http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP) Quote: "Using a PPP basis is arguably

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP) Quote: "Using a PPP basis is arguably more useful when comparing generalized differences in living standards on the whole between nations because PPP takes into account the relative cost of living and the inflation rates of the countries, rather than using just exchange rates which may distort the real differences in income." Thailand ranks #24, #23 and #24 in those lists. I rounded up. You picked a list to illustrate your point (that Thailand and the Philippines are poor?). I picked one that better reflected GDP vs cost of living, which was my point. I wasn't jumping down his throat specifically, I was saying that the term "third world" as applied to Thailand (and other countries) is a worthless description today. As the original commenter pointed out, it's related to the geopolitics of the Cold War. People often swap it for "developing nation" which is a euphemism for "undeveloped by Western standards" which I think is condescending and a culturally biased value judgement. When someone says "third world" I would say they either don't really understand the economics involved or are deliberately being derogatory to another people/nation. I think that's pretty safely called ignorance.