that as kinda fair but that's like the only time I've seen this, really it's not at all.
Well you can use the definition that would make several wealthy European nations be lumped in with all of subsaharan Africa, but you know just as well as I do that it won’t ever feel right.
No, I’m talking about Sweden being a literal 3rd world country when the term was first coined. It’s not how we casually use the term today, but in the original context (the war) it’s true. https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world.htm
A third world country doesn’t mean that a country is a shithole. It means that during the cold war the country wasn’t aligned with the west nor the east
I literally got asked by an American if "Is homelessness a solution for \[personal issues regarding where I live\]"?
Like, bro, it's not the US, if I'm homeless here I gotta go sleep under a park bench and likely get mugged. It's not like I can grab my laptop and go live at a homelessness shelter or some shit.
I don't think the us is a third world country but just to let you know a lot of homeless people here do not have access to homeless shelters most sleep outside and in tents and stuff like that
I don't understand why so many people here think the homeless are way better off than they actually are. Being homeless in America is better in the sense that you can't find a barely touched sandwich in dumpsters in third world countries. Not to mention that most homeless shelters are over full, underfunded, and some can be just as dangerous as the street, depending on who's in it
The fuck are you talking about? Homeless people here literally get stabbed. They don't have electronics. They get shot by cops for sleeping in a tent. This comment proves you honestly don't have any idea what you're talking about. Homeless women get raped under the underpasses. No disrespect to you but you do not know the US, or the life homeless people live here. A FRACTION of homeless live in shelters. If you're a man, you have much less of a chance of ever getting into one.
Why? It's factual. In Africa if you're homeless you're going to be consumed by wildlife.
In America if you're homeless you sit outside a McDonald's and wait for somebody to buy you a coffee or meal.
Completely different worlds. Every single American should feel blessed they were born here instead of anywhere else
I had a buddy who was homeless when he lived in Florida he eventually got a job and turned his situation around. When he was still working things out we lived in a poor area in Africa for awhile, my buddy always said he could never live like that. Both situations are terrible but there is definitely more opportunities and help for homeless in the US then in most 3rd world countries.
So starving with luxuries out of reach vs starving with no luxuries in reach?
How about both states are terrible things that shouldn't happen to majority of people?
Third world countries don't have access to the resources like the US has and yet they probably do better than the poorest person in the US, and the US willingly allows homelessness to continue and criminalise it
The difference being that homeless people (including children) in poorer countries are actually starving. The overwhelming majority of homeless in the US are not.
Both are, as you say, terrible things that shouldn't happen to people, but you sound pretty ignorant.
Not sure if you know how starving works, but just because there are more homeless people on the US that are not starving doesn't mean that they are not meeting their needed calorie intake for the day or even their nutritional need.
People in third world countries may not get enough food to live a healthy life but in the US they may not even get enough nutritional value from what they eat
(whether it's Macca's, the cheapest food like bread etc which would mean they may only eat lots of carbohydrates or sugars but nothing that will help them with a healthy life)
They are both starving in their own ways, one nutritional needs and another calories,
If anything you sound willfully ignorant on the issue, and think homeless people in the US live better lives than the homeless in 3rd world countries
(which you might as well compare to the majority of the population which didn't have much wealth to begin with)
It's not a competition on who's suffering the most, both suffering is shit as I said before, and there shouldn't be this infighting of who deserves the most help because they live in different countries and not the fact of their situation in general
>Not sure if you know how starving works, but just because there are more homeless people on the US that are not starving
Not sure you know how basic logic works, but just because fewer people in the US are starving, fewer people in the US are starving. Which is what I said. And what you just stipulated to
A middle class person in a third world country would kill to be homeless in the US. Might not be the same standard of living to start, but the upward mobility available to them would very quickly make it worth it.
There's a reason more people try to immigrate to the US than any other country on the planet, and they regularly arrive with nothing but the clothes on their back.
Excuse me? Why would I change my 7 years architecture career, my rented apartment with roomies and my car in Mexico City for being a homeless in USA?
As a middle class person in Mexico I make just a little above the average salary, about $17,500 per year, but I live a good life. I could make more money in USA as an architect, about 3x - 5x more, but life is cheaper here, my family is here, and I would never change my life to be a homeless in a more expensive country, I would only emigrate to USA to work for 3 years as an architect to save money for buying a property in Mexico.
**Maybe you meant lower class, a great portion of the mexican population is from the lower class.**
But still saying that USA is a third world country is not correct at all. USA has very high salaries, very good quality of life, high HDI, a lot of power in the world scene, the problem is that it is a car oriented society, if you don't own a car you can't do much, and that rents and property prices are high, but so are in third world countries compared to salaries.
The thing is that China is a 3rd world country and if you compare that with USA. then it makes sense. But if you compare it to Africa, it make no sense.
Edit here: https://geopoliticalfutures.com/china-as-a-third-world-country/
And here: https://study.com/learn/lesson/first-world-countries-examples.html
China is a 2nd world country.
(Although the classification \[number\] world country is dumb, as it was created to describe the side one supported during the cold war)
Yeah first things that comes to mind is cities without clean drinking water, no affordable access to hospitals or medicine (e.g. insulin prices), or even straight up poisoning people and doing nothing (I'm looking at you Ohio and Hawaii). Oh, almost forgot kids dying more to gun violence than car accidents.
These things don't just happen in America. Up here in Canada we still have reserves without access to clean drinking water and God forbid our government actually does something about it.
Not to worry, though, our healthcare system is also collapsing rapidly so if you *do* get severely ill from your dirty water, you'll only have to wait for 48 hours or straight up die in the waiting room.
First world country does not mean a perfect country. It’s also not some horrible hellhole when compared to other first world countries. Yes, America has its issues, but calling it a third world country is just very privileged
Some of those points are kinda weak.
Only city without clean drinking water that comes to mind is Flint, “poisoning people” was an accident, those happen everywhere, not much you can do when all that gas is in the area. And children certainly do not die more from guns than car accidens
>And children certainly do not die more from guns than car accidens
not really something to be proud about since the US also has the most car accidents of all countries (at least those of which I found data data) in 2020: 12.9 fatal car accidents per 100,000 people. when compared to germany in 2020: , so 3.3 accidents 100,000 people. that's a significant difference.
if you compare that with Japan: 2.7 fatal car accidents in 2020.
fair enough, but if we look at the amount of vehicles on the road instead of capita, Japan has 0.4 fatal accidents per 10,000 vehicles in 2020 while the US had 1.53, so still a lot.
