The 2nd World

I have often mocked people for loudly proclaiming their “1st World” problems on social media. “OMG, traffic is terrible.” or “They ran out of soy milk at Starbucks.” Many of us forget how truly privileged we are to live in America. We take basic things like water, electricity, sanitation, and roads for granted. Many Americans do not travel abroad (roughly 1 in 4), and they mainly visit other 1st World countries. So they’ve never actually seen the “3rd World” and seen the challenges emerging nations must face. 

Trust me, there are no “1st World” problems in “3rd World” places. 60% of the world’s population does not have basic sanitation systems. Roads are a luxury, and electricity is not available to everyone. (1 in 10 people on Earth do not have access to electricity)

So what is the “2nd World?” Historically, socialist countries have been labeled as 2nd World, when the phrase was invented during the Cold War. “2nd World” places usually have one-party and authoritarian rule. These countries are more industrially developed than others, but they have corrupt or incompetent leaders. The citizens’ standards of living are low. Despite the break-up of the Warsaw Pact and the fall of the Soviet Union, we still see countries (such as North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba) that can’t provide enough food or basic services.

On the surface, Richmond, Virginia, is 1st world, right? On one hand, we have nice things (Starbucks, malls, and tons of great restaurants), but on the other hand, we had to boil water again this week.

• The city cannot provide clean water for the second time this year.
• The city took five months to stop raw sewage from leaking into the James River.
• The city cannot properly bill its residents for tax assessments.

And potholes? We might be the only city in America that creates potholes big enough to swallow up cars.

So the next time there’s a crisis in RVA and someone says, “Richmond is becoming 3rd World,” you can correct them. “Richmond is only sinking into ‘2nd World’ status.” 

Reminder: your City of Richmond Personal Property Taxes for businesses are due in 6 days.