My great friend Herbert Sandoval left a comment on my entry about returning to Guatemala. He's a little pissed at me for sounding so cocky and, well, ignorant, hypocritical, etc. And, well, he's got a point there. What is 3rd world? Who is any other country to decide what's 3rd world? But is it an offensive term? I certainly use it to describe certain characteristics. They may or might not have anything to do with 3rd-worldliness (whatever the hell that is). I've lived most of my life in the USA, and Guatemala, with a bit in Canada, so it's not exactly like I have a wealth of data to pull from. He makes some great points about culture (well, *I* made those points quite a long time ago myself, so I want some credit for those ideas!!! :)), and “if you're a 1st class country, why go and attack less fortunate countries” <ok, let's not say anything since I don't wanna start a political battle here!>.

So if anyone is offended, my deepest apologies. That's just a term to describe some of the things I face there. That's all. I don't think I would have married someone from there if I thought “3rd world” was an offensive term. I do like being able to order a Arctic-Cooling Super Silent 4Pro L Heatsink/Fan for $10 and have it arrive at my door in 2 days, and I like being able to use PayPal. Or make a phone call and 5 days later have a 4Mbps connection. As I noted in my comment, perhaps my definition of “3rd world” should be related to how fast I can get a great Internet connection :).

Then again, go check out my parents' clinic: www.hands-of-hope.com. Talk to Anita about what she deals with every day. Sure, things like this can happen everywhere. I think the general term “3rd world” comes out of that in certain parts of Guatemala, things like that are more common. It doesn't reflect on individual people like Herbert (who is a kick-ass designer -- if you ever need graphic work, go here: www.expletus.com), or Juan Gabriel (probably one of the best people I've ever worked with). Just please remember you don't decide where you are born. Being proud or offended by nationality is childish. It may be fun “Yea, we're the best, let's rock the world!“, but it's still silly. I can't remember the last time I was offended by hearing anything negative about Canada. I'm not “proud to be Canadian“ (although I love the passport). There are people doing advanced technology and all sorts of things all over the world. Countries are too large a unit to do much with :). Hey, here's a brand-new blogger, a Visual FoxPro developer in Guatemala.

Being “3rd world“ doesn't affect everything in Guatemala. Actually, being “3rd world” is only a label, it doesn't affect anything at all, except perhaps some peoples perceptions. Hell, if you're in Guatemala City, you probably wouldn't notice much different from many other cities. I love staying at Johnny's Place out in Monterrico. Eve Andersson has a great tour of Guatemala. However, certain things remain factual: high illiteracy rate, lack of medical care in certain areas, widespread poverty in certain areas, crime, etc. There are certain disadvantages (Internet access being my #1 complaint :)). I'm not making any judgements, just saying how I see it. Correct me if I'm wrong. Perhaps it's an elitist term I should stay away from, but I've never cared for being PC :).