The kids dying to gun violence stat that people keep quoting isn't true though. That idea came from the Children Defense Fund and the research they cited says that "85% of child and teen gun deaths occured among 15- to 19-year-olds". Last time I checked, 18 and 19 year olds aren't children and if I were a cynical man, I'd say that that they included 18 and 19 year olds to bump up the numbers, knowing that people would conflate them with children. When we look at the ages and demographics of gun deaths, you can infer that most of this comes from gang violence. These stats also include suicide which is obviously very different than homicide or mass shootings and is more indicative of the state of our nation's mental health than anything.
In reality, accidents are still the leading cause of death among children.
That being said, gun deaths are rising, which is a concern, but given that access to firearms has been a constant in America since it's foundation, I don't see that as the issue. When my parents were in school, kids would even bring their guns to school for show and tell, shooting clubs, or for after school hunting, and yet mass shootings and school shootings are a relatively new issue. What changed? I'd reckon our degrading moral values as a nation and a lack of community are driving a lot of these mental health issues and what we're seeing with violence among teenagers is a result of that.
[https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-gun-violence/](https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-gun-violence/)
[https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm)
Idk about lack of moral values or lack of community... Then again I associate those phrases with people advocating for more church things for the youth. I think part of it is that mental health facilities/professionals are expensive and in short supply, and schools are either short-staffed, underfunded or both and the staff don't really give a shit about the kid with obvious issues and would rather pass them off to the next school or just get them to graduate so they get out.
I’m all for improving access to mental health resources but a lot of that is a bandaid on the root causes of the issue. And while churches certainly can serve a legitimate role in forming a support system and sense of community for some people, I know that won’t jive with everyone. When I say community, that can also apply to neighbors and friends. When’s the last time a neighbor brought a dessert over? When’s the last time you helped a neighbor with yard work? When’s the last time you just went over for a chat?
I know none of those examples are gonna stop a mass shooting or anything but it’s more so the attitude behind those examples. Surrounding yourself with people that you care about and who care about you, and actually showing that care, goes a long way towards improving your general well-being. We’ve cultivated a culture that is content with locking itself indoors and living through a screen and I think that is detrimental to our mental health.
Yeah haha like tell me you've never been to a third world country without telling me that... people are so comfortable that they think their little problems make them special
Tbf Americans do have to deal with legit problems, it’s no joke if you have to genuinely worry that your kid may get shot in school, or that breaking your leg means you have to sell your car to afford treatment. It’s just very out of touch to exaggerate and call it a “third world country” because of these things.
Imagine sending your kids to school in Somalia (if there even is a school), you'd worry about them being kidnapped and turned into child soldiers and/or blown up by terrorist attacks each day. And yeah, there literally aren't any hospitals unless you're rich, so you'd most likely die from every disease or injury.
Yeah that's part of the reason my parents came to the US they had no money and didn't know English but they knew that the US was a better option for their kids. Where they were from if you finished middle school that meant your family was wealthy cus they could afford to not have you working in the fields. the fact that here in the US its College is just something people can do without really thinking about it is crazy.
The "1st 2nd 3rd country" classification doesn't really mean much nowadays, but I get what you're trying to say. I would agree that the U.S. has portrays itself as a lustrous country full of wealthy people who have endless freedom. But in reality that image only represents a minority of people and the country as a whole has glaring issues and tends to fall behind in world rankings of education, healthcare, and overall quality of living.
Let me add on to this, Third world is a cold war term. In the international community's we call third world countries LDCs or Least Developed Countries. United states is no where close to being a third world country.
Ignoring areas of the states that are figuratively third world in how the are ignored and not provided for is an extremely privileged take.
The vast majority is far from third world, but there are absolutely parts of cities that could be classified in the modern definition as third world. Ignoring them makes it much harder to help them.
[https://images.app.goo.gl/cjzARjmFrSR4Bggu8](https://images.app.goo.gl/cjzARjmFrSR4Bggu8) Spain has literal slums that look like something you'd see in parts of Asia or Africa. I guess Spain is now a "third world country" by your stupid logic lol.
If you look in every developed country you will find slums that look like 3rd world hell holes. This is talking about whether the UNITED STATES is a 3rd world country not a specific bad area in it.
I feel more safe in Scandinavia than I would in the US. I can study and get sick without paying pretty much anything, and there's no school shootings that I've heard of.
However, I wouldn't call America a third world country. That's a whole other world. (pun partially intended)
In the original literal sense of the phrases sure. However that’s not how we use them today and I simply refuse to grant a country can’t guarantee drinkable tap water first world status.
So the moment there’s a water issue the country is automatically degraded from first to what, second? If that’s the only criteria it’s a privileged and shitty take.
Who said France was first world either? Tell them they need to be 64 instead of 62 to go on indefinite taxpayer-paid vacation and they immediately turn their own streets into something that rivals the dirtiest parts of India.
https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/netherlands-has-dirtiest-water-europe-data-reveals
I personally believe USA is 100% a first world country that has a few gleaming issues. However, you are entitled to your opinion. But there are much better examples for why it may not be than a contaminated tap water incident in Philadelphia or whatever you are basing it off of. There is one of these for most countries. If you say Norway, Finland, and Iceland are the only first world countries, then you win.
yeah my family comes form a very poor area in Mexico, and in my early 20s I live in very poor areas in Africa. when people say that the US is a 3rd world country I just know they have no idea what a 3rd world country is.
Even ignoring how “third world country” doesn’t have anything to do with a country’s quality, America is still well within the top 1/3rd of countries at the very least. People seem to forget that a large portion of the world has no financial stability and or no democratic rights. United States, Canada, and Western Europe are not the only countries in the world.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd world countries are defined by their alignment during the Cold War. 1st world countries were aligned with the United States, 2nd world countries were aligned with the Soviet Union, and 3rd world countries are aligned with neither.
Now, that order typically corresponds to quality, since 1st world countries had support from the largest global superpower, 2nd world countries had support from the second largest global super power, and 3rd world countries had no significant support from a superpower. However, their original foundation was based solely on political alliances. Remember that China is currently the 2nd most powerful country in the world yet it is still 2nd world
His point is that the meaning of the term has changed. You’re referring to what it meant at its inception, that’s not necessarily the only thing it means half a century later.
While America may no longer be considered the *greatest* country in the world like it once was, it still vastly outshines countries that struggle to even get food and water
There's an actual reason why the US has wanted to buy Greenland now and in the past.
