The song was endearing too. posted by 256 at 8:45 AM on June 24, 2011
Sounds like "Suburban America" problems. Most of this stuff I've never had.
But its still right-on. I went down to Massachusetts and wanted to puke. posted by dunkadunc at 8:49 AM on June 24, 2011
MC Frontalot did it first (and better). Props to the kid though, not a bad riff on the topic. Lyrics were stronger than the performance. posted by postel's law at 8:49 AM on June 24, 2011 [4 favorites]
"99 problems, and they are all thankfully first world problems" not as catchy.
Here's the youtube for the Frontalot track. His page triggers a download on my browser...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3w1_E1V46M posted by lumpenprole at 8:59 AM on June 24, 2011
"What the heck is a decimeter?" is actually not a first world problem, it's a dumb world problem. posted by DU at 9:00 AM on June 24, 2011
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better than that idiot basketball shorts thing. (Sure, it would be really hard not to be better. Still, kudos.) posted by oddman at 9:00 AM on June 24, 2011
I'm not too excited by the "first world problem" putdown. There are legitimate problems that only "first world" has (for now). Like, I'm pretty sure it would not be OK to say "you gays think it's bad you can't get married but in some countries people don't have enough clean water to drink!" or "pffff...you think corporations taking over the public sphere via IP is bad, you should see what they do in Africa!".
In other words, perspective is good, but the smaller item doesn't disappear when you do that. posted by DU at 9:06 AM on June 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
soon, your rap subject matter will be of no matter.
and get a muther fu$#%& scoop with anti-freeze in the handle. posted by clavdivs at 9:07 AM on June 24, 2011
Without even watching this I will assume that wrap rage is somehow involved.
Today's FWP: toilet paper roll in office bathroom is empty on bottom and full on top such that you can only pull off one square at a time. RAGEPEE. posted by elizardbits at 9:10 AM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
I mixed Diet Coke and Mentos to get a big flow
But ended up with an unexpected result posted by bwg at 9:11 AM on June 24, 2011
No one calls coporate takeovers "first world problems".
I was prompted to use that example because of the MC Frontalot lyrics:
...These dictators
of my leisure rule with an iron fist.
Has anybody ever been so put upon as this?
I've definitely seen "first world problem!" type responses to IP issues put just like this. "It's just entertainment--be glad you aren't starving." posted by DU at 9:17 AM on June 24, 2011
Yeah, I would put this under wealthy entitlement problems rather than "first world" or even "Suburban American". I'm certain that there are upper class Honduran or Ugandan kids with the same or similar "problems". posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 9:18 AM on June 24, 2011
Like, I'm pretty sure it would not be OK to say "you gays think it's bad you can't get married but in some countries people don't have enough clean water to drink!" or "pffff...you think corporations taking over the public sphere via IP is bad, you should see what they do in Africa!".
Very true. But there's a big difference between the problem of promoting gay rights and getting worked up over the fact that your iPad got scratched or that your tomatoes won't cut in perfect slices like they do on FoodNetwork. The song seems to be poking fun at the latter kinds of problems. Not that they aren't problems, but that they're treated as some kind of calamity rather than what they are, minor inconveniences. posted by adso at 9:20 AM on June 24, 2011
You know, this "first world problem" thing is kind of played out, but that video was actually really good. posted by gurple at 9:25 AM on June 24, 2011
I'm not sure there's many places without potable water that also allow gays to marry.
The following countries have both issues with potable drinking water and currently legally recognize gay unions of one type or another:
South Africa
Nepal
Mexico
(parts of) USA
(parts of) Australia
Brazil
Colombia
Ecuador
Costa Rica posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 9:38 AM on June 24, 2011 [4 favorites]
The following countries have both issues with potable drinking water and currently legally recognize gay unions of one type or another:
+(parts of) Canada.
parts have problem with drinking water, that is. posted by Lemurrhea at 9:39 AM on June 24, 2011
Yep, there are probably several more, but the point is Gay Unions are not a First World Only issue and neither is safe drinking water a Third World one! posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 9:41 AM on June 24, 2011 [2 favorites]
Unless unsafe drinking water turns you gay. posted by swift at 9:43 AM on June 24, 2011
(My arms are crossed and I'm scowling hard, if that helps.) posted by Benny Andajetz at 10:41 AM on June 24, 2011
I wanted to watch this but flash crashed :( posted by boo_radley at 10:43 AM on June 24, 2011
Wonder if he lives in a suburb of Arlington? posted by Wild_Eep at 10:52 AM on June 24, 2011
Does anyone know the origin of the term "petty first world problems"? I thought I made it up like 7 years ago and felt very clever but now I'm pretty sure I just heard it somewhere else.
