Namaskar Y’all

First World, Third World, Whatever!

Namaskar, Y’all by Shyama Parui

English is a funny language some say. The rules for grammar and spelling are far from clear, making it hard to learn and yet it is the lingua franca in numerous countries. Nevertheless, it has a beautiful collection of adjectives such as effervescent and pristine that add oomph to an otherwise bland conversation, whereas words like bumfuzzle or hoosegow might crack you up even under the most solemn circumstances. As a speaker there are some words that I simply reject such as “mythology” that tends to deny the beliefs of certain groups of people and the outdated term “hysteria”. My outright disdain, however, is reserved for the expression “first world and third world countries.”

If you have been reading my column for a while, you will know that I believe in breaking, not following stereotypes. The use of first, second and third world may have started with the intention of specific categorization, but these Western-centric definitions introduced in the 1960’s have generalized into labels with biased connotations. Let’s begin with “first world” which refers to “the highly developed industrialized nations often considered the westernized countries of the world.” Industrialized is a fair descriptor but “first” sounds pompous and implies that it is ahead of the rest. While that may be the case in some ways, it is not necessarily true in other.

There are multiple definitions of “third world” - thank you Merriam-Webster for helping us out. 1: the aggregate of the underdeveloped nations of the world – dealing with poverty, large populations, inadequate natural resources. 2: a group of nations especially in Africa and Asia not aligned with either the Communist or the non-Communist blocs. 3: an aggregate of minority groups within a larger predominant culture.

Countries relegated to this group were not always poor nor did they lack natural resources. A large contributor of the current wealth gap is the long-term results of colonization. India is a case in point. Heavy commercial agriculture of crops such as cotton, jute, tea, etc., in India under British rule benefited “The Crown”. What was grown in India was sent to the factories in the UK and often sold in the Indian markets at rates unaffordable to the average Indian. Excessive farming, taxation and atrocious money lending practices depleted the farmer’s resources forcing them to lead a hand to mouth existence. Whether India still belongs on the list of developing nations is up for debate.

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