In the United States of America, there are a lot of unfortunate situations in which many people complain about. These issues or complications are called first world problems. Since countries such as North America, Japan and Australia are industrialized and technologically advanced, they are considered to be a part of the first world. It is a common opinion that some of the issues these advanced groups face, are less important and do not have the right to be complained about.
It is natural for individuals to complain when something doesn’t meet their expectations, however they become first world problems when the issue isn’t anything severe. These first world problems commonly tend to be technology, resource and convenience related due to the fact that these problems interfere with individual’s daily routines.
Technology is the most frequent category to receive criticism because in correlation with the increase of technological advancements, the dependency a person establishes with these new systems also increases. After being incorporated into their daily routines and being used in the formation of an individual’s expectations, many people complain about whatever problems they run into as a result of them being disappointed. If a car owner is use to paying for their gas by way of a card reader, the lack of functionality in the card reading technology might upset the individual because it limits their pay options and forces them to stray from their usual routine. To a person who can’t afford a car, the complaint may be viewed as less significant because certain aspects of the situation can be considered privileges in other cultures.
The lack or surplus of resources is also a common debate when assessing the significance of first world problems. The complaint that an individual might not have enough water guns for their friends to use at a birthday party can be an example of a first world problem. While the host of the party doesn’t possess enough water guns (toys) for their party, another resource that is less attainable in other places, is easily available to host. Water is a necessity in all parts of the world and considered crucial to some systems that exist throughout different parts of the world. Every summer, there are tons of people that engage in water fights and a portion of this limited resource is wasted. By complaining that you don’t have enough water guns or balloons for your guests to fill up for entertainment purposes at a party, you overshadow the severity of the common struggle that many people face in today’s society. It is a shared opinion that everyone should have access to clean drinking water so the fact that there are activities dedicated to wasting the resource instead of conserving it.
The need for things to be convenient has also drastically increased as a product of our countries progressive initiatives. Throughout both of the given examples as well as many others, there exists a variety of things present that are considered to be convenient for people living in a first world country compared to being inaccessible to people in other areas.
It is important to understand how these “problems” can affect the culture present in these first world countries as well as their willingness to help others. If Americans continue to adopt and maintain a mentality that is not sympathetic to other countries issues, then a consequence of this action will be the spread of cultural sensitivity. However, by acknowledging the presence of these first world problems as well as their significance then allowing the sharing of assets with other countries, a model can be formed so that other first world countries can aid in the elevation of less fortunate countries that have more severe problems. This is important because in order to transform the chaotic atmospheres in most countries today and transform them into positive ones, we must start striving for the success of others even when their problems don’t directly affect us.