In Defense of the "Third World"

Long voting lines in Columbus, OH.  The commentary (here) says,
"I expect to see long lines like this in third-world countries..."

Voting in the state of Florida is a mess.  Long lines, waits of upwards of 8 or 9 hours.  Polling places that suddenly lock the doors and then just as suddenly reopen them.  Charges of voter suppression.  Threats of intimidation by "poll watchers.  It's a mess.  But, I object when commentators and even voters complain with comments such as a Florida voter made when she said (here), “This is America, not a third-world country. They should have been ready." I object to comments like that of a former governor of New Jersey who said (here) on national television yesterday, "I’ve led delegations around the world to watch voting and this is the kind of thing you expect in a third-world country, not in the United States of America."

For one thing the whole concept of "Third World" simply doesn't apply any more.  This is not the 1950s.  Ours is no longer a bipolar planet living under the daily threat of nuclear holocaust.   In those days, we sat here in North America and easily divided the world into "Developed," Communist, and "Under- Developed" clusters of nations.  It was a conceited and self-congratulatory world view then.  Now, the world is simply not like that any more.  For another thing, "third world" countries in Asia, Africa, and the Pacific are perfectly able to run national elections without the mess we see in Florida and one or two other states.  On more than one occasion, I went with my wife to watch as she voted in national elections in the community of Ban Dok Daeng, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.  It was exactly and precisely like voting in Lowville, New York, USA.  Yes, there is the buying and selling of votes in Thailand.  Yes, that is a scandal.  But, my point is that on election day, the people of this used-to-be "third world" nation run perfectly decent elections.

In fact, well they might complain when things don't go so well one day in the future, "This is Thailand, not some American state."  Or, one of their retired politicians might claim, "I've seen how they vote in the United States of America, and this is what you would expect of some American state, not Thailand."  The point is, when we mess up the way we are in Florida and elsewhere, it would be wise to do without unnecessary comparisons to others who a large percentage of the time enough aren't even guilty of messing things up the way we are.  To bend a famous quotation a little, "I have seen the third world, and it are us."

On a happier note, we should take comfort in the efforts being made in New Jersey and New York to see that folks adversely impacted by Superstorm Sandy have the opportunity to vote.  Indeed, we should be proud of those who stand in line for hours on end to vote.  Good for them!  And it is worth remembering that tens and tens of millions of Americans will vote today without hassle or delay and their votes will be properly counted without question.  It will be just like Ban Dok Daeng.  Amen.