The first/second/third world designation is a cold war relic. America is first world by definition, but we probably should have ditched the whole framework after the Berlin Wall fell.
I agree that it should no longer be used in a modern context. It’s like calling Russia the USSR; people usually know what you mean, but it doesn’t make sense, and when talking about specifically American geopolitics, it’s easy to misunderstand what is meant if you are older than 35.
The first/second/third world designation is a cold war relic. America is first world by definition, but we probably should have ditched the whole framework after the Berlin Wall fell.
I agree that it should no longer be used in a modern context. It’s like calling Russia the USSR; people usually know what you mean, but it doesn’t make sense, and when talking about specifically American geopolitics, it’s easy to misunderstand what is meant if you are older than 35.