The perfect example of a PFWP comes from a friend of mine whose husband was dying waiting for a liver transplant. He was so sick he was in the ICU on life support, and every day the sun rose and his heart was still beating was a good day. My friend was handling this situation with fairly remarkable grace, all things considered, until they discontinued her favorite lipstick. Then she just fell apart into rageful tears. And even though she knew that this was all displaced from her worry and anger and grief about her husband, she really felt, trans-rationally, like the whole giant problem was the lipstick. "It took me forever to find that lipstick!" she cried. "It didn't go weird on me, it stayed on forever, it didn't taste like crayons. . . WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!" posted by KathrynT at 11:06 AM on June 24, 2011
Great job I think. See davelog's reddit link for the source of most of these problems, before you go thinking the kid is amazingly clever. posted by ejoey at 11:06 AM on June 24, 2011
I don't think that laughing a little bit at minor first world problems means you can't recognize that there are some serious ones too.
SWAT broke down my door, said they had a warrant
Something bout some TV show I decided to torrent
Turned down for health insurance, but that's no mystery
I've got cancer in my medical history posted by ernielundquist at 11:12 AM on June 24, 2011
Also my favorite moment is the hands-up back-away, usually seen when some guy is trying indicate that he would TOTALLY beat the shit out of that other guy if he wasn't so calm and collected, when he has trouble scooping the ice cream. posted by KathrynT at 11:17 AM on June 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
The "first world problem" thing just appeared one day, and I felt like I had missed the memo. Other things I didn't get the memo about, was the concept of "trigger warnings" (suddenly everyone was using that phrase, it seemed) and the concept of an idea being "orthogonal" to some other idea (still have no idea what that means, but suddenly it seemed everyone was using it).
I really hate the phrase "first world problems." I get that it's trying to be a lighthearted way of pointing out that the little annoyances of life are just that - kind of a "don't sweat the small stuff" with a side of "finish your peas, there are starving children in Africa." But to me it just sounds like a way of pushing poverty into the category of "other," something that affects people who are not like us. The truth is, the label is most often attached to the kind of minor annoyances which affect us all. You can't scoop the ice cream, a woman in The Gambia can't get the burned rice off the bottom of a pot. They're minor things, they don't really matter, and sometimes they get to us. There is something basic and human about that, and to use it as yet another wedge between "us" and "them" seems wrong to me. By all means, keep a sense of perspective. Just don't do it by pretending you stand apart. posted by Nothing at 11:33 AM on June 24, 2011 [11 favorites]
Good point, Nothing. I feel like the platonic ideal of the petty first world problem is one that's caused by abundance, like "my fridge is so full I have to reach way back" or "dammit, I can't have all my chargers plugged in at once." But not all petty problems are petty first world problems, you're right -- a rock in your shoe is a pain in the ass whether you're Donald Trump or a Somali goatherd. And there are plenty of non-petty problems that aren't life or health threatening that are nonetheless universal; "I like this boy but he doesn't like me" can wreck nearly anyone's life regardless of their circumstances.
But "People keep texting me while I'm playing Tiny Wings"? That's gold. posted by KathrynT at 11:42 AM on June 24, 2011 [3 favorites]
to use it as yet another wedge
Except I never intend or use it that way. I use it to acknowledge, to wonder at even, the absurd differential in access to stuff or activities that exists between me and say someone living in a shack in Lagos.
There is some Vonnegutian twinge, a little pain, a shearing when I realize I am getting bent out of shape because I can't find the wingnuts for our Bimini top, and I see that problem relative to the set of other possible problems. I know I'm not going to change anything, I know the stack of people more privileged than myself and less privileged than myself is not going to budge because of it. But it's there, that weird feeling.
So I make a cheap (and apparently very common) joke about it to acknowledge it, cos pretending it wasn't there would be even weirder. posted by everichon at 11:46 AM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
I did not mean to say that people who use the phrase mean it in the way I described, nor do I ascribe any malicious intent to it's use. I still think that the result of the popularity of the phrase is a sense of separation where there needs to be more understanding of our commonality. posted by Nothing at 12:33 PM on June 24, 2011
"People who own lots of shit" problems. posted by iamck at 1:42 PM on June 24, 2011
"killed a spider with a dollar 'cause I didn't have a tissue" posted by horsemuth at 4:21 PM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Killing spiders?! There's yer problem right there; they eat other bugs. posted by obscurator at 11:51 PM on June 24, 2011
Is there a rap equivalent of emo? Something like Biz Markie's 'Just A Friend' or Flight of the Conchords' 'Hurt Feelings'? Rap for the middle class suburban kid, only serious? posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 3:33 AM on June 25, 2011
Also: It's Getting Real in the Whole Foods Parking Lot posted by CheeseLouise at 7:25 AM on June 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
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The song was endearing too.
posted by 256 at 8:45 AM on June 24, 2011