The First World Problem Thread

[olygirl]

[One Drop]

	Quote:	Pachyderm
	Sorry OP, but I think that many 'First World problems' deserve all the derision that the expression implies. No one is denying that everyday problems in the developed world CAN be serious, but let's face it, many people (including me) can be a bit pathetic, and too easily lose sight of just how inconsequential most of our anxieties are. It's good to have the p*ss taken out of us from time to time: How does this work?

All true, and I am guilty of the same.

I think it comes down to context- I just can't see the problem with posting about petty everyday issues, or venting about things you are having trouble understanding or adjusting to, on a board specifically set up for that.

Maybe I'm oversensitive to anyone making claims of moral superiority- that's the way most posts strike me that belittle the importance of an issue someone else brings up. There will ALWAYS be someone else with a bigger problem or a harder life than you, and systematically pointing this out doesn't seem very constructive, it's just smugness to me.

In any case, I'd much rather complain about something here, where people can see the thread title and choose to click on it or not, than bore my friends with it. For example, this topic would never come up in my personal life, because if anyone here ever dismissed a complaint or a rant with the remark that theirs was a First World Problem, they'd end up with a ski boot up their First World Arse.

[3Wishes]

	Quote:	One Drop
	All true, and I am guilty of the same. I think it comes down to context- I just can't see the problem with posting about petty everyday issues, or venting about things you are having trouble understanding or adjusting to, on a board specifically set up for that. Maybe I'm oversensitive to anyone making claims of moral superiority- that's the way most posts strike me that belittle the importance of an issue someone else brings up. There will ALWAYS be someone else with a bigger problem or a harder life than you, and systematically pointing this out doesn't seem very constructive, it's just smugness to me. In any case, I'd much rather complain about something here, where people can see the thread title and choose to click on it or not, than bore my friends with it. For example, this topic would never come up in my personal life, because if anyone here ever dismissed a complaint or a rant with the remark that theirs was a First World Problem, they'd end up with a ski boot up their First World Arse.

I think there are two ways to look at it when you see FWP in a post:

1 - The person that made the post is self-actualized enough (Mazlow) to realize that all of his/her other needs are met so this is a trivial on a cosmic scale.

2 - The person responding to the post hopes that the OP is self-actualized enough to...you get the idea.

[Jobsrobertsharpii]

You know, unless you're facing the certainty of immediate death, there's ALWAYS someone else who has worse problems...

[MusicChick]

	Quote:	One Drop
	All true, and I am guilty of the same. I think it comes down to context- I just can't see the problem with posting about petty everyday issues, or venting about things you are having trouble understanding or adjusting to, on a board specifically set up for that. Maybe I'm oversensitive to anyone making claims of moral superiority- that's the way most posts strike me that belittle the importance of an issue someone else brings up. There will ALWAYS be someone else with a bigger problem or a harder life than you, and systematically pointing this out doesn't seem very constructive, it's just smugness to me. In any case, I'd much rather complain about something here, where people can see the thread title and choose to click on it or not, than bore my friends with it. For example, this topic would never come up in my personal life, because if anyone here ever dismissed a complaint or a rant with the remark that theirs was a First World Problem, they'd end up with a ski boot up their First World Arse.

I like using my ski boot for skiing, heh.

I think what you see as dismissal does not have to be really that. We fight for this platform being open to people, should they want to harp and nag, but since it's an open public arena, they will encounter whatever reactions. You gotta count on cultural differences, and I am not using it here as an annoying blanket statement to excuse some poster's harshness or directness.

But say you complain about something. People from one planet will compliment you and support you by offering a pat on your shoulder and commiserating with you, sympathy and all the rest. People from another planet will compliment you by saying you are stronger than that (which is another way to say, there are poor folks who are way more
unfortunate than that). I hardly see that as an offensive dismissal nor shutting anyone up, but if I was in shite and people merely pet me sympathetically on my back, I would personally have harder times dealing.

