If you have absolutely nothing productive to say about a blog post, I think a good comment to make is "This is an example of a first world problem."
Essentially, you are saying that the content of the post is trite and you have nothing to add.
Here's a newsflash: If you are sitting at home reading and commenting on a cartoon blog, you do not have any third world problems. You are not worried about famine or drought or shelter. ALL your problems are first world problems too. If your child is failing all his classes at school: first world problem. If your toilet is flooded and there's literally shit all over your floor: first world problem. Even if you have cancer and are considering chemotherapy: first world problem.
So what you should really write is, "This is an example of a first world problem, much like every single problem in my life."
Hah. Well, fair point, although not exactly accurate - I live in a developing country, and I have internet access, but I worry about massacres and our electricity being turned off this winter (which is now) and the starving people I have to serve in hospital and the patients with MDR-TB in our hospital whom I can't offer appropriate medicine because we can't afford it...
ReplyDeleteBUT, still a fair assessment.
Thank you for being such a wonderfully reliable daily poster. I appreciate the effort this must take! And I enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteI just had a nightmare about the time I was molested when I was a child. First world problem?
ReplyDeleteThere are people who complain about the stupidest things, petty things, or things that can be fixed easily. Then there are people who unfortunately have had REAL problems in their life and can handle anything.
Perspective. :)
I just had a nightmare about how I had to run away from a guy two days ago. It IS a first world problem, because my friends supported me and nobody tried to judge or kill me for "disobeying a man".
ReplyDeleteAnd nobody made you marry anybody for your inappropriate behaviour, or disown you for embarrassing the family.
We're both alive and well. In many other countries, we wouldn't be.
Perspective :)
It's funny, I read this and then right after read your 'how many kids' post in MIM and immediately thought "first world problem" when I read about people having longed for a sibling. Right now we have a toddler. There is already a lot of pressure to have another. One argument is to do it for our toddler's sake. Well, I was a second child and looking back on my childhood I am pretty sure I existed so my brother could have a sibling. I was always a second class citizen compared to him. (Also #firstworldproblem) ... Have as many kids as you want, and NO MORE THAN THAT. But for people who whine about never having had a sibling, I figure they must have been pampered and lavished with a lot of attention if that's the biggest complaint they can come up with.
ReplyDeleteIts such a lazy comment. Also the "oh, you are so privileged to even worry about this" argument. Do we (the denizens of the first world and/or the upper 50th %ile of the income bracket) need to put a disclaimer on every post *I realize this is a first-world problem and that I am very privileged. I get that everyone has a different threshold for whining and complaining, but if someone is too whiny for me, I STOP READING. Just like that. Without feeling the need to leave a rude comment. Imagine.
ReplyDeleteAna, I am with you, I was thinking the exact same thing. Once a friend posted that comment on something I said on FB and I stewed about it for weeks and the next time she posted something even remotely FWP-ish I jumped right on her and said the same thing. That's how ticked I was. And how petty I am.
DeleteDr. Alice
Good to know I'm not the only one who stews excessively over dumb internet comments ;)
Delete