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Re: Third World Man
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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