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Although there are many that would disagree with Trump’s political views, the “Third World country” sentiment is not one that is employed exclusively in the realm of right-leaning politics. Whereas education and health care reform towards accessibility are generally Democrat policies, varioussources still liken the U.S. to a Third World country on the merit of not having implemented various left-leaning measures.
Dissatisfaction with the state of the nation is a prevalent problem, and not one that is necessarily unjustified. Although inflation has slowed, consumers are still reeling fromaggressive increases in prior months. Politics are more polarized now than everbefore. Gun violence is on the rise. These are just some of the many issues that America has faced in recent years. Yet, I would still be hesitant to even consider using the “Third World” moniker in the first place. Doing so is something that fails to acknowledge the problems in true Third World countries.
Though the origin of the term Third World was to label nations not allied with NATO or the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the modern use of the term is generally used to describe countries with high poverty rates, economic instability and a lack of basic human necessities like access to water, shelter or food. In establishing this definition, it is important to acknowledge that these problems do exist in the United States. At present, the poverty rate in the U.S. is reported to be at 11.6%. Food insecurity sits at 10.2%, and approximately14% of Americans were reported to be behind on rent. These are significant percentages and are likely going to get worse.
However, true Third World-status countries face these issues at much higher rates and see even less support. Take Pakistan, for example. Islamabad, the capital of the nation, is known by citizens for being anurbanized business hub. Looking at it alone, you would never be able to tell that Pakistan was classified as a Third World country. Yet, in looking back at the floods much of the rural part of the country faced this pastSeptember, resource scarcity reached extreme levels, with many residents sick with malaria and typhoid needing to hire boats to ferry them to markets in neighboring villages for a chance to afford food at skyrocketing prices. Though food in the U.S. has seen its prices increase, few, if any, people are in a position where they cannot at least find a market to purchase food. Similarly, while people in the U.S. have faced water shortages through examples such as the Flint water crisis, there has never been a time during that crisis in which water was completely inaccessible from external sources or packaged water bottles. Compared to not having a clean water source at all and being left without any aid, the better situation is clear.
Where the United States has approximately17.5 homeless people for every 10,000 in the population, Pakistan has 943. It does not help that aid for these people is nonexistent. Where the U.S. Congress budgeted $3.633 billion towards homeless assistance in the 2023 fiscal year appropriations bill, Pakistan’s government does not fund homeless shelters at all. Any shelters available to the homeless population are funded solely by nonprofit organizations. Even beyond those that are homeless, the rate of poverty does not paint a much better picture; compared to America’s 15.1%, 24.3% of Pakistani people live below the poverty line.
Finding examples that make the United States look good compared to Third World countries is not a difficult task. It is inherently a better place to live in comparison to these countries in many respects. In the U.S., I have never been told that I would be cut up and shoved into a trunk by a man on the street in public or seen my mother asked to give up one of her children to a trafficking ring while in the back of a rickshaw. There is no denying that our country has its fair share of problems, and I would go as far as to say that we are behind many first world countries in some respects. For many of us, hospital care can be a ticket out of the middle class and intobankruptcy. In regard to gun violence, the United States ranks 32nd out of 194 countries. Our nation has its issues, and they are problems that should be solved, but comparing us to Third World countries is a statement that comes from a place of privilege and fails to acknowledge the true severity of issues that plague these nations.
No, America is not a Third World country with a Gucci belt on
There is no definitive way to trace the origins of how long the United States has been likened to Third World countries, but these comparisons have been made for at least a decade. More recently, former President Donald Trump branded the United States a “Third World hellhole” run by “perverts” and “thugs” in a recent campaign speech. Although his reason for suggesting as much was likely politically charged, it suggests that this descriptions of the United States resonates with at least a part of the American population.Although there are many that would disagree with Trump’s political views, the “Third World country” sentiment is not one that is employed exclusively in the realm of right-leaning politics. Whereas education and health care reform towards accessibility are generally Democrat policies, varioussources still liken the U.S. to a Third World country on the merit of not having implemented various left-leaning measures.
Dissatisfaction with the state of the nation is a prevalent problem, and not one that is necessarily unjustified. Although inflation has slowed, consumers are still reeling fromaggressive increases in prior months. Politics are more polarized now than everbefore. Gun violence is on the rise. These are just some of the many issues that America has faced in recent years. Yet, I would still be hesitant to even consider using the “Third World” moniker in the first place. Doing so is something that fails to acknowledge the problems in true Third World countries.
Though the origin of the term Third World was to label nations not allied with NATO or the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the modern use of the term is generally used to describe countries with high poverty rates, economic instability and a lack of basic human necessities like access to water, shelter or food. In establishing this definition, it is important to acknowledge that these problems do exist in the United States. At present, the poverty rate in the U.S. is reported to be at 11.6%. Food insecurity sits at 10.2%, and approximately14% of Americans were reported to be behind on rent. These are significant percentages and are likely going to get worse.
However, true Third World-status countries face these issues at much higher rates and see even less support. Take Pakistan, for example. Islamabad, the capital of the nation, is known by citizens for being anurbanized business hub. Looking at it alone, you would never be able to tell that Pakistan was classified as a Third World country. Yet, in looking back at the floods much of the rural part of the country faced this pastSeptember, resource scarcity reached extreme levels, with many residents sick with malaria and typhoid needing to hire boats to ferry them to markets in neighboring villages for a chance to afford food at skyrocketing prices. Though food in the U.S. has seen its prices increase, few, if any, people are in a position where they cannot at least find a market to purchase food. Similarly, while people in the U.S. have faced water shortages through examples such as the Flint water crisis, there has never been a time during that crisis in which water was completely inaccessible from external sources or packaged water bottles. Compared to not having a clean water source at all and being left without any aid, the better situation is clear.
Where the United States has approximately17.5 homeless people for every 10,000 in the population, Pakistan has 943. It does not help that aid for these people is nonexistent. Where the U.S. Congress budgeted $3.633 billion towards homeless assistance in the 2023 fiscal year appropriations bill, Pakistan’s government does not fund homeless shelters at all. Any shelters available to the homeless population are funded solely by nonprofit organizations. Even beyond those that are homeless, the rate of poverty does not paint a much better picture; compared to America’s 15.1%, 24.3% of Pakistani people live below the poverty line.
Finding examples that make the United States look good compared to Third World countries is not a difficult task. It is inherently a better place to live in comparison to these countries in many respects. In the U.S., I have never been told that I would be cut up and shoved into a trunk by a man on the street in public or seen my mother asked to give up one of her children to a trafficking ring while in the back of a rickshaw. There is no denying that our country has its fair share of problems, and I would go as far as to say that we are behind many first world countries in some respects. For many of us, hospital care can be a ticket out of the middle class and intobankruptcy. In regard to gun violence, the United States ranks 32nd out of 194 countries. Our nation has its issues, and they are problems that should be solved, but comparing us to Third World countries is a statement that comes from a place of privilege and fails to acknowledge the true severity of issues that plague these nations.
