Saturday, August 24, 2013
First World problems
As if we did not have enough to worry about the Telegraph produces an article on problems besetting those of us who are privileged enough to live in what is known on Twitter as the First World, somewhere not racked with the war, famine, human rights abuses and disease that much of the rest of the World has to put up with.
A sense of perspective is needed to those complaining about Pimms not being sufficiently chilled, the cleaner taking a day off and the glare of the sun affecting the screen of our laptops, phones or tablets. But then the whole Twitter hashtag is meant to be ironic, parodying and berating those who do not know how lucky they are to only have small inconveniences to worry about.
The paper says that sagging designer clothing, the area we live in being too nice for a corner shop which sells cheap wine and having to stand up to reach for a cup on the coffee table are also on the list:
Another area of 'first world problems' includes motoring – with problems such as the car's leather seats becoming too hot in the summer – and too cold in the winter.
The car stereo not being MP3 compatible is also listed as a problem as is needing a second family car, but not having room for it on the driveway.
A spokesman for paid survey website, OnePoll, which carried out the study, said: "Sometimes we forget just how good we've got it.
"While we enjoy a lifestyle much more fortunate than some parts of the world, we still find time to moan about those more trivial problems during everyday life.
"Of course it's frustrating that our earphones get tangled, or that some shops only sell cheap wine when you want to splash out a bit.
"But when these moments occur, we should take a second and reflect on what aspects of our life aren't so problematic".
Precisely.
A sense of perspective is needed to those complaining about Pimms not being sufficiently chilled, the cleaner taking a day off and the glare of the sun affecting the screen of our laptops, phones or tablets. But then the whole Twitter hashtag is meant to be ironic, parodying and berating those who do not know how lucky they are to only have small inconveniences to worry about.
The paper says that sagging designer clothing, the area we live in being too nice for a corner shop which sells cheap wine and having to stand up to reach for a cup on the coffee table are also on the list:
Another area of 'first world problems' includes motoring – with problems such as the car's leather seats becoming too hot in the summer – and too cold in the winter.
The car stereo not being MP3 compatible is also listed as a problem as is needing a second family car, but not having room for it on the driveway.
A spokesman for paid survey website, OnePoll, which carried out the study, said: "Sometimes we forget just how good we've got it.
"While we enjoy a lifestyle much more fortunate than some parts of the world, we still find time to moan about those more trivial problems during everyday life.
"Of course it's frustrating that our earphones get tangled, or that some shops only sell cheap wine when you want to splash out a bit.
"But when these moments occur, we should take a second and reflect on what aspects of our life aren't so problematic".
Precisely.
