Re: 3 Worlds & Canada
By: George Pope to All on Thu Apr 07 2022 04:32 pm
I hear "First World" nations & "Third World" & it always seenms to be per
economic division.
Apparently it technically refers to nartions who were neutral during the
Cold War.
This is honestly news to me. I learned that the terms "First World," "Second World," and "Third World" were economic designations, referring to
Industrialized and Fully Developed Countries (First World), Industrializing an >Developing but Not Yet Developed Countries (Second World), and Undeveloped and
Unindustrialized Countries (Third World).
Under that definition, which is what I was taught in grade school in the 1980s
Canada is certainly "First World," but I also had learned that the Soviet Union, China, and India were all "Second World" countries given their incomplete and continuing development towards true industrialization. It's clearly a process that continues to this day for Russia, China, and India.
This isas I've picked up on, without school referring to it much, except just using the labels in contexts I had to look up and learn about myself.
But the original meaning is as I noted above. I can see how the terms evolved, but it is interesting, to me. . . How the hoi polloi pretty much only use the 1st & 3rd to delineate an "us & them" polarity, with "us" clearly superior & better in every way, not just economically.
I was raised to question everything, & not blindly accept negatives about others, no matter who's trying to feed them to me.
Mostly I see the terms now used to convey who is being used to sell military equipment to (Big Steel et al making a bundle) & who we profit from in general trade. So many constant wars & [otherly fomenented] military coups among the third world. Every now & again some thing goes overboard & they have to send our young & healthy to die to protect our old men's gold (One Roman's definition of "Patriotism") :(
--- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-6
* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)