Yes, if someone uses the “First World Problems” phrase to belittle something that seriously bothers another person, that is a jerkish thing to do. But, I would say that the level of jerkishness is inversely proportional to how big the problem being reported actually is.
The example in the OP:
“a friend posted on her FB status that her dog woke her up 20 minutes before her alarm to go out and pee— she joked that she could have cried for missing that 20 minutes of sleep”
is a case where the level of jerkishness for bringing up FWP is not that high. I think it was apt. If someone complains “someone stole my car” and another responds “FWP LOL!” then they are being a huge jerk.
2) The reason I brought up the meme, even though it wasn’t in the OP, is that several posters in this thread have mentioned that the mere fact that we in the developed world think that only we have daily annoyances, means that we secretly think that “Those Brown People” in third world world countries aren’t human/like us, and don’t go through the same day-to-day shit that all of us do. That is, it was claimed that the whole FWP meme is condescending, and perhaps reveals a stealth racism on the part of people who use it (hopefully I’m not misrepresenting what was claimed, I’m just typing from memory). All I did was to point out that some of the “entries” in this meme are funny, and we shouldn’t overanalyze why they are funny, or overanalyze what they reveal about what we think about the third world.
Reading “My cat won’t keep his sombrero on … I’ll never make it to the front page”, only makes me think how funny it is, and not that it turns “Those Brown People” into the Other.
To a point, that’s true. However, there’s never a point where it becomes NOT jerkish to do so. Add in the fact it’s an annoying fucking meme in the first place and it basically has no redeeming value whatsoever as a phrase except when used in a self-deprecating manner (wherein at least the charming-self-awareness has a shot at overriding the fucking-annoying-memeness).
Equally not re-reading, it was my vague impression that claim was somewhat more directed at the “White People’s Problems” version of the meme, and at uses of FWP that were more overt about implying that non-first-worlders simply didn’t worry about those things (rather than placing them at a lower priority.)
I always thought the “correct” use of FWP was for problems brought on by too many choices or too much abundance.
So “Ugh, I stubbed my toe” would not be a FWP. Everyone deals with that, and there is nothing funny about it.
“I can’t use the home gym for a month because I had to expand my walk-in closet in to it to accommodate my shoe collection” is a first world problem. “I’m not sure what gala to go to” is a first world problem. “I bought a three car garage but what am I going to do now that I have four cars” is one.
Amazingly, it’s still jerkish to respond to any of those complaints with “FWP”. It’s that smelly asshole combination of sanctimony, dismissal, and overplayed tired meme.
Shut the fuck up, Zeriel. Your holier-than-thou bullshit is stinking up this thread. Asshole.
What? You mean this isn’t the thread for jumping down other poster’s throats for no reason except for a vague feeling of dislike? No? Ooops. Sorry, Z.
I guess I’m late to the party, but my personal experience with this meme has always been to see it used in a self-deprecating way, as **even sven **more or less described way back on page 1. I can find that funny enough to even use myself in certain situations.
However, if I saw it used in the dismissive way as described in the OP, I’d completely agree it was lame and annoying. As always, Diosa’s rant gets a big thumbs up from me.
Also, if I saw the **even sven **that some people here are describing, I’d agree she was lame and annoying too, but I haven’t. I’ve consistently enjoyed her posts and I hope she continues to share her perspective on this board. She’s one of the posters that makes we wish I posted more myself, since we share some common experiences and academic interests.
So I don’t see how my repeating it is “making fun” of her drinking problem. I have to say, reveling in being mean and being a drunk is a bad combination. I would suggest she choose one or the other.
Hey, I apologized for being mean. Oh wait, did you mean YOU were being mean? Nah, you aren’t being mean, you’re being an asshole.
Mean Old Lady swept in here and stole my Bitch Crown with an act of such bitchtude that I can only bow down to her superior bitchiness. You, my dear Zeriel are a simpering sycophant trying to score points by dog piling. And using emoticons. That pushed you right into asshole territory.
Oh, you picked up that my post was deliberately supposed to be assholish? Good eyesight, I was hoping it wasn’t too subtle.
I suppose I should give you equal time, though: Your posts to this thread have been just as useless as sven’s. I just happen to think 90% of what **sven **posts is useless, so it’s easier to notice her.
So my posts are not useless then? Because even said what about half the other people have been saying in this thread. You just smelled blood and jumped on her. Yes, I think you should start up with me instead. I’m in pain, in a bad mood and it’s my birthday. So bring it on, asshole.
Those are rich people problems. A typical middle-class American, Canadian, Australian, Norwegian, etc isn’t going to have four cars or struggle to choose from different charity balls.
First world problems are those experienced on a day-to-day basis by a typical person in a developed country, but unlikely to be experienced by a typical person in a developing nation. Stuff like “I can’t get my cable box to stop defaulting to the stupid program guide on Channel 1 when I turn it on” and “My supermarket won’t give me more than $40 in cash back from a debit card purchase after 10 PM.”
I FWP’d myself yesterday. My car is currently at the repairers, and my BIL was kind enough to lend me an old ‘94 Lancer he barely uses until I get my car back. It doesn’t have a drinks tray, lacks decent climate control etc, and so I was complaining to my fiance’ about it.
Then I stopped and said “These are first world problems, aren’t they?”.
FTR, I like the term when it gets used on people who expect others to listen in on their trivial complaining, because IMHO, such trivial complaining does happen too much in “the first world”.