What happened to the second world? You never hear about it
The Warsaw Pact was the second world defensive military treaty in cold war terms where it originated. NATO allied countries, Warsaw pact allied countries, and unaffiliated with either.
But word definitions change with usage, and today first and third are more commonly used to identify economic development as a catch all measurement for developed vs undeveloped countries and regions. I don't think it's bigoted, but it is a superficial comparison. I think you can learn a lot more about a culture through their art and treatment of prisoners for example, among other measurements.
Countries that didn't ally with either the Soviets or the US are considered "second world"
This is incorrect. What you're describing is the Third World. The Second World was the eastern bloc and other Soviet allies. The First World was NATO allies. The implication is basically that the third world was not important enough to be a factor in the cold war.
US and allies were first world, Soviets and allies were the second world, everyone else was third world.
Classist.
Huh, I've only encountered the "rich and privileged" definition in the wild, regardless of skin color.
Yes, there are rich and privileged people with any given skin color. Nonetheless are non-white rich and privileged people by far outnumbered by white rich and privileged and non-white rich and privileged are very often less privileged than their white peers.
But that's just the situation as it is now, it doesn't make the definition racist.
Technically, Ireland, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland are all 3rd world nations. At least, according to the original definition.
Edit: this isn't meant to counter the point made by the comic. I just think it's interesting.
Does this mean that Trump pulling the US out of NATO would make the US officially a Third World Country?
It certainly would put a novel wrinkle into things.
. . . are all 3rd world nations.
Uh, Sweden and Finland are NATO members (2024 & 2023 respectively) and Ireland has had relations with NATO since the 90s.
They were considered 3rd world by the original definition at the time it was defined.
You know? I didn't even really consider that, due to the fact that the original definitions pretty much lost their meanings with the fall of the USSR. However, since Putin's basically working to recreate it now, it seems like those definitions are relevant once again, so yeah - you're absolutely right.
Argentina and North Korea are second world countries
There is some merit to the classification, considering people in "2nd/3rd world countries" walk into grocery stores in the US and are so overwhelmed by all the abundant meat and produce and clothes that are freely accessible, that they have to go back outside to collect themselves. It's not your ethnicity that determines if a country is a 1st/2nd/3rd world country. it's how far their infrastructure has advanced, and their quality of living. Don't like it, become a politician or businessman, do your darndest to be successful, and then make it your purpose in life to use your wealth/influence to advance infrastructural development in countries that don't have the same quality of life as countries like Japan or the US.
Tad hard when 1st world countries keep fucking with your governance and infrastructure and economy
walk into grocery stores in the US and are so overwhelmed by all the abundant meat and produce and clothes that are freely accessible, that they have to go back outside to collect themselves.
This is hilarious
Fun fact: this happened to Boris Yeltsin, who then became the first president of Russia after the fall of the USSR.