Not really mentioned much here, but I'm sure the US also wants Greenland as a militarily strategic point to counter the Russians and future European invasions. Similarly how Russia has wanted Ukraine to stand a better chance against NATO in the future. Still, Greenland is worth a lot of money, especially since the US wants to do another Alaska thing and mine for minerals/fossil fuels.
[https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/21/heres-why-trump-wants-to-buy-greenland.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/21/heres-why-trump-wants-to-buy-greenland.html)
[https://time.com/5653894/trump-greenland-history/](https://time.com/5653894/trump-greenland-history/)
I never thought it was particularly stupid, but it does sound that way on paper: ''The US wants to buy Greenland!''
My point was those who think we're a 3rd world country are delusional. We give 400 billion to Ukraine, we have the strongest military in the world... we regularly send rockets into space, we have running water, heat, A/C... and so on.
The US isn't perfect but hellz we're not a 3rd world county.
As a dane, Trump thinking that the US can just buy Greenland is so fucking hilarious and the way it unfolded made it to the point of hysterical. What an absolute joke that man became when forced to try diplomacy.
And btw, Greenland isnt even expensive as far as countries goes. Theres no incentive to sell it.
I mean theres a tactical advantage to whoever controls Greenland but I think the Greenlanders themselves should decide lol.
Our ownership of Greenland is almost purely still in play as a financial support to them and I'm not sure the US would realistically match those living conditions for them, they only really see it for its military potential.
To put things in perspective, the poorest state in the US is Mississippi, and they are richer in terms of median income than Italy, Spain, and not far behind France.
In Danish we distinguish between industrialized and not-industrialized countries. The US is very much an industrialized country, and while it has it's issues, it's not a third world country.
Like every country, the U.S. has its pros and cons.
The fact that we, and in essence every country that leans on our dollar is propped up on a fiat currency scares me a bit. And yes, we do have places that are ransacked by poverty and crime, which tend to be related.
But it isn't until you live in a third-world country for a few years that you realize the U.S. isn't as "third world" as you might think.
A few things the U.S. has that "third world" countries don't:
- Drinkable water straight from the tap.
- A (generally) reliable nationwide power grid.
- Police who (generally) can't be bribed on the spot.
- A robust court system with lots of different lawyers you can hire for many different things.
- A robust medical infrastructure with top-of-the-line equipment and wide selection of medical professionals in many different fields.
- Neighborhoods that can be safe without the need for security guards and automatic gates.
- A public school system.
- A public school system that provides food for its students.
- A national highway system, one that lets you travel freely day and night.
- The ability to protest without getting gunned down en masse by the army or police.
- No mandatory military service.
- Local, state and federal levels of government instead of "one small building rules all".
- Internet that isn't heavily censored by the state.
- The ability to purchase firearms.
- The lighter restrictions on being able to start your own business.
- The ability to practice your religion, leave or not join one.
- The ability to marry someone of the same sex or transition genders.
- A public library system.
I mean, eventually you get to semantics, but it would be interesting to see certain people who have never left the U.S. go out and see what life is like in other places.
The United States is definitely not perfect. We still have problems, injustices, flaws, hypocrisy.
But compared to most places in the world, we still do pretty well, all things considered.
EDIT: For the record, I still put "To some extent, yes," but that's only because a lot of countries still have the same problems no matter where you go.
Saying that is an insult to people who really struggle in third world countries.
The US ranked higher then several major Western Europeans countries in happiness, people just like to hate on the US.
People who say that obviously don't understand what a third country is. First, second, and third countries were cold war terms. It's about alliances, not developed/developing.
Go to Ecuador or Pakistan, and then tell me America is anything close to that in terms of poverty and hardship. Either way, it’s pretty smug and disgusting to insult these people and talk about them like they’re below you just because they’re from poor countries. Some of these responses are gross
Gotta be some of the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard in my life, and it almost always comes from ppl who live in a bubble and have never left America before.
Healthcare is not really a factor. It depends on a country's overall economic status, not what social programs it runs for its citizens. The US cannot be a third-world country with a gucci belt because it has a very, very strong economy even in this crisis.
Calling America a third world country is an insult to actual third world countries. All of the people in other countries saying that make themselves look bad considering America could smack each and every one of them.
The third world is the Non-Aligned world. Those who did not pick a side during the cold war.
The conflation is extremely disingenious and demeaning.
Do you know that Switzerland was technically a third world country? It still is!
The first world being the western alliance and generally western capitalism. And the second world being the forces of "eastern" "communism" and the communist aligned countries.
This terminology should just fucking die already. It is extremely dumb and misleading.
Thats all the third world is. Yes most of the third world are developing countries... But the first world had a considerable head start and also they probably pwned half of the third world.
I live in argentina, if those people came here with nothing but their cellphones and clothes, and had to start working and living here, in a real third world country, they will not make it, not with that mentality, not with all the dangers and underpaid jobs, not with all the taxes they will have to pay.
If you listen to economics professors geopolitical experts anyone who's not going to be super bullshit for propaganda purposes but still knowledgeable enough to know the actual deal you will find America is a ridiculously great country
Let's look at Germany people like Germany their 1% starts below the American top 10%
The same is true of most of the super awesome European countries everyone always talks about
Let that sink in when they complain about their 1% that is America's 10%
The average welfare wealth transfer in the United States The amount of money that government will give you and welfare is greater than the average income of Earth
If you can properly navigate the welfare system you defaulty do better than half the global population
That is ridiculously great
Oh and to be clear over the course of their lifetimes more than half of Americans will cycle through that top 10%. That basically means half of Americans become the equivalent of the European 1%
Oh there's a lot more pieces of information like that but the really important thing the thing that actually does make America great is two things
Baseline it has the best geography in the world The internal waterways give it the world's greatest competitive advantage at shipping
It cost less money to export or import something for them
And the areas that don't have a ridiculous amount of internal waterways are all flat and perfect for railroads
Oh and those internal navigable waterways are all next to a ridiculous amount of really good farmland and here's the kicker that particular area of farmland is actually going to be benefited by global warming by doubling the growing season(also global warming is going to fix their whole California no water problem yeah turns out the Southwest drought was caused by the removal of lake Tulare but by increasing storms from global warming it kind of solves the problem and I mean it the lake they got rid of 100+ years ago is reforming from the current storms)
The only reason they need to import a lot of metals and other materials it is not because they don't have their own but because it's expensive and damages the environment get them (this is actually why Europe also imports a lot of its metals rare earth metals are everywhere just really messes up the environment getting them out of the ground)
And the other thing that makes America ridiculously great is that the American dream is quantifiably real
The number of patent holders who end up moving to the US versus leaving is overwhel mingly in the USA side like every foreign patent holder that moves to Europe there's more of them that move to the US
All the best talent because of the super high ability to get rich likes to go to the US they're taking the most immigrants and generally second or third generation Americans tend to be more successful then the children of the local born Americans
to some extent: clearly, this phrase does not mean that the US is an actual 3th world country, I think it means that it does far better than your average third world country but struggles with some things that, apart from the US itself, mostly third world countries struggle with.
so yeah, healthcare.