The best is having a moderate mix of both, and that's what the nagging threads always end up with, no?

[andreajl]

When I saw the title I thought this was a thread where people came to complain about their first word problems. I had some in mind to say and I'm just going to say it anyways.


not having wifi in the apartment I'm subletting and using an ethernet cord old school style.

having to walk 20 minutes to the grocery store because I don't have my car here.

#firstworldproblems

[M. Ploymi]

Louis CK's take on the subject:

[Phil_MCR]

interesting question.

for one person, getting food might be the most pressing problem of the week. for another, getting the the iphone5.

if they are felt as equally vexing, should we put greater value on one over the other because we judge one to be more trivial?

[suemck2]

I just found out my brother, sister-in-law and two kids lost their home and all their belongings in hurricane Sandy in NYC ... suddenly all of my problems are "First World Problems"

[Desert Rat]

	Quote:	Phil_MCR
	interesting question. for one person, getting food might be the most pressing problem of the week. for another, getting the the iphone5. if they are felt as equally vexing, should we put greater value on one over the other because we judge one to be more trivial?

I tried to just say "Yes." but the response needs to be at least 10 characters so; "Yes we should"

[Jobsrobertsharpii]

[ALS]

so... what is your reaction when people show a considerable lack of personal & professional respect towards someone else and they are "forgiven" because "you know she/he comes from a poor country with a low level of culture and you come from a first world country, so.. suck it up!" ??

[Assassin]

	Quote:	ALS
	so... what is your reaction when people show a considerable lack of personal & professional respect towards someone else and they are "forgiven" because "you know she/he comes from a poor country with a low level of culture and you come from a first world country, so.. suck it up!" ??

Douchebags

[Jobsrobertsharpii]

	Quote:	ALS
	so... what is your reaction when people show a considerable lack of personal & professional respect towards someone else and they are "forgiven" because "you know she/he comes from a poor country with a low level of culture and you come from a first world country, so.. suck it up!" ??

Nope. When in Rome...

[EuropeanSkinhead]

The biggest problem the First World faces is how to prevent itself from turning into the Turd World.

[MusicChick]

	Quote:	ALS
	so... what is your reaction when people show a considerable lack of personal & professional respect towards someone else and they are "forgiven" because "you know she/he comes from a poor country with a low level of culture and you come from a first world country, so.. suck it up!" ??

What's happening with my sarcasm reader..?!

Ok, if I really did take this seriously, what is low level of culture? And have you ever heard of cultural differences in terms of personal and professional respect?

[ForestCanton]

i got that when i said that people here should be more spontaneous.

[ALS]

	Quote:	MusicChick
	What's happening with my sarcasm reader..?! Ok, if I really did take this seriously, what is low level of culture? And have you ever heard of cultural differences in terms of personal and professional respect?

well this happens... people using the 1st v 3rd world justification to do nothing about something that needs to be corrected. in this situation the person has a huge lack of personal respect towards the colleagues. low level of everything is to behave like a typical asshole and for example take work from colleagues and show as your own work, etc

it is the first time i saw this, and i have worked with a lot of people from extremelly poor countries, and they were all great colleagues and professionals. of course they all have diferent levels of culture, religions/beliefs, and diferent definitions of personal respect and professional respect, and we all need to addapt our expectations.
so i know a bit about that, and its not about that that i am writing about...

I just don't agree that a boss should use this excuse to avoid the correction of a problem, that in a long term will give problems.

[EuropeanSkinhead]

So if I come and live in Switzerland, becuase I am White European I am expected to conform to the local customs (which i will be happy to)...

But if I come from some hell hole where women are treated as property and thing are generally 'less than perfect' , I get a free pass to do whatever I want ?

Is that sustainable ?

	Quote:	EuropeanSkinhead
	But if I come from some hell hole where women are treated as property and thing are generally 'less than perfect'

Ireland?