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It's a particularly annoying meme currently going about.
Irksome for the fact that it's usually said by naive, young socialism-inclined liberals, often inappropriately, and usually with a good dose of sanctimony. It makes a mockery of genuine third world concerns by reducing it to some transient bandwagon fad.
I disagree.
The phrase isn't intended to mock true needs or true poverty - and I don't see it applied to those conditions. A "first world problem" is "OMG my coffee maker stopped working this morning and now I have to figure out how to get dressed fifteen minutes faster so I can run by Starbucks - and that really sucks because I stayed out too late and drank too much last night and I have a hangover - wonder if I can call in sick, sleep in late, and run out to Target later and buy a coffeemaker for tomorrow morning?"
A third world problem is "I have some sort of disease but I have to walk three days through four military checkpoints to the clinic run by Doctors Without Borders and just hope that they have the room and staff to take care of me because I have no phone or any way to get through to them to let them know I'm coming - if the militants don't kill me on the way there."
First World Problem: "One of my shoes squeaks whenever I take a step - but I can't afford to replace them till Friday because I had to buy two new tires for my Honda Accord."
Third World Problem: "I need to find an old tire so that I can make shoes for my family."
The phrase isn't intended to mock true needs or true poverty - and I don't see it applied to those conditions. A "first world problem" is "OMG my coffee maker stopped working this morning and now I have to figure out how to get dressed fifteen minutes faster so I can run by Starbucks - and that really sucks because I stayed out too late and drank too much last night and I have a hangover - wonder if I can call in sick, sleep in late, and run out to Target later and buy a coffeemaker for tomorrow morning?"
A third world problem is "I have some sort of disease but I have to walk three days through four military checkpoints to the clinic run by Doctors Without Borders and just hope that they have the room and staff to take care of me because I have no phone or any way to get through to them to let them know I'm coming - if the militants don't kill me on the way there."
First World Problem: "One of my shoes squeaks whenever I take a step - but I can't afford to replace them till Friday because I had to buy two new tires for my Honda Accord."
Third World Problem: "I need to find an old tire so that I can make shoes for my family."
Read my full comment:
"it makes a mockery of genuine third world concerns by reducing it to some transient bandwagon fad.".
"it makes a mockery of genuine third world concerns by reducing it to some transient bandwagon fad.".
I read your full comment the first time and simply didn't agree with your conclusion.
I don't think that mocking the pseudo dramas of "first world problems" reduces the perception of the severity of third world problems at ALL, or mocks genuine third world concerns either, for that matter. I've explained why. You may disagree with my conclusion and that's OK too.
I read your full comment the first time and simply didn't agree with your conclusion.
I don't think that mocking the pseudo dramas of "first world problems" reduces the perception of the severity of third world problems at ALL, or mocks genuine third world concerns either, for that matter. I've explained why. You may disagree with my conclusion and that's OK too.
All you've done is point out some examples of genuine third world problems.
That doesn't explain why your friend is wrong to say that these silly memes may be counterproductive in the long haul.
All you've done is point out some examples of genuine third world problems.
That doesn't explain why there is inherent value to these kind of pseudodrama fads.
I said this:
Quote:
The phrase isn't intended to mock true needs or true poverty - and I don't see it applied to those conditions.
I've never heard anyone say "American kids who live in a home with no food in the house - what a first world problem!" I think most people take the idea of a hungry child seriously, regardless of where the child lives.
I've never heard anyone say, "That kid doesn't have a winter coat and it's cold outside - what a first world problem!"
The only times I've ever heard the phrase used was in the context I stated earlier - when people were "upset" because of some very trivial thing that just "tore up their world" when it happened - when the reality is, they're probably lucky to even HAVE the "problem."
"I hate it when my cell phone updates and moves my apps around so I can't find them! It stresses me out so much!" Really? That is a first world problem.
I like the phrase, used in that context - I think it's a sort of reality check.
"I can't believe this restaurant only has margarine - where's the real butter? I want real butter on my roll!" OK - but just keep in mind that this, my friend, is a first world problem. Chill.
I've never heard anyone say "American kids who live in a home with no food in the house - what a first world problem!" I think most people take the idea of a hungry child seriously, regardless of where the child lives.
I've never heard anyone say, "That kid doesn't have a winter coat and it's cold outside - what a first world problem!"
The only times I've ever heard the phrase used was in the context I stated earlier - when people were "upset" because of some very trivial thing that just "tore up their world" when it happened - when the reality is, they're probably lucky to even HAVE the "problem."
"I hate it when my cell phone updates and moves my apps around so I can't find them! It stresses me out so much!" Really? That is a first world problem.
I don't think you've understood the point.
The "mockery" is that concern over third world deprivation should be subject to hipter-ish trends that come and go out of fashion when, in reality, people should be engaged these problems at the general level without the need for these effete memes.
Last edited by Hightower72; 03-15-2015 at 12:07 AM..
On the uselessness of memes; Does anyone still remember or give a damn about Kony 2012?
How much did that achieve, aside from turning the awareness campaign leader into a stark naked raving madman.
I actually think Kony was a brilliantly executed awareness campaign, until it imploded at the execution stage for a variety of reasons. I would draw a hazy distinction between grass roots memetics (mostly pointless) and awareness fund-raisers (sometimes good).
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