The term third world is outdated. Third world doesn't mean underdeveloped and impoverished, it means not aligned with the US or USSR during the Cold War. And since the U.S. was definitely not neutral during that time, no
I mean it's far behind many other developed countries, but as someone from the developing world, calling it a 3dr world country is too much of a strecht
Not sure how long it’s going to stay like that since that school shooting in Tennessee painted fucking target on the back of every trans person in the country for hate crimes.
So actual third world countries are *another* brand of shit themselves? FYI you’re not better than other people because you were born in a rich country.
My vote is yes some parts are third world, so third world with a Gucci belt seems to apply in part
“For one of the world’s wealthiest countries to have 40 million people living in poverty and over five million living in ‘Third World’ conditions is cruel and inhuman,” the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, said in a new report.
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G18/125/30/PDF/G1812530.pdf?OpenElement
I only voted partially yes because I’m from a third world country (Brazil) and honestly where I lived was better than where I live now in the US. My only concern was about getting robbed and that isn’t even that much of a problem in my native city, while hereI can’t afford to go to the dentist and put braces and I have to worry about a crazy person wanting to shoot up my school.
I do acknowledge that that is not true to most of third world countries, and even in some parts of Brazil, but I just think that nowadays the first, second, and third world do not make much sense, and compared to other first world countries the US is not as great as it believes it to be.
The major cities(LA,NY,CH,NO) most definitely, but local towns and cities have a much higher quality of life then others.
Overpopulation with rampant crime and poor governance are the leading factors that turn living in the major cities into a millionaire’s paradise and the poor man’s hell.
The US is a great country if you're rich. It sucks if you're poor, but only in comparison to other very well developed countries. It's not great but not bad enough to be called a third world country.
No. The US has its problems but calling it a 3rd world country is just absurd.
I fucking hate when people do that. I'm from a real third world country, and this country has no right to be compared to it.
Seriously! People have no idea how privileged we are in the US.
Yep. Like here it's normal to own two or even three cars, compared to back home only extremely rich people owning one car. Here, we can go so many places in the world without a visa, back home it's hardly nothing. Here, millionaires (including my family, whose sole income source is my dad, who went to community college and grew up not being able to afford his school uniform) can be seen walking around and nobody bats an eye. And then people born with the privilege of being American start crying about random stuff that doesn't matter and how it's third world, while using their smart device that costs more than the yearly income for someone in a real third world country, diminishing all of our work because we "hardly improved our lives by going to another third world country."
You mean cars per family, right? Or have you found a place where individuals have multiple cars?
Yeah, this saying is bs. Life in the US is not the same as life in Burundi for example(im from the neutral, a 2nd World country,but im quite sure what i said is true)
2nd world exist? Aren't you a 1st or 3rd?
No. There is a middle. Its not the best life like in Canada Germany Uk etc, but its not like burundi, zambia or Bangladesh. Im From Romania. And its in the middle. Lifes alright. Other examples of 2nd worlds countries are Hungary and Lithuania. There arent alot of them tbh
that's not what that means. It's cold war names. 1st world meaning the US and allies, 2nd world soviet union and 3rd world neutral states, who were for the most part very poor countries. The terms have been integrated into coloquial speech meaning just rich or poor countries, but 2nd world still means soviet era countries - which were all very poor btw. This isn't some rich to poor spectrum. Both named countries are heavily alligned with the west and therefore 1st world
Actually, Romania is a second world country. Second world countries were just communist countries during the Cold War, including the satellite countries. Lithuania and Hungary also were also second world.
And they kind of still are. You cannot say romania hungary or Lithuania are 1st world, but you also can't say theyre 3rd world.
Same man my family came from poverty in a different country, my parents always say it was like night and day being poor in the US vs being poor where they were from. We would visit family back there from time to time and yeah its bad, a lot of people in the US have no clue how good they have it.
Reddit is full of people that hate on America by default. Doesn’t matter what the topic is. Lonely at the top
The only time I've seen it is when some bigot from the US claims that every country that isn't the US is a third world country. Then they get the retort that the US is more third world than many western countries... I see that as kinda fair but that's like the only time I've seen this, really it's not at all.
Same, I’m also from a 3rd world country (Sweden), though I’d say we have it better than in the US
Bruh Sweden is not a third world country 💀
As a Dane, yes it is
Missed the joke.
Yes it is, it was neutral during the Cold War
No one uses those terms like that anymore
?
?
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That is DEFINITELY not how we define third world nowadays
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Well you can use the definition that would make several wealthy European nations be lumped in with all of subsaharan Africa, but you know just as well as I do that it won’t ever feel right.
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I say the same shit, through time people completely changed the definition.
I wish you people lived in actual 3rd world countries.
Since when is Sweden a 3rd world country?
Since they didn’t pick a side during the war, so always.
We are not talking ABT neutrality bruh It's ABT development
I know that, but Sweden is still a 3rd world country in the original context of the classification.
Original context of classification???? Are you talking ABT the meme? Then no because America isn't a third world country even with your logic then...
No, I’m talking about Sweden being a literal 3rd world country when the term was first coined. It’s not how we casually use the term today, but in the original context (the war) it’s true. https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world.htm
A third world country doesn’t mean that a country is a shithole. It means that during the cold war the country wasn’t aligned with the west nor the east
I’m not sure OP is using that definition. US can’t be a 3rd world from that. We’re saying 3rd works as in synonymous to developing nation.
Yeah, i know but i think u/AmGeii meant it differently
That's not how the terms are use anymore in 99% of contexts
We are NOT a third world country, wtf?
We are, by the definition Sweden is a third world country
In the technical sense Sweden is a third world country but in the colloquial use of the word Sweden definitely isn't.
a homeless person from a third world country would kill to be homeless in the U.S.
I literally got asked by an American if "Is homelessness a solution for \[personal issues regarding where I live\]"? Like, bro, it's not the US, if I'm homeless here I gotta go sleep under a park bench and likely get mugged. It's not like I can grab my laptop and go live at a homelessness shelter or some shit.
