february 12, 2007
Sometimes diction (word choice) is important, because it suggests things to the listener and about the speaker that need to be examined. Language structures thinking, and so we should be careful when choosing our words. This does not excuse the foolishness of political correctness, but it is certainly worthy of some attention.
In response to the term "the third world" the new term for the poor countries of the world is "developing". This isn't bad, they are indeed almost universally trying to become more developed - richer, with greater prosperity, health and individual safety. The problem is that there is a trend toward calling the countries of the "first world" "developed". The suggestion that the development of countries such as Canada, Denmark or the United States is complete is repugnant to me. Laurels such as those worn by the "developed" world should never be rested upon. The best of these nations have citizens in desperate poverty, the disenfranchized and ill living on urban street corners, and their legal systems subverted from their ideals by the wealthy and the privileged. The worst parrot the ideals of their founders while bending consistently to the requests of an economic system that demands that most of its participants suffer needless privation.
I propose that rather than shamefully calling some nations "developed" that we divide nations into three categories - ignored, exploited and exploiting. At least then we can pretend to honesty, and perhaps reexamine our positions.*
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