Hello: Andrew Stueber

preconception to that which is being judged and to that which is doing the judging. 

Often times, due to the many reasons people, among other things, that are mis-labeled, others who are a member of these groups, made up in large part  due to origional faulty deciisions, are likewise, without knowing a damn thing about them, miscast, almost always, in a manner that does not prove beneficial. 

There are a few others on this site who were actually around when they changed the wording from Underdevoped to Developing, remnants of the First, Second and Third World country labels placed on all countries immediately following WW II. Many deserved the Thrid World or underdevoped labeling. Many did not. Many also made great strides to remove this negative connotation from beside their name.

I recall setting around with a number of ex-pats this past winter in the Chapala region of Mexico when this subject was brought up. I said, "If Mexico is considered Third World, the U.S. had better hustle to catch up." There is simply no way you can take all of the U.S. and not be disappointed or perhaps overjoyed if your preconceived notion of who you are about to meet is based on a decision made roughly 70 years ago. 

Hell, in the U.S. alone, you are going to meet people from the same state subjected daily to a standard of living, based on such a diverse collection ranging from road conditions, large discrepancies in education, safety, acess to entertainment, natural beauty, et. al. Using Michigan as an example, there is such a huge difference in just the width of the state, roughly 200 miles from the largest eastern city, Detroit than in the largest western city, Muskegon, encompassing and exceeding far more than population.

As stated, if you are going to base your decisions on the preconceptions drawn by a group  that you have little knowledge of, the reasons you will be satisfied or disappointed are actually quite self-evident and the fault of no one buy yourself.