First world.
No, I’m not making a Pendragon reference. I’m referring to the society we live in. It is categorized as a first-world country. More unfortunate countries such as Somalia, Burma and Sudan, which are not as profitable are known as third-world countries, all thanks to the Cold War.
In third-world countries a resident’s main focus may be securing food for that night, whereas in America we worry about minuscule things like cell phone reception or the way our coffee is prepared in the morning.
Compared to the problems of someone living in Uzbekistan, little things like bad cell phone reception are frivolous. We should not complain about silly things like that. Yet most people do; these complaints are known as FWP, first-world problems.
FWP are littered all over the Internet, especially Facebook. This is where WhiteWhine.com fits in. WhiteWhine is a website that allows users to submit silly, frivolous complaints about FWPs found on Facebook. Do not be confused, though. Just because the website is called WhiteWhine does not mean it is exclusively displaying Caucasian complaints. It is host to FWP from all over the world, from every race imaginable.
One term often associated with FWP is “reality check.” A reality check is what you say to your friend when they don’t realize how lucky they really are. What better time to get a reality check than right before Christmas; for many, Christmas is just another break from school to get overpriced presents from your relatives. It should be a time to spend and cherish with your family and help out others by donating or volunteering. Yet there is always that kid who whines about how he didn’t get the right size iPod he wanted, the 64 GB, but his grandmother only bought him the 32 GB.
Sean Laurie, Albert lea High School senior, was introduced to WhiteWine.com by a friend and voiced his opinion on the subject.
“I see this happen all the time at ALHS,” Laurie said. “People just need to look at things in a new perspective and not be so whiny.”
While Laurie does not approve of people whining about their FWP, he is definitely not immune to the powers of whine.
“I’ll admit, I have once or twice complained about my FWP’s on Facebook, but I try not to,” he said.
When reading posts on WhiteWhine, Laurie said, “I usually envision my sister as the one complaining; it makes them even more entertaining.”
Along with WhiteWhine there is a picture found among most chat rooms synonymous with FWPs. This picture depicts a woman, who looks to be in her 30s crying hysterically; usually followed by white text at the top and bottom of the picture. The text may read something like “the bottom of my foot itches, but it tickles when I scratch it.”
With winter hitting, you can expect to see many posts on Facebook regarding how horrible and dreadful the snow is and/or how the eggnog his/her mom bought was so horrible. Prepare yourself. With the human race becoming more technologically advanced, posting a FWP to the Internet will be easier than ever. Just make sure you do not become a ‘whiner’ because the repercussions are worse than that Coach purse your mom bought you last Christmas; she didn’t even get the one that matched your coat. How selfish.