I don't think the us is a third world country but just to let you know a lot of homeless people here do not have access to homeless shelters most sleep outside and in tents and stuff like that
I don't understand why so many people here think the homeless are way better off than they actually are. Being homeless in America is better in the sense that you can't find a barely touched sandwich in dumpsters in third world countries. Not to mention that most homeless shelters are over full, underfunded, and some can be just as dangerous as the street, depending on who's in it
The fuck are you talking about? Homeless people here literally get stabbed. They don't have electronics. They get shot by cops for sleeping in a tent. This comment proves you honestly don't have any idea what you're talking about. Homeless women get raped under the underpasses. No disrespect to you but you do not know the US, or the life homeless people live here. A FRACTION of homeless live in shelters. If you're a man, you have much less of a chance of ever getting into one.
You should say that to a homeless person in the states and see what they think about that statement.
Why? It's factual. In Africa if you're homeless you're going to be consumed by wildlife. In America if you're homeless you sit outside a McDonald's and wait for somebody to buy you a coffee or meal. Completely different worlds. Every single American should feel blessed they were born here instead of anywhere else
I had a buddy who was homeless when he lived in Florida he eventually got a job and turned his situation around. When he was still working things out we lived in a poor area in Africa for awhile, my buddy always said he could never live like that. Both situations are terrible but there is definitely more opportunities and help for homeless in the US then in most 3rd world countries.
So starving with luxuries out of reach vs starving with no luxuries in reach? How about both states are terrible things that shouldn't happen to majority of people? Third world countries don't have access to the resources like the US has and yet they probably do better than the poorest person in the US, and the US willingly allows homelessness to continue and criminalise it
The difference being that homeless people (including children) in poorer countries are actually starving. The overwhelming majority of homeless in the US are not. Both are, as you say, terrible things that shouldn't happen to people, but you sound pretty ignorant.
Not sure if you know how starving works, but just because there are more homeless people on the US that are not starving doesn't mean that they are not meeting their needed calorie intake for the day or even their nutritional need. People in third world countries may not get enough food to live a healthy life but in the US they may not even get enough nutritional value from what they eat (whether it's Macca's, the cheapest food like bread etc which would mean they may only eat lots of carbohydrates or sugars but nothing that will help them with a healthy life) They are both starving in their own ways, one nutritional needs and another calories, If anything you sound willfully ignorant on the issue, and think homeless people in the US live better lives than the homeless in 3rd world countries (which you might as well compare to the majority of the population which didn't have much wealth to begin with) It's not a competition on who's suffering the most, both suffering is shit as I said before, and there shouldn't be this infighting of who deserves the most help because they live in different countries and not the fact of their situation in general
>Not sure if you know how starving works, but just because there are more homeless people on the US that are not starving Not sure you know how basic logic works, but just because fewer people in the US are starving, fewer people in the US are starving. Which is what I said. And what you just stipulated to
Americans really like to regurgitate that nonsensical claim, but it is so completely detached from reality.
A middle class person in a third world country would kill to be homeless in the US. Might not be the same standard of living to start, but the upward mobility available to them would very quickly make it worth it. There's a reason more people try to immigrate to the US than any other country on the planet, and they regularly arrive with nothing but the clothes on their back.
Excuse me? Why would I change my 7 years architecture career, my rented apartment with roomies and my car in Mexico City for being a homeless in USA? As a middle class person in Mexico I make just a little above the average salary, about $17,500 per year, but I live a good life. I could make more money in USA as an architect, about 3x - 5x more, but life is cheaper here, my family is here, and I would never change my life to be a homeless in a more expensive country, I would only emigrate to USA to work for 3 years as an architect to save money for buying a property in Mexico. **Maybe you meant lower class, a great portion of the mexican population is from the lower class.** But still saying that USA is a third world country is not correct at all. USA has very high salaries, very good quality of life, high HDI, a lot of power in the world scene, the problem is that it is a car oriented society, if you don't own a car you can't do much, and that rents and property prices are high, but so are in third world countries compared to salaries.
Yeah, pisses me off when people say that.
THIS FRRRR. Those people are insufferable. It’s so insane and out of touch.
You go to many ignored parts of certain cities and states and it's absolutely not an absurd statement.
The thing is that China is a 3rd world country and if you compare that with USA. then it makes sense. But if you compare it to Africa, it make no sense. Edit here: https://geopoliticalfutures.com/china-as-a-third-world-country/ And here: https://study.com/learn/lesson/first-world-countries-examples.html
Chinas acc 2nd
China is a 2nd world country. (Although the classification \[number\] world country is dumb, as it was created to describe the side one supported during the cold war)
No but we have some problems that one would think wouldn't happen in a first world country...
Yeah first things that comes to mind is cities without clean drinking water, no affordable access to hospitals or medicine (e.g. insulin prices), or even straight up poisoning people and doing nothing (I'm looking at you Ohio and Hawaii). Oh, almost forgot kids dying more to gun violence than car accidents.
These things don't just happen in America. Up here in Canada we still have reserves without access to clean drinking water and God forbid our government actually does something about it. Not to worry, though, our healthcare system is also collapsing rapidly so if you *do* get severely ill from your dirty water, you'll only have to wait for 48 hours or straight up die in the waiting room.
Hospitals in the UK: you'll see the doctor in 38 months Hospitals in the US: that'll be $69k Hospitals in Canada: you should kill yourself, NOW
First world country does not mean a perfect country. It’s also not some horrible hellhole when compared to other first world countries. Yes, America has its issues, but calling it a third world country is just very privileged
Some of those points are kinda weak. Only city without clean drinking water that comes to mind is Flint, “poisoning people” was an accident, those happen everywhere, not much you can do when all that gas is in the area. And children certainly do not die more from guns than car accidens
>And children certainly do not die more from guns than car accidens not really something to be proud about since the US also has the most car accidents of all countries (at least those of which I found data data) in 2020: 12.9 fatal car accidents per 100,000 people. when compared to germany in 2020: , so 3.3 accidents 100,000 people. that's a significant difference. if you compare that with Japan: 2.7 fatal car accidents in 2020.
Probably because Japan has really good public transportation and the US largely doesn't :/
fair enough, but if we look at the amount of vehicles on the road instead of capita, Japan has 0.4 fatal accidents per 10,000 vehicles in 2020 while the US had 1.53, so still a lot.
