The World Is Complex. ‘Global South’ Isn’t. Stop saying it.

The term “Global South” is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a geographically illiterate phrase. Australia is in the Global South. So is New Zealand. Both are fabulously wealthy, stable democracies with excellent dental care.Meanwhile, Afghanistan is in the Global North.The “Global South” term was invented by diplomats who needed something that sounded neutral but meant “the countries that got colonized and are still annoyed about it,” which is fair, but the compass metaphor fell apart immediately upon contact with a map.“Developing countries” is perhaps the most optimistic euphemism in the history of language. It implies that Sudan is in some kind of chrysalis phase, about to emerge as a butterfly of prosperity any day now — any decade now — just give it time. Sudan has been “developing” since the term was coined. At some point, you have to admit the butterfly is not coming.“Developed countries” have other problems. It implies completion. South Korea is developed. South Korea is finished. South Korea has arrived. South Korea shouldn’t be considered a “developed” country because it’s still developing . . . at a ferocious pace.”“Third World” is Cold War archaeology. It was coined in 1952 by French demographer Alfred Sauvy to describe countries aligned with neither NATO nor the Soviet bloc — the First and Second Worlds, respectively. The First World was the US alliance. The Second World was the communist bloc. The Third World was everyone else, which included India, Yugoslavia, and Egypt — all countries with ancient civilizations that found it slightly condescending to be ranked third.Then the Soviet Union dissolved, the Second World vanished, and suddenly we had a ranking system with a missing middle tier. Nobody uses “Second World” anymore, so “Third World” just floats there, meaning “poor” by inertia and insult.The best alternative is probably the most boring one: low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries, as classified by the World Bank using GDP per capita thresholds. It is not poetic. Nobody is writing a political manifesto that opens with “the struggle of low-income countries.”But it is at least accurate, updatable, and it doesn’t imply that geography determines destiny or that anyone is finished developing. South Korea can graduate. Sudan’s situation can be described honestly. Australia doesn’t have to share a category with Mozambique because they’re both south of the equator.The runner-up is “majority world,” which at least has the virtue of pointing out that the so-called periphery contains most of the humans. It flips the frame.The Global North, with its confident assumption that it is the default, contains a minority of the world’s population, making the rules for everyone else. “Majority world” is a quiet little power move that geographers occasionally use and that never quite caught on because it makes wealthy nations slightly uncomfortable, which is probably the most honest thing that can be said for it.What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe