1st v 2nd v 3rd World

I did already. Taiwan wasn’t even in the top ten for highest suicides. I was interested in the one about being over worked, but didn’t want to take the time to check that one out (not really sure where to start). But a lot of other countries come to mind before Taiwan. Seems like an interesting statistic.

I know how you feel about being “tired of taking [your] time to appease people who will find any excuse to unjustify that ‘proof’”, but I think that’s the nature of the beast. You certainly didn’t seem to have a problem taking time to write pretty wordy replies :wink:.

I don’t doubt the vehicle accident deaths one for a second.

miltownkid,

‘Taiwan wasn’t even in the top ten for highest suicides’

well then, I will take the favoured argument here that your source of proof is bias, ignorant and therefor incorrect;p

:smiley:

aneki.com/suicide.html

It does take time to find and assemble facts, and I do think it sucks (sometimes), but when you make it a habit, people tend to be more willing to believe the things you write when you don’t supply your sources.

I have no idea about what’s 1st, 2nd or 3rd world. I just know that last summer I flew into the Los Angeles airport and I had 4 hours to kill. I was the Northwest VIP lounge with my laptop and the only thing they could offer me to connect to the internet was a freaking telephone line. I would have to sign up for a monthly dial up service (like AOL) in order to connect. This, in a “1st world” country. :noway:

Every airport that I’ve been at in Asia has wireless access available. Sometimes free, sometimes for a small fee. Bottom line -I’d rather be stuck at an airport in Asia.

Name them, if you dare.

[quote=“PoSTMoDeRNFuNK”]I have always stated that it is a wealthy country

MILTOWNKID

Ok. Let’s break it down, town-by-town.
Hsin-Tien: 1st world
Wulai Amusement Park: 4th world
Linkou: just plain old-fashioned 3RD WORLD.
Downtown Taipei: 1st world!
Panchiao: recently, 1st world!
Sanchung: 3rd world.
Hualien: 1st world
Lodung: 2nd world
Miaoli: 4th world
Chilung: 3rd world
Tienmou: 1st world.

Phew! Someone take over…

YongHe: OutofTHiswOrld

It’d have to be since I live here. :sunglasses:

haven’t bothered to read the entire thread, but anyhow, on the topic of economics. First, foreign exchange reserve… it doesn’t say much about whether the country is rich or poor. Second topic, GDP per capita, when measured in US dollar Taiwan is no where near Western Europe standard, however when measured in international dollar (PPP, assume perfect trade), it’s close to Western Europe. 3rd world? no way, 1st world? not quite is my answer.

[quote=“Kick-Stand”]Ok. Let’s break it down, town-by-town.
Hsin-tien (Xindian): 1st world
Wulai Amusement Park: 4th world
Linkou: just plain old-fashioned 3RD WORLD.
Downtown Taipei: 1st world!
Panchiao (Banqiao): recently, 1st world!
Sanchung (Sanchong): 3rd world.
Hualian: 1st world
Lodung: 2nd world
Miaoli: 4th world
Jilong: 3rd world
Tianmu: 1st world.

Phew! Someone take over…[/quote]

This is fun.

Taoyuan: 3rd World
Those ugly clusters of buildings near the Huachiang Bridge in Panchiao: 3rd World
Luchou: Second World minus any sort of charm
Any nightmarket here is so 3rd World to me

ROTLMAO Now THIS I like!! :smiley: Good idea… Good attitudes

Xijr: Like the hill Valley in the Oblongs. Closest equivalent terminolgy (outdated or not) = LDC

Lived and worked there for a year. It literally rains black soot once you cross the bridge to Xijr.

Pee. S. —> Kick-Stand, you’re my hero!! PRoFuSeLy BaTTiNG LaSHeZ :wink:

I think there are cut off points in development economics between what determines 1st, and 3rd world countries.

It has to do with the divisions between agriculture, manufacturing, and services contribution to GDP. Trully third world countries are largely dependent on agriculture, whilst first world countries are dependent on services, manufacturing, and agriculture in that order as a proportion of GDP. Some economists used to even assign percentages to each. However, that has become a little confusing given that many poorer countries were able to augment their service sectors through tourism and rich ones as well I suppose.

Taiwan by any economic measure is a 1st world country. You can take your prejudices out for a walk if you like.

Taiwan, although it might seem hard to accept, has less wealth disparity than many developed countries by gini coefficent. For example, in the developed world it rates with all of the social democracies of Europe such as Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxumberg whereas the US rate 3rd worst to Russia and Mexico.

[quote]Wulai amusement park: 4th world
[/quote] That is really true. I went there once and was shocked, amused, and finally left with a trully hollow feeling in the pit of my gut about Taiwan. Nothing has come a long to fill that hole yet not even the love of my wife and children. The fact that people could have enjoyed such a blight on the landscape.

This IS a meta-argument; one considering a nation aimed at internationalizing itself and participating in the greater world (not an autonomous tribal island paradise with different needs, values, desires or accomplishments).

And the word

[quote=“PoSTMoDeRNFuNK”]And claiming that ECONOMY related stats should be the sole criteria or respect, in consideration for an over all status of a country within the over all world, is more

Hey, thanks for the rationally diplomatic approach. Actually, the links I had posted earlier (specifically the one displaying Taiwan as

This gets my vote for most pointless, boring fucking thread of the century … so far.
:frowning:

[quote=“jdsmith”]You want a developing country…go to Vietnam.

Want a third world country? Go to …hmm, just about any country in Africa.

Taiwan a third world country?

Ar you outeryer fargin head?

sheeesh[/quote]

Any country in Africa hey Hollywood? (tongue in cheek, don’t take offence mate…)

South Africa is a developing country…but by the old standard would have been considered second world as many parts (and persons) in SA are very much first world…

[quote=“twonavels”]Bu lai en and Tetsuo…it is kind of useless to discuss whether Taiwan is first, second or whatever world, because those terms are not really used in their original context anymore. I think during one of the world wars people started talking about America and some of its allies as first world, the Soviet bloc (like Tetsuo said) was second world, and Asia, Africa, etc. were all third world. I think the connotation with third world as poor countries came later. I always thought it wasn’t kosher to use those terms anymore, and that they had been replaced with developed and developing.
I think Taiwan is usually defined as a developed nation, if you look at its GDP, etc. However, in today’s postmodern world ( :wink: ) where boundaries, facts and perspectives keep shifting, people who don’t value economic growth that much might well look at the shacks, pollution and roaches and think wtf.
Re the original topic: I usually don’t respond well to generalizations. If somebody rants for an hour about how unfair his boss treated him I’ll listen and not get defensive, even though our setting is Taiwan and the boss is Taiwanese. However, if somebody starts any rant with “Taiwan is…” or “The Taiwanese are…” I tend to become unsympathetic to their arguments. In the latter case I could definitely get slotted into the category of morons who get defensive about Taiwan. :heart:[/quote]

Exactly, the terms first, second and third world are no longer used. Not generally and not by the academis community. The terms developing and developed are now used… Maybe it’s a PC thing, but it’s more accurate anyway…

[quote=“LagerLout”]This gets my vote for most pointless, boring fucking thread of the century … so far.
:frowning:[/quote]
The above quote gets my vote for second most pointless post of the century (this being the first).