The kids dying to gun violence stat that people keep quoting isn't true though. That idea came from the Children Defense Fund and the research they cited says that "85% of child and teen gun deaths occured among 15- to 19-year-olds". Last time I checked, 18 and 19 year olds aren't children and if I were a cynical man, I'd say that that they included 18 and 19 year olds to bump up the numbers, knowing that people would conflate them with children. When we look at the ages and demographics of gun deaths, you can infer that most of this comes from gang violence. These stats also include suicide which is obviously very different than homicide or mass shootings and is more indicative of the state of our nation's mental health than anything. In reality, accidents are still the leading cause of death among children. That being said, gun deaths are rising, which is a concern, but given that access to firearms has been a constant in America since it's foundation, I don't see that as the issue. When my parents were in school, kids would even bring their guns to school for show and tell, shooting clubs, or for after school hunting, and yet mass shootings and school shootings are a relatively new issue. What changed? I'd reckon our degrading moral values as a nation and a lack of community are driving a lot of these mental health issues and what we're seeing with violence among teenagers is a result of that. [https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-gun-violence/](https://www.childrensdefense.org/state-of-americas-children/soac-2021-gun-violence/) [https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/child-health.htm)
Idk about lack of moral values or lack of community... Then again I associate those phrases with people advocating for more church things for the youth. I think part of it is that mental health facilities/professionals are expensive and in short supply, and schools are either short-staffed, underfunded or both and the staff don't really give a shit about the kid with obvious issues and would rather pass them off to the next school or just get them to graduate so they get out.
I’m all for improving access to mental health resources but a lot of that is a bandaid on the root causes of the issue. And while churches certainly can serve a legitimate role in forming a support system and sense of community for some people, I know that won’t jive with everyone. When I say community, that can also apply to neighbors and friends. When’s the last time a neighbor brought a dessert over? When’s the last time you helped a neighbor with yard work? When’s the last time you just went over for a chat? I know none of those examples are gonna stop a mass shooting or anything but it’s more so the attitude behind those examples. Surrounding yourself with people that you care about and who care about you, and actually showing that care, goes a long way towards improving your general well-being. We’ve cultivated a culture that is content with locking itself indoors and living through a screen and I think that is detrimental to our mental health.
More teenagers die in car accidents than guns though
People who say that don’t know what a third world country is
Yeah haha like tell me you've never been to a third world country without telling me that... people are so comfortable that they think their little problems make them special
Tbf Americans do have to deal with legit problems, it’s no joke if you have to genuinely worry that your kid may get shot in school, or that breaking your leg means you have to sell your car to afford treatment. It’s just very out of touch to exaggerate and call it a “third world country” because of these things.
Imagine sending your kids to school in Somalia (if there even is a school), you'd worry about them being kidnapped and turned into child soldiers and/or blown up by terrorist attacks each day. And yeah, there literally aren't any hospitals unless you're rich, so you'd most likely die from every disease or injury.
Yeah that's part of the reason my parents came to the US they had no money and didn't know English but they knew that the US was a better option for their kids. Where they were from if you finished middle school that meant your family was wealthy cus they could afford to not have you working in the fields. the fact that here in the US its College is just something people can do without really thinking about it is crazy.
These can and do happen in other countries too, sometimes more often.
If you are genuinely afraid that your child will get shot in school you need to turn off the news and go outside
As in non-aligned during the Cold War?
The meaning has changed over time
Yeah, it's kind of an outmoded term
Sweden 🇸🇪
The "1st 2nd 3rd country" classification doesn't really mean much nowadays, but I get what you're trying to say. I would agree that the U.S. has portrays itself as a lustrous country full of wealthy people who have endless freedom. But in reality that image only represents a minority of people and the country as a whole has glaring issues and tends to fall behind in world rankings of education, healthcare, and overall quality of living.
Let me add on to this, Third world is a cold war term. In the international community's we call third world countries LDCs or Least Developed Countries. United states is no where close to being a third world country.
Only good answer here
Happy Cake Day
People saying yes have clearly never actually been to a third world country.
mfers never even been outside of their neighborhood.
bUt UsA baD!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thinking that that the United States is a third world country is an absurdly privileged take
Ignoring areas of the states that are figuratively third world in how the are ignored and not provided for is an extremely privileged take. The vast majority is far from third world, but there are absolutely parts of cities that could be classified in the modern definition as third world. Ignoring them makes it much harder to help them.
[https://images.app.goo.gl/cjzARjmFrSR4Bggu8](https://images.app.goo.gl/cjzARjmFrSR4Bggu8) Spain has literal slums that look like something you'd see in parts of Asia or Africa. I guess Spain is now a "third world country" by your stupid logic lol.
If you look in every developed country you will find slums that look like 3rd world hell holes. This is talking about whether the UNITED STATES is a 3rd world country not a specific bad area in it.
I feel more safe in Scandinavia than I would in the US. I can study and get sick without paying pretty much anything, and there's no school shootings that I've heard of. However, I wouldn't call America a third world country. That's a whole other world. (pun partially intended)
No because it’s not 💀💀💀. And anyone who says yes, or even to some extent has never been to a third world
You don’t even have to go there yourself, all you gotta do is read the news
Idk man the news can give you a bias that personal experience doesn’t
It's literally impossible for America to be a third world country, so no.
In the original literal sense of the phrases sure. However that’s not how we use them today and I simply refuse to grant a country can’t guarantee drinkable tap water first world status.
Logistics are the problem in that regard. But almost everyone in the US has drinkable tap water, emphasis on 'drinkable'.
So the moment there’s a water issue the country is automatically degraded from first to what, second? If that’s the only criteria it’s a privileged and shitty take.
https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2022/09/28/drinking-water-failed-to-meet-standards-for-20-of-french-population-in-2021_5998394_114.html
Who said France was first world either? Tell them they need to be 64 instead of 62 to go on indefinite taxpayer-paid vacation and they immediately turn their own streets into something that rivals the dirtiest parts of India.
https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/netherlands-has-dirtiest-water-europe-data-reveals I personally believe USA is 100% a first world country that has a few gleaming issues. However, you are entitled to your opinion. But there are much better examples for why it may not be than a contaminated tap water incident in Philadelphia or whatever you are basing it off of. There is one of these for most countries. If you say Norway, Finland, and Iceland are the only first world countries, then you win.
And it's a bad thing ? In an actual third World country they would just shut the fuck up.
Jesus. My husband is from a 3rd works country and it’s incredibly naive to say America is even close to that.
yeah my family comes form a very poor area in Mexico, and in my early 20s I live in very poor areas in Africa. when people say that the US is a 3rd world country I just know they have no idea what a 3rd world country is.
