No one really uses that word in its Cold War context anymore. It’s the common term for “developing countries” and the like.
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Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 1 day agoThird world doesn’t mean poor, it just means not aligned with US or Russia
ManOMorphos@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 1 day ago
People believe that only because they haven’t learned what it actually means.
ManOMorphos@lemmy.world 22 hours ago
You’re right that they either never learned what 1st-2nd-3rd world really means, or they forgot what they were taught in history class. Unfortunately it still is the main term to refer to poor countries even though it’s incorrect. Language seems to be biased towards the common meaning over the technically correct meaning.
Zerush@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Spain isn’t third world, it already had shown the middle finger to Trump and also has few to do with Rusia. Third world countries don’t certainly mean people starving, the people there often have all what they need, but this, you’ll see few Ferraries there and chalets with swimming pool. Someone is rich, not necesarly because a lot of money, but because he need only few. We often enter in a rabbit hole of the consumism, spending a lot of money in things we really don’t need, we work like a dog to have enough money to pay a journey to Hawaii to recover us from the burnout, which we wouldn’t have working less, no needing this journey.
LH0ezVT@sh.itjust.works 6 hours ago
Have you been to Spain? I’m not saying it is not better than where the US is headed to, but it’s a “western” country in Europe, with all the issues that come with it. Somewhat social market economy, but still suffering from the usual issues, including people driving Ferraris while others sleep on the street.
Also, at least since Franco I don’t think anyone genuinely thinks of Spain as third world.
Zerush@lemmy.ml 3 hours ago
Well, also in Spain there are People with Ferraries (few) and also poor people, but there is nobody without food, because Spain has a strong social system, andfree healthcare for everyone. Nothing, absolute nothing to do with the US, it’s the opposite in almost everything. Luckily Spain has also little dependency on the US nor Rusia, so it is also not much affected by Trumps Tariffs or Rusian Gaspolicy. Trump hates Spain.
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 1 day ago
If you can eat well for $1 then it is definitely a poor country relative to the US. Differences in purchasing power are a direct result of differences in wealth.
Zerush@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
I think that the US is a third world country, it’s rich but most money is used for weapons and to make richer the billonairs and big corporations, in the social and cultural sphere, it is one of the most backward in the world. Now with Trump the US is turning in a running gag for the most countries.
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I really should just put a full block on lemmy.ml. Thanks for the reminder!
Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Usa is the hub of first world. Russia is the second. Thirds is everyone else.
Zerush@lemmy.ml 23 hours ago
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
Espousing an old no longer relevant definition to sound smarter and be “right” is peak lemmy/reddit behavior. Third world does mean poor now.
Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 1 day ago
It doesn’t. It never did.
Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
It does. Strictly it does. Why do you think china is no longer considered third world?
Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Strictly, technically every other way China is still third world. This concept of third world being poor seems to have originated from the common charity ads in the 90s and 2000s who loved the phrase, and from the American exceptionalism that thinks everything not American is dirty and poor.