Is That a Problem?

Trying to book some things at Disneyland and having no luck. Not for the place I want to go. For the event I was hoping to get a pass to. It's kind of frustrating. 

Some people call those First World problems. 

For those of you that know me fairly well you've probably heard (or read) me dress someone down for commenting that something is a First World problem if I'm complaining. Of course all of my problems are First World problems, I live in the First World. Just by that I can have no problems that are anything else. And just what do you mean by First World? What is the Second World? Or Third? Do you even know what you are saying? Because it's kind of an outdated and problematic term anyway, so maybe don't use it at all? 

Which is all true. It's an outdated concept based on the Cold War era. First World being NATO countries, Second being Soviet Bloc, and Third being everyone else. Then it sort of got shortened in people's heads to First World being Western Industrialized countries. With Second World not getting a lot of press and Third World used derogatorily to mean uncivilized. But why does the West get to decide what is civilized? Especially the United States, I would say our gun violence problem lends itself to being very uncivilized. 

But it also bugs me when people say something is a First World problem because it's used a way to belittle your feelings or shut you down. Oh you can't complain about your phone breaking because at least you have a phone so shut up. But, I'm sorry, if my phone breaks, that's a problem for me. My bank, my car, my insurance, my connection to the outside world all lives on my phone. It's a problem if it breaks. Not something to be shushed about. 

At work Brent will use the expression "high class problems" which is sort of an acknowledgment that it wouldn't be considered a problem in some circles, but it is a problem they need to deal with. Like they need an engineer that does X when they have two that do Y so now they need to figure out which department to try and pilfer help from. High class problems. 

He also uses them when we are trying to figure out things like what to do on vacation. It's a high class problem. It's not a problem we would have had 30 years ago because we wouldn't be going on vacation at all. But now trying to get reservations and finding everything booked even though the window to make them just fucking opened is a high class problem to have. 

Don't worry, I'll just keep checking back and if something opens I'll take it and if not we'll just starve...

In Disneyland. 

Because there is no food there. 

It's not really a problem.