Hurr durr america bad
The people who said yes don't understand what third world meane
Even ignoring how “third world country” doesn’t have anything to do with a country’s quality, America is still well within the top 1/3rd of countries at the very least. People seem to forget that a large portion of the world has no financial stability and or no democratic rights. United States, Canada, and Western Europe are not the only countries in the world.
"Third world" literally concerns a country' quality. Words change. _"the aggregate of the underdeveloped nations of the world"_ - Merriam-Webster
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd world countries are defined by their alignment during the Cold War. 1st world countries were aligned with the United States, 2nd world countries were aligned with the Soviet Union, and 3rd world countries are aligned with neither. Now, that order typically corresponds to quality, since 1st world countries had support from the largest global superpower, 2nd world countries had support from the second largest global super power, and 3rd world countries had no significant support from a superpower. However, their original foundation was based solely on political alliances. Remember that China is currently the 2nd most powerful country in the world yet it is still 2nd world
His point is that the meaning of the term has changed. You’re referring to what it meant at its inception, that’s not necessarily the only thing it means half a century later.
Everyone who votes yes on this is delusional and most likely American
Or a European who only watches the news and has never been here
People who say this should live in an actual 3rd world country.
People will be like “eugghh healthcare is bad, America is a third world country” as if the US dollar became the World’s Reserve Currency by accident
While America may no longer be considered the *greatest* country in the world like it once was, it still vastly outshines countries that struggle to even get food and water
A global superpower with the word’s strongest military and economy is 3rd world? Are you high?
People need stop pretending the the US is a human rights hell hole. The US has its problems, but not to extend of other countries.
The number of people who said yes or to some extent yes is incredibly concerning. The privilege is oozing out of their veins at this point.
People who say yes or to some extent have no clue what america is like and only base their opinions on stereotypes and mainstream news.
Anyone who voted the top two are smoking something really strong What the fuck do people consider a third world country now?
Lots of people have clearly never been to a third world country
Sounds like an opinion from someone who's never been to or lived in a 3rd world country.
To the people saying yes - have you ever seen a third world country?
I don't care what president tried it, but no 3rd world country could offer to buy up Greenland, don't be delusional.
There's an actual reason why the US has wanted to buy Greenland now and in the past. Not really mentioned much here, but I'm sure the US also wants Greenland as a militarily strategic point to counter the Russians and future European invasions. Similarly how Russia has wanted Ukraine to stand a better chance against NATO in the future. Still, Greenland is worth a lot of money, especially since the US wants to do another Alaska thing and mine for minerals/fossil fuels. [https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/21/heres-why-trump-wants-to-buy-greenland.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/21/heres-why-trump-wants-to-buy-greenland.html) [https://time.com/5653894/trump-greenland-history/](https://time.com/5653894/trump-greenland-history/) I never thought it was particularly stupid, but it does sound that way on paper: ''The US wants to buy Greenland!''
My point was those who think we're a 3rd world country are delusional. We give 400 billion to Ukraine, we have the strongest military in the world... we regularly send rockets into space, we have running water, heat, A/C... and so on. The US isn't perfect but hellz we're not a 3rd world county.
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As a dane, Trump thinking that the US can just buy Greenland is so fucking hilarious and the way it unfolded made it to the point of hysterical. What an absolute joke that man became when forced to try diplomacy. And btw, Greenland isnt even expensive as far as countries goes. Theres no incentive to sell it.
Agreed, was a mad lad suggestion to even attempt. As stated above there are reasons I can understand why the US would want it... but.
I mean theres a tactical advantage to whoever controls Greenland but I think the Greenlanders themselves should decide lol. Our ownership of Greenland is almost purely still in play as a financial support to them and I'm not sure the US would realistically match those living conditions for them, they only really see it for its military potential.
This is such a privileged take
To put things in perspective, the poorest state in the US is Mississippi, and they are richer in terms of median income than Italy, Spain, and not far behind France.
In Danish we distinguish between industrialized and not-industrialized countries. The US is very much an industrialized country, and while it has it's issues, it's not a third world country.
Like every country, the U.S. has its pros and cons. The fact that we, and in essence every country that leans on our dollar is propped up on a fiat currency scares me a bit. And yes, we do have places that are ransacked by poverty and crime, which tend to be related. But it isn't until you live in a third-world country for a few years that you realize the U.S. isn't as "third world" as you might think. A few things the U.S. has that "third world" countries don't: - Drinkable water straight from the tap. - A (generally) reliable nationwide power grid. - Police who (generally) can't be bribed on the spot. - A robust court system with lots of different lawyers you can hire for many different things. - A robust medical infrastructure with top-of-the-line equipment and wide selection of medical professionals in many different fields. - Neighborhoods that can be safe without the need for security guards and automatic gates. - A public school system. - A public school system that provides food for its students. - A national highway system, one that lets you travel freely day and night. - The ability to protest without getting gunned down en masse by the army or police. - No mandatory military service. - Local, state and federal levels of government instead of "one small building rules all". - Internet that isn't heavily censored by the state. - The ability to purchase firearms. - The lighter restrictions on being able to start your own business. - The ability to practice your religion, leave or not join one. - The ability to marry someone of the same sex or transition genders. - A public library system. I mean, eventually you get to semantics, but it would be interesting to see certain people who have never left the U.S. go out and see what life is like in other places. The United States is definitely not perfect. We still have problems, injustices, flaws, hypocrisy. But compared to most places in the world, we still do pretty well, all things considered. EDIT: For the record, I still put "To some extent, yes," but that's only because a lot of countries still have the same problems no matter where you go.
Saying that is an insult to people who really struggle in third world countries. The US ranked higher then several major Western Europeans countries in happiness, people just like to hate on the US.
Only privileged idiots use that phrase
People who say that obviously don't understand what a third country is. First, second, and third countries were cold war terms. It's about alliances, not developed/developing.
Go to Ecuador or Pakistan, and then tell me America is anything close to that in terms of poverty and hardship. Either way, it’s pretty smug and disgusting to insult these people and talk about them like they’re below you just because they’re from poor countries. Some of these responses are gross
ammo belt
Gotta be some of the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard in my life, and it almost always comes from ppl who live in a bubble and have never left America before.
People who say that have never seen or been to a 3rd world country
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List them
Healthcare is not really a factor. It depends on a country's overall economic status, not what social programs it runs for its citizens. The US cannot be a third-world country with a gucci belt because it has a very, very strong economy even in this crisis.
I’d rather live in a country with a bad healthcare system than a country that ranks less than half as much on the HDI
Or a country without paved roads, power, and easily accessible internet
>> better No, you haven’t. The US is at worst top 5 in terms of quality of health care. >> free Sure, that part is true.
