NODE eae8cfbfRe: Third World Man
"Peter Trei" <trei@process.com>Mon, 21 Aug 95 09:56:20 PDT
> The US is slipping into the second world as we
> speak, with no signs of a turnaround ahead. Only the sheer size of
> the economy keeps people from believing it.
Just a nomenclature peeve - I'm not sure of the precise time and
place the (first|second|third) world meme originated, but it seems to
predate 1970, and until very recently it's meaning was clear:
First world: Western (and Westernized) nations - mainly the US, Canada, Western Europe,
Japan, Australia, & New Zealand
Second world: Communist bloc (I can still remember the Cultural
Revolution. Prior to that, the Communists seemed a monolithic force,
marching in lockstep.)
Third world: The rest, mostly poor nations.
Back then, the world was a simpler place.
Peter Trei
Senior Software Engineer
Purveyor Development Team
Process Software Corporation
trei@process.com
NODE e349298dRe: Third World Man
Jon Lasser <jlasser@rwd.goucher.edu>Mon, 21 Aug 95 20:51:12 PDT
On Mon, 21 Aug 1995, Peter Trei wrote:
> > The US is slipping into the second world as we
> > speak, with no signs of a turnaround ahead. Only the sheer size of
> > the economy keeps people from believing it.
>
> Just a nomenclature peeve - I'm not sure of the precise time and
> place the (first|second|third) world meme originated, but it seems to
> predate 1970, and until very recently it's meaning was clear:
>
> First world: Western (and Westernized) nations - mainly the US, Canada, Western Europe,
> Japan, Australia, & New Zealand
>
> Second world: Communist bloc (I can still remember the Cultural
> Revolution. Prior to that, the Communists seemed a monolithic force,
> marching in lockstep.)
>
> Third world: The rest, mostly poor nations.
Erm, nope. The "First World" (or old world) was Europe and Asia; the "New
World" (not frequently referrred to as the second world, but hey...) The
third world was the developing nations. THAT (as far as I was taught in
history class, so it MIGHT be a lie...) was how the terms originated...
Jon
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NODE fd27b01eRe: Third World Man
Dave Horsfall <dave@esi.COM.AU>Tue, 22 Aug 95 21:39:35 PDT
On Mon, 21 Aug 1995, Peter Trei wrote:
> First world: Western (and Westernized) nations
> Second world: Communist bloc
> Third world: The rest, mostly poor nations.
That's pretty much how I learned it in school, back in the 60s. Mind
you, "third world" wasn't an insult then.
I also heard another version: 1st world was Europe/Asia (cuz they were
there first), 2nd world was America (they got discovered later), and 3rd
was everybody else.
--
Dave Horsfall (VK2KFU) | dave@esi.com.au | VK2KFU @ VK2DAA.NSW.AUS.OC | PGP 2.6
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