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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jon Lasser <jlasser@rwd.goucher.edu> (410) 494-3253 Visit my home page at http://www.goucher.edu/~jlasser/ You have a friend at the NSA: Big Brother is watching. Finger for PGP key.