This might be a grammatical error, but the USA is not currently a third world country by any stretch of the imagination.
Obviously America is a huge place and one size does not fit all, but there are some rural areas that wouldn't seem out of place in a third world country for sure.
The reason for this is we are more liberal in what we define as an infant as compared to a fetus.
And OK, maybe "third world country" isn't really the best term. But what it's heading toward looks a lot like mexico, for example, with a small ultra-wealthy elite, and dysfunctionality for the rest.
The US is so, so, incredibly far from remotely getting to that level.
If the world is over, why are you still showing up to work?
The first world was "countries allied with the US against the godless Commies", the second world was "the godless Commies", and the third world was "everyone else, where we fight the proxy wars between the first and second worlds, for the soul of mankind". Second world no longer really means anything since the collapse of the Soviet Union, of course, and first/third world has become a euphemism for "ok/shitty country".
By the old definitions, the US falling out of the third world becomes much more interesting.
"First World" or "Old World" meant the civilised European countries (both West and East)
"Second World" or "New World" was countries colonised by Europe, such as the USA.
"Third World" meant countries still in whatever benighted state of uncivilised savagery that they had before the Europeans enlightened them.
Yes, I'm being ironic. But these were the literal terms and attitude during my education (1970's UK). It was only vaguely recognised that the USA was properly part of the First World and not some uppity colony that was too big for its boots.
I also learned a different definition, later, in Economics:
- First World economies are based on trading information
- Second World economies are manufacturing-based
- Third World economies are resource-based
This definition causes arguments at Australian dinner parties ;)
Interesting how the terms are defined differently by different people for different reasons.
"Those countries not aligned with the west or the east during the Cold War."