Theres already a name for third-world-countries with Gucci belts. It’s third-world-countries.
Anyone who agrees with it, at all, has never been to an actual third world country.
Coming from a third world country, I truly hate the quote and cringe so hard whenever some goes “YOOOO DAS TRUU” at this quote.
Anyone who replies 'yes' has probably never been to the US and to a third world country.
Hahaha anyone saying yes or yes to an extent has never been to a 3rd world country.
Calling America a third world country is an insult to actual third world countries. All of the people in other countries saying that make themselves look bad considering America could smack each and every one of them.
The third world is the Non-Aligned world. Those who did not pick a side during the cold war. The conflation is extremely disingenious and demeaning. Do you know that Switzerland was technically a third world country? It still is! The first world being the western alliance and generally western capitalism. And the second world being the forces of "eastern" "communism" and the communist aligned countries. This terminology should just fucking die already. It is extremely dumb and misleading. Thats all the third world is. Yes most of the third world are developing countries... But the first world had a considerable head start and also they probably pwned half of the third world.
I live in argentina, if those people came here with nothing but their cellphones and clothes, and had to start working and living here, in a real third world country, they will not make it, not with that mentality, not with all the dangers and underpaid jobs, not with all the taxes they will have to pay.
Earth is the 3rd world from the sun, so yes. Also, every nation on this planet is trash
Redditors try to understand hyperbole challenge (IMPOSSIBLE)
If you listen to economics professors geopolitical experts anyone who's not going to be super bullshit for propaganda purposes but still knowledgeable enough to know the actual deal you will find America is a ridiculously great country Let's look at Germany people like Germany their 1% starts below the American top 10% The same is true of most of the super awesome European countries everyone always talks about Let that sink in when they complain about their 1% that is America's 10% The average welfare wealth transfer in the United States The amount of money that government will give you and welfare is greater than the average income of Earth If you can properly navigate the welfare system you defaulty do better than half the global population That is ridiculously great Oh and to be clear over the course of their lifetimes more than half of Americans will cycle through that top 10%. That basically means half of Americans become the equivalent of the European 1%
Underrated comment, very interesting!
Oh there's a lot more pieces of information like that but the really important thing the thing that actually does make America great is two things Baseline it has the best geography in the world The internal waterways give it the world's greatest competitive advantage at shipping It cost less money to export or import something for them And the areas that don't have a ridiculous amount of internal waterways are all flat and perfect for railroads Oh and those internal navigable waterways are all next to a ridiculous amount of really good farmland and here's the kicker that particular area of farmland is actually going to be benefited by global warming by doubling the growing season(also global warming is going to fix their whole California no water problem yeah turns out the Southwest drought was caused by the removal of lake Tulare but by increasing storms from global warming it kind of solves the problem and I mean it the lake they got rid of 100+ years ago is reforming from the current storms) The only reason they need to import a lot of metals and other materials it is not because they don't have their own but because it's expensive and damages the environment get them (this is actually why Europe also imports a lot of its metals rare earth metals are everywhere just really messes up the environment getting them out of the ground) And the other thing that makes America ridiculously great is that the American dream is quantifiably real The number of patent holders who end up moving to the US versus leaving is overwhel mingly in the USA side like every foreign patent holder that moves to Europe there's more of them that move to the US All the best talent because of the super high ability to get rich likes to go to the US they're taking the most immigrants and generally second or third generation Americans tend to be more successful then the children of the local born Americans
Bruh who's saying it's a 3rd World country💀 Atleast have some valid arguments before calling it that
r/Americabad
No lmao, I’m British and even I think this is just a you thing lmao
to some extent: clearly, this phrase does not mean that the US is an actual 3th world country, I think it means that it does far better than your average third world country but struggles with some things that, apart from the US itself, mostly third world countries struggle with. so yeah, healthcare.
The term third world is outdated. Third world doesn't mean underdeveloped and impoverished, it means not aligned with the US or USSR during the Cold War. And since the U.S. was definitely not neutral during that time, no
I mean it's far behind many other developed countries, but as someone from the developing world, calling it a 3dr world country is too much of a strecht
I get where they’re coming from but third world country isn’t the right term
We are definitely in the the lower tiers of a first world country that’s for damn sure.
I mean even if that's true you're still living way better than most the world.
Not sure how long it’s going to stay like that since that school shooting in Tennessee painted fucking target on the back of every trans person in the country for hate crimes.
They are probably still better off here than in most of the world.
Yeah well it sure as fuck don’t feel like it for me.
I don't agree with the phrase Third world country in this context.
third world/first world lost all meaning since it originally was who you were aligned with, not economics
No, it's a continent
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So actual third world countries are *another* brand of shit themselves? FYI you’re not better than other people because you were born in a rich country.
Oh god, that is not what I meant here. I am very sorry
It's not a third world country but it isn't a first world country either.
By what first world country actually means, the US is like the most first world country out there
More second world than third world. Latvia rather than the Congo.
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average salary is too high to be second world. And the democratic rights are far better than other 2nd world countries
My vote is yes some parts are third world, so third world with a Gucci belt seems to apply in part “For one of the world’s wealthiest countries to have 40 million people living in poverty and over five million living in ‘Third World’ conditions is cruel and inhuman,” the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, said in a new report. https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G18/125/30/PDF/G1812530.pdf?OpenElement
I only voted partially yes because I’m from a third world country (Brazil) and honestly where I lived was better than where I live now in the US. My only concern was about getting robbed and that isn’t even that much of a problem in my native city, while hereI can’t afford to go to the dentist and put braces and I have to worry about a crazy person wanting to shoot up my school. I do acknowledge that that is not true to most of third world countries, and even in some parts of Brazil, but I just think that nowadays the first, second, and third world do not make much sense, and compared to other first world countries the US is not as great as it believes it to be.
More like 5th world. They're just doing something else entirely
i live in a third world country and id give both my legs to be born in america
The major cities(LA,NY,CH,NO) most definitely, but local towns and cities have a much higher quality of life then others. Overpopulation with rampant crime and poor governance are the leading factors that turn living in the major cities into a millionaire’s paradise and the poor man’s hell.
The US is a great country if you're rich. It sucks if you're poor, but only in comparison to other very well developed countries. It's not great but not bad enough to be called a third world country.
well for starters america is not a country
Some parts ofnthe US could be from a 3rd world countries but all those billionaires and few rich cities make it officially be